As the cold bite of January really takes hold, many of us are turning our heating up with trepidation at the thought of what effect doing so could have on our energy bills.
It’s no new news that energy prices are soaring, but, with the weather a lot warmer at the end of last year and government support available to help with the rising costs, it made things a little easier.
Now, with the weather getting really cold, it’s important to ensure we can stay warm – especially when it comes to looking after elderly or vulnerable people.
You might therefore be looking for ways to make your home as energy efficient as possible. Thankfully there are ways to get the most out of your heating system which will enable you to save money and stay warm at the same time.
Save heat, save energy, save money
In the past angry parents would complain about heating the outside when telling their children to keep doors and windows shut, but did you know that energy may even be being wasted by heating your walls?
Draft prevention is a great move in keeping the heat in your home, so closing curtains and putting draft excluders under doors is a good first step, but there’s something else which you can do to reduce the heat that’s being wasted.
The heat which comes out of the back of the radiators can be reflected back into the room by simply covering a sheet of card with tin foil and placing it behind your radiator. In turn, you’ll need less energy to get to the required room temperature and this will mean lower costs.
Another top tip is to bleed your radiators. By getting rid of any build ups of air which are sitting stagnant in the top of your radiators, you can ensure the whole radiator is able to heat up and become more energy efficient.
Also, when trying to save money on your energy bills, ask yourself, does the thermostat need to be on as high as it is? When you’re super cold it can be tempting to turn it all the way up. But, by turning it down a couple of notches, it can save you a lot.
Think more to keeping a consistent, comfortable room temperature, instead of whacking the heat right up. This can be the most cost effective way to heat your home.
Is your boiler working as efficiently as it could be?
When boilers aren’t working as well as they could be, then energy can be wasted. This can be remedied by getting your boiler serviced once a year.
A boiler service is a series of checks which a Gas Safe registered heating engineer will make, to ensure your boiler is running as energy efficiently as it can. They will look for potential problems and check factors such as that the boiler pressure is at the correct level and therefore at its most efficient. This could save you hundreds of pounds in home heating costs.
You may also wish to look into upgrading your old boiler to a more energy efficient boiler, which again could save money on energy bills in the long term.
For more information about the heating and plumbing services which we provide for homes and businesses in Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire, get in touch with a member of our team today for more details.