How you can cut costs and still keep warm in your home
Our community campaign ‘Heat & Eat - fight the cost of living crisis’ looks at how a situation in which people struggle to pay for basic needs has developed, and what we can do to address it.
IN THE face of increasing energy costs we need to know how to stay warm in our home while cutting down on spends.
Heat is the biggest use of energy in the UK. We need to heat our homes but by being mindful and employing useful tips provided by experts, we can reduce our energy bills while still staying warm and comfortable.
Energy efficiency measures not only save you cash, but also help to save the planet by reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
These seven easy hacks will help to protect your pocket while heating your home effectively.
Keep your thermostat at a constant temperature of 19C
Close your curtains from dusk until it’s light in the morning
Plug any leaky gaps around windows, doors and letter boxes with strip insulation
Add roof insulation to 27cm in your loft
Have your boiler serviced regularly and if you have an old boiler that is inefficient, invest and install a new one
Fit cavity wall insulation or solid wall insulation if your house is over 100 years old
Use thermostat radiator valves to keep empty rooms or bedrooms at a lower temperature
TARIFFS
Energy bills increase every year, well above inflation, so it’s time to take note. The quickest way to reduce energy bills is to find a better tariff and then switch your supplier. But use less energy also.
Changing energy companies is easy, and a matter of just a few phone calls. Typically, you can save £150 a year and all you need is an up to date meter reading and bank details.
There are many green energy suppliers to choose from and an increasing number of these offer improved customer service. Some green suppliers offer a green gas tariff as well as renewable, clean electricity.
Long term, the best way to heat your home cheaply is to stop waste and so reduce gas demand. Cutting how much energy you use is simple, and done through insulation, smart heating controls and actions such as drawing curtains every night.
Just as you wouldn’t go out in bitter cold weather without wrapping up in layered clothes, you and your family will benefit from your home being wrapped up as well. So use insulation to your advantage.
INSULATION
Wall and roof insulation keep warmth inside, so will cut energy bills significantly.
Roof insulation is recommended to a depth of 27cm, which is nearly a foot, so it’s worth checking. For cavity wall insulation, small beads are blown in to fill the cavity through a tiny hole in the wall, which is then filled in and there is a ten-year guarantee on the work.
Costs start from a few hundred pounds and could pay back this investment within a few years depending on your circumstances. Cavity wall insulation will also increase the energy performance certificate (EPC) of your house, which in turn increases its value.
Even solid walls can be insulated either internally, which is the cheapest option, or externally.
CURTAINS
If you’re thinking of replacing curtains or blinds, add an extra layer of fabric to prevent heat escaping through the windows. Choose thermal lining for curtains and roman blinds as well as black out lining for roller blinds. These linings are thicker and have a tighter weave so less heat escapes than normal cotton lining. Thermal lined curtains are widely available and can be fitted to any fabric and don’t alter how your curtain hangs.
You can add thermal lining to the curtains you already have using curtain hooks. Make sure curtains are drawn from dusk until dawn so they trap heat in your home, and exclude draughts.
Some simple DIY tasks can make a big difference – fix any windows or doors where the glazing is broken or hinges need adjusting. A draught excluder is really effective as is a letter box brush. Add a chimney balloon if your fireplace is not used.
Secondary film glazing is another to stop draughts from single pane windows or if you live in a listed building with sash windows. These are easy to fit with a hair dryer and sticky back tape and extremely cheap. Secondary glazing makes a real difference to your home in a few minutes and can be removed in the summer.
As well as providing space heat, our boilers provide hot water for washing.
By using less hot water by taking showers and not baths, we can cut down on water and energy bills. Saving water is also important as climate change is reducing the amount of rainfall we receive, particularly in summer months. Low flow shower heads are worth considering.
Another option to save money is if your house has a hot water cylinder. Modern boilers can heat hot water very
quickly so you only need the water heated for the times of day when you take a shower or bath. The hot water cylinder should keep water warm for hand washing in between times. Foam insulation around hot water pipes and a jacket on your hot water tank are also good ideas.
So check your programmer and see if you can change water heating settings to match your actual demand.
There are tutorials available on YouTube on how to change water heater settings if you search for your specific make and model.
Even if you are in rented accommodation, you have a legal right to ask your landlord to make energy efficiency improvements.
Not only does energy efficiency save you money, but the property will be easier to let in future. Landlords have to spend up to £3,500 on improving their property if it is substandard - an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of F or G.