We’re all feeling the cost-of-living crisis, and as we head into the colder months, and approach Christmas, there’s no better time to start thinking about paying less for our energy. By making a number of small changes, you can reduce the energy you use and the amount you pay. These changes will also create a warmer and more comfortable home, whilst reducing your carbon footprint.

Radiators

Radiators are usually a household’s main transfer of heat, retaining the heat you’re creating is important for reducing your bills – you don’t want to be paying for heat you’re not feeling the benefit of.
Firstly, start by ensuring your radiators are cleaned, and dust free, to optimise the heat transfer. Using your radiators to dry clothes, also stops the heat transferring. Instead, dry your clothes on a drying rack in the middle of a well-ventilated room.

Having furniture pushed up against radiators also has the same effect of, moving your furniture a couple of inches away from the radiator can make a significant impact to allow the heat to spread throughout the room.

Another way to reduce the heat lost from radiators, is to add a reflective film to the back of your radiators, to reflect wasted heat. Heat that would otherwise be lost on the wall, is directed into the room. This can be a simple DIY project, find lots of tutorials on YouTube.

Boilers naturally release small pockets of air, which overtime collects at the top of a radiator, reducing the efficiency of the radiator by reducing the amount of hot water the radiator can hold. This be released by ‘bleeding’ the radiators. Make sure you bleed your radiators once a year before Winter. Again, this is an easy job to do yourself, with lots of YouTube tutorials if you’ve never done it before.

If you have unused rooms in your house, such as a study, or a radiator in the garage, ensure these are turned off, to avoid paying to heat rooms you aren’t using.

These changes will help you get more out of your radiators. Important to remember, in order to be getting the best out of your radiators, your boiler also needs to be working at full capacity. Aim to get your boiler serviced once a year to ensure this.

Windows and Doors

If you have double glazed windows with vents on, close these when you don’t want to feel the draft through them. It’s important to still have them open from time to time, to do their job of ventilating the properly.
Look for any gaps around your window or door frames, these can be filled with sealant to reduce heat loss. Again, you want to retain the heat you’re paying for.

Draft excluders are another great addition, by adding these to the front and back door, you reduce the draft, making you feel more comfortable and less likely to turn the heating up. Draft excluders can also be used in internal doorways.

Letter boxes can be another place which lets in a draft, for this consider a letter box draft excluder such as bristle strips or a letter box plate.

Another change that can be made to your windows, is using heavy curtains, or even insulated curtains or blinds. Another, inexpensive option is adding a heat retention film to your windows. Another DIY job, with tutorials found on YouTube!

Other Changes

  • By reducing the temperate you wash your clothes at, you save the energy used to heat the water up further than may be needed. 30 degrees is sufficient for modern detergent. Give it a try and see if this is an easy way to save some energy.
  • Ensure any electrics that can be turned off at the switch are, as leaving electrics on standby still uses electricity, adding to your bill.
  • Keep in mind for further, when replacing appliances, check the energy efficiency rating of these. Investing in a higher energy rating may well save you money in the future.
  • Insulate hot water pipes, to reduce the energy spent heating your hot water. This can again be something you do yourself if you’re partial to some DIY. It can be a relatively easy change to make, and there are plenty of YouTube tutorials.
  • Replacing your current lighting with energy efficient lighting. This doesn’t need to be done in one big change, so it can be an inexpensive change to make. When a bulb goes, replace it with an energy efficient one. Energy efficient bulbs also last longer, reducing your upkeep.

Even introducing a few of these changes should increase the warmth in your home, and save you some money on your energy bills.