How To Make Your Home More Energy Effecient

I’m sure we’ve all been stung with big bills after a cold winter and realised that something needs to change. And with the cost of fuel rising, it’s no surprise that we’d all like to see those bills dropping rather than rising.

But making your home more energy efficient is not just about protecting your bank balance, it can also lead to a more comfortable home.

From the smallest changes to bigger investments, there are a variety of things you can do to help cut back on the costs.

Of course you don’t have to follow every step, but this guide will help you to make changes no matter your budget. After all anything to help lower the heating bills is always a good thing in our book.

Insulate Your Home

Reducing the heat loss that escapes from your home is essential to ensure you’re not wasting money heating your house as well as the world outside.

A quarter of heat within a house is lost through the roof, so insulating your loft or attic would always be the best place to start.

Typical mineral wool rolls are is easy to fit yourself and also great value for money when it comes to the benefits it will provide for your home.

If you already have insulation within your roof perhaps add a new layer, or look to a professional to help you add it into your ceilings and walls.

Update Your Windows

With 15 years experience in the glazing industry we know that windows are a major source of heat loss in a home.

As many single glazed windows can let in drafts and help the heat escape, we would recommend updating your windows and doors to ensure they’re not causing you unnecessary expense.

The investment in updating your windows to double or even triple glazed will bring many long term benefits to the energy efficiency of your home. As well as making winters a lot less drafty.

For the simple pleasure of being comfortable within your own home, and seeing those bills drop, we’d say it’s well worth it.

Watch Your Heating

It sounds pretty simple, but many homeowners don’t know how to use their own heating systems efficiently.

I think we can all admit to owning a manual and never reading it.

But ensuring that you’ve set up your heating system properly can dramatically help you to ensure you’re not running the heating when you don’t actually need it.

Take the time to read that manual and get to grips with when you need heating and when you don’t.

Also check that your boiler is serviced and is performing at it’s best.

Old heating systems can cost you more money in the long run, so if you feel like you sometimes need to give it a nudge to get going, maybe it’s time it got an update.

Turn Off Appliances

We can definitely put our hands up to having our appliances on standby, and we’re sure you’ve probably got a few of those little red lights dotted around your home too.

But this guilty little habit costs us £30 a year. Which is quite a substantial amount of an energy bill when you think about it.

So although you think they’re turned off, they’re secretly guzzling your energy whilst you sleep.

Turn it off properly at the socket, or look to purchase items that have a better energy efficiency rating when on standby.

Give Eco Bulbs A Go

Lights get a fair amount of use in this country thanks to our typical british weather, and although it may feel like a lifetime for them to reach their full brightness, energy efficient bulbs are just one of the simple things you can change about your home.

As much as we love the look of spotlights, and other fancy light fittings that you can get from the home furniture stores, these are costly, and take up an unreasonable amount of energy.

You can tell this from just how hot they can become.

Be energy conscious about your lighting, and try to avoid obvious habits like leaving lights on when you don’t need them. A little change can go a long way.

Make Your Own Energy Efficient Home

If energy bills are really grinding your gears, and you’re starting to feel a little guilty about your carbon footprint, many are now investing in building or improving their homes completely to be more energy efficient.

Renovations for energy efficiency are growing in popularity, as many seek renewable energies to help cut down the costs in the long term.

Of course this is no easy task, and like with any big project we would always suggest that you do your research and consult with professionals who have experience.

But utilising the suns natural heating and lighting abilities in your home, can bring numerous benefits to your way of life.

As fitters of Velux windows, we’ve seen for ourselves just what can be achieved when you want to create more space and an energy efficient home.

Talk to our knowledgeable team today about how we can help you make your home more energy efficient.