Make Your
Home Energy Efficient with our Top 8 Tips
Energy efficiency is one of the most important subjects of our times, and it becomes a must standard for modern homes. We need to waste less and help our planet and ourselves. Checking your home is as energy-efficient as possible could help keep those winter fuel costs down and save you money throughout the year.
Through their nature houses are not hermetically sealed, especially the older the house is more air leaks are present. This means that you will use more energy to keep you warm in the winter and to stay cool in the summer.
So, energy efficiency means doing more with less. For example, energy saving light bulbs create the same amount of light with a fraction of the energy than an old fashion incandescent light bulb.
As for buildings, same principle applies, which means that if you have two buildings using the same amount of energy to create heat, the building that keeps in more of that heat is more energy-efficient than the other one.
Why is important to make our home energy efficient? Becoming energy-efficient means that we limit our levels of energy consumption, which indirectly means that we save wildlife habitats and cut down our reliance on planet-pollution fossil fuels and limit the consumption of planet’s limited resources.
This article will cover:
We can take small steps to improve our energy consumption and to reduce our carbon footprint. Here are our top 10 tips to make your home energy efficient:
One of the most poor insulated areas of our house is the loft space and is considered that more than 30% of our heat escapes through poor insulated surfaces, such ceilings and walls.
Adding a decent loft insulation, can save you yearly up to £250, depending on the type of property you have, location and what type of insulation you choose.
Switching to thick curtains over windows will prevent heat escaping and make your home a little bit more efficient, especially if your windows are not the newest or highly rated.
Also, reducing the draft of your doors can an easy way to maintain your home warmer for longer and reduce your heating bills.
Having an inefficient, old boiler should be your first point of attention if you want to lower your bills and make your home more energy efficient. A boiler account for 60% of the carbon dioxide emissions in a gas heated home.
Boilers are rated on scale of A to G, with A being the most energy efficient. If you have one at the lower end of the scale then investing in a newer one, with a higher energy rating would be a good investment and will save you hundreds of pounds each year.
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Baths can waste a lot of water and having installed a greener shower could be your best option. Even if you think, having a 20 minutes shower instead of a bath saves you already a lot of energy and water, you need to think again.
Are some power showers which are using more energy and water in couple of minutes than a whole bath. By fitting a water saving shower, you will cut down your water and energy bills.
If you do not have already double glazing windows fitted, you should definitely consider this option. You will notice an immediate difference when you install a high rated double glazed windows (having triple glazed is even better).
Having a double glazed window will help you keep your heat for longer inside and therefore your house is becoming more energy efficient. Also, you can apply for different grants to upgrade your windows, front doors and boilers.
One of the easiest ways to save on your energy bills is to find a cheaper energy deal. Lately, more and more cheaper tariffs are offered by more greener companies, which are using reusable sources of energy, such as wind or solar panels.
Always, opt for a cheaper, better energy supplier, but keep in mind how they produce their energy. If is a greener way of producing their energy is better for all of us, for our planet and for you in longer term.
For example, do you use a kettle to boil water for your tea? Kettles are incredible wasteful, but you can save energy by only heating what you need and upgrading to an eco-kettle (using 30% less energy to boil your water).
Choosing a highly rated appliances, like a better washing machine, TV will help you reduce your energy consumption, thus your energy bills.
Installing solar panels can be expensive, but in the long run it’s one of the most effective things you can do to save energy at home. And with the price of solar panels being 70% cheaper today than in previous years, it’s actually much more affordable lately. Also, you can get paid for any energy you do not use, especially during the summer days.
These days, an average solar set-up will cost somewhere between £2,500 and £8,000 (including installation), depending on the number of panels and the size of your roof. But we estimate that a 3.5 kW panel in southern England will return about £300 to your hip pocket in the first year – and give an approximate 5% rate of return over the 25-year lifetime of the installation.
And in recent years, the government put in place new ways to support new, greener ways to become more energy efficient at your home. In this case, we can talk about the Green Homes Grant, where you will get a £5000 voucher to improve your home and become more energy efficient.
Written by Danil P.
29th Nov 2019 (Last updated on 26th Feb 2023)
6 minute read
