We all want to keep costs down when it comes to heating our home. That is just a fact, and a reduction on your heating bill is a great sight at the end of the quarter or even month. However, how do you do this? With the winter coming the team at Greener Homes decided it would be the best time to look at how to heat your home for less.
What You Can Do To Heat Your Home For Less
There are many things in which you can help reduce the heating costs within your home. Some are easy fixes, and some will require some investment. However, the investment will be outweighed by the physical amount you pay on your heating bill. Some of the best and most common recommendations we have are as follows:
Use Your Curtains
Most homes have curtains. If it is sunny get them open. By doing this you allow heat to enter the rooms, and it will circulate. As the sun’s heat is free the need for heating is then eradicated. When it is dark shut the curtains. This helps to keep the heat in the room, and also helps to exclude draughts.
Use Timers On Central Heating
Timers allow you to set the temperature to warm up in your home as you need it. For example setting it 30 minutes before you wake up. By doing this you can set it to an optimum temperature. Whereas, most who put it on as soon as they wake up will whack it up high. As we will mention below a home has an optimum temperature, after this heat is lost. By using a timer you can really control the need for heat, and the temperature.
Move Your Sofa
Unfortunately sitting near your radiators in your favorite sofa could be costing your house heat. By moving away from the radiator you allow the hot air to circulate around the home. The same goes for clothes that you may dry on the radiator. These can impact how much hot air is allowed to circulate around the home.
Maximise Insulation
Heat rises, and around 25% of your home’s heat is lost through the roof. Installing around 25cm of insulation in the roof can have a profound effect on the amount lost. As well as the roof, it is always worth looking at how much is lost through the walls. Cavity wall insulation is the most common way to maintain heat in a home, and can be done at a reasonable cost.
Wrap Up Warm
Not yourself, but your water tank. If you do have a water tank in your home make sure that it is insulated correctly. This will limit the amount of heat which is lost into the surroundings. A new water tank jacket can cost around £150. A small price to pay for big savings on your bill.
Turn Down The Dial
To some this may seem counterintuitive but the facts do not lie. The temperature of a room does not need to exceed a specific limit, and once it does you will find most of the heat is lost. By ensuring that your thermostat is not far above that level you will limit heat wastage. It is said to be around 10% reduction in bills for a 1’C decrease in temperature.
Block Out The Draughts
Draughts cause unnecessary heat loss. This is due to the cold air from outside coming into your home, and also the heat being able to escape. The best and most common ways to do this is to buy draught excluders. These can come in the forms of rubber seals which you place around the door in order to trap the heat in. Another way, and also cost effective, is to buy the draught excluder ‘sausage dog’ which goes near the bottom of the door. Simple but very effective.
Upgrade Your Boiler
If your boiler is more than 10 years old it may be time to upgrade it. Naturally over time a boiler will lose its efficiency and also power to heat your home in the best way. An older boiler also loses the amount of energy it can create. Therefore meaning it takes more to get the desired heat.
Having a boiler upgraded does not need to be a tough task, and the team at Greener Homes are always on hand. Our Quote Calculator is a great tool to find out more information about what we can do for you.
To Conclude
When it comes to how to heat your home for less there are some very easy things you can do, and potentially very quickly to make a difference. If not, there are cheaper alternatives which you can also implement very quickly. Greener Homes specialise in heating and boiler systems so we understand how to help our customers save money. For more information on our services then please do Contact Us.