By making a few changes around your property, you could potentially save hundreds of pounds a year on your overall home energy costs. Reducing your average energy spend will not only save your wallet, it will also make your household more eco-friendly, and so it’s undoubtedly worth spending a little time making some adjustments. If you’re not sure how to go about making your home more energy efficient then the following guide should help you out.
Replace light bulbs
Switching halogen light bulbs for LED light bulbs is a simple change but one that could save you huge amounts a year on your energy bill. An LED light bulb uses approximately 75-90% less energy than traditional light bulbs and on average costs just over one pound a year to run.
Draught-proof your property
Prevent heat from escaping by reducing draughts. Seal cracks in floors and skirting boards and apply draught-proofing strips to your doors and window frames. The more heat you can keep in the home, the less money you’ll need to spend on putting the heating on.
Invest in double glazing
Another factor that will always make your home feel less cold is double glazing. Double glazing insulates your home from the cold, drastically reducing your heating bills as well as providing an extra element of soundproofing.
Wash clothes at a lower temperature
Your washing machine uses a lot of energy and so the less washes you can make per week, the lower your overall energy bill will be. However, when you do need to put washes on, consider lowering the temperature. Washing at 30 degrees rather than 40 degrees is a small change, but one that is likely to save you some money.
Install a new boiler
The vast majority of your annual energy bill goes on heating which is why it’s so important to have a boiler that isn’t wasting excessive amounts of energy. Upgrading to a new A-grade condensing model with a programmer and thermostatic controls might be a pricey initial investment, however it will certainly save you huge amounts of money in the long run.
Buy energy efficient appliances
When it comes to replacing your appliances, choosing energy efficient replacements will have a big impact on your energy bill. You can see how efficient an appliance is from the EU energy efficiency rating label that should be found on most appliances. The most efficient rating is ‘A’, so this is something to look out for when searching for your next home appliance.
Install smart heating controls
If you don’t already have smart thermostats or heating controls in your home, you should definitely consider getting them installed. Heating controls allow you to set your heating/ hot water to turn on and off when you need it to, heat only the parts of the home that you need and set different temperatures for each room in the house. This allows you to keep your home at a comfortable temperature, without wasting any energy.
Insulate your home
A lot of heat can be lost through your roof and so insulating your loft and walls is important in preventing excessive heat loss in the home. Installing insulation alongside double glazing is therefore a great way to massively reduce your energy bill.
These certainly aren’t the only ways you can reduce your energy usage in the home. Simple everyday actions such as turning off standby appliances and being more careful with water usage will all help towards lowering your energy costs. However, we hope this guide has given you some inspiration to get started on creating a greener and more cost-efficient home.
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