Getting an energy bill during winter time can be a dreaded occurrence. It can cause you to try and cut down on your energy usage but a cold home is not very cosy or inviting. In addition to this there seems to always be something in the news about rising energy costs. There are six big energy companies in Britain, these are British Gas, EON, EDF, NPower, Scottish Power and SSE, and these companies supply 98% of Britain’s households with their energy. We have provided you with some energy saving tips to keep you warm and save you money this winter.
Tips for Keeping Warm and Saving Money
- Invest in thermal curtains – thermal curtains reduce heat loss through window areas. You could line existing curtains with insulating material and reduce heat loss by as much as 25%.
- Use draught excluders – unless your home is very new it is likely that you will be losing some heat through draughts around the doors and windows. Buy some draught excluders to stop so much heat being lost.
- Place foil behind the radiators – putting tin foil behind the radiator can make heating your home more effective as the foil will reflect the heat back into the room, rather than letting it escape through the walls. Doing this will mean you can turn your temperature down by a degree or two. According to the Energy Saving Trust reducing heat by 1 degree can approximately save you £65 a year.
- Turn radiators off in rooms which are not being used, although you should turn them on sometimes to make sure they are still working.
- Use a hot water bottle to heat your bed instead of using an electric blanket.
- Loft insulation – add some insulation to your loft to prevent heat escaping. It is recommended that you have ten inches of loft insulation to keep your home warm.
- Take advantage of sunny rooms – open curtains on your south-facing windows during the day. The sunlight will naturally heat your room. Close the curtains at night though to prevent heat escaping.
- Maintain your heating systems – schedule a service for your heating system so you can keep your heating system operating efficiently.
- Fireplaces – if you use your fireplace install temperature tempered glass doors and a heat-air exchange system that blows warmed air back into the room. If you don’t use your fireplace plug and seal the chimney flue.
- Set the heating to switch off a short while before you get into bed, that way your room will still be warm when you get into bed but the heating won’t stay on unnecessarily.
We hope this helps you to keep warm this winter and also save some money!