The government has recently announced a Green Homes Grant, where householders will be able to apply for two-thirds funding to make their homes more energy efficient. No details have been released yet but this is likely to include measures such as insulation and double glazing and will be available in September.
If you are looking to make your home more energy efficient then this could be a really good scheme for you but you don’t need to wait until September, or commit to a big, expensive project, to put in place energy efficiencies as there are lots of things you can do to improve energy efficiency that are free or low cost.
Many people will have found that their energy consumption has increased over lockdown as we’re spending more time at home so this could be a good time to really get a grip on energy reducing tricks and tips.
Here are some ideas for reducing the amount of gas and electricity used in the home that could help you save money and reduce your carbon footprint.
Smart heating doesn’t reduce energy consumption in itself but it does help you manage it more effectively. Being able to monitor your usage via a smart meter can give you information that can allow you to reduce consumption and being able to control your heating using an app means there’s no leaving it on while out by mistake and you can vary it according to the weather every day rather than having to stick to a prescribed timer programme.
Most can get a smart meter installed for free by their energy provider and the cost of upgrading to a smart thermostat is around £250. Read more about smart meters and smart thermostats.
There are many things that you can do differently at home that will help you save energy and most are more about changing habits than spending money. Things like keeping internal doors and curtains closed once the sun has gone down in the winter, plugging up draughts, not drying damp clothes on radiators and not blocking radiators with furniture. You can read more details about these measures, plus other tips here.
One of the best ways you can keep your heating working efficiently is to look after the system. This means having your boiler serviced annually, bleeding your radiators regularly and using proactive measures, like adding inhibitor to your boiler, to keep everything clear and working properly. Looking after your heating system is one of the best things you can do to keep it working well and increase its lifespan. Read more about heating your home efficiently.
Energy efficient windows and doors and insulation are certainly great ways to reduce the amount of energy wasted but if you don’t have the budget, even with schemes such as these, then all of these things mentioned here could make quite the difference – in fact, you should them anyway, even if you are planning big home energy projects like these – every little helps!
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