Although we are currently well into a nice warm summer, soon enough the winter will roll back around and we will often find our heating bills skyrocketing. So, short of putting on parkas and covering ourselves with blankets everywhere we go, what can be done? Well, Sussex based property experts Hocking Associates have provided this quick list of top tips for helping to reduce your heating bills in the long term, including investing in insulation and double-glazing many among other money saving features.
Insulation
Loft Insulation
This is designed to ‘catch’ heat rising up from the lower floors in order to prevent it from escaping out through the roof. Loft insulation can be comprised of wool, wooden panels, foam-board or an assortment of other materials.
Wall Insulation
Also known as cavity wall insulation is the filling used to insulate the walls of your home. Your home commonly has two walls separated by empty space in order to increase insulation and reduce damage to the interior of the home from outside elements. By filling the ‘cavity wall’ with insulation foam or foam-board, you increase insulation for your home.
Both loft and cavity wall insulation can be provided for the government if your income is lower than a set average, making it worth your while and easy to get adequate insulation for your home.
Double Glazing
For more modern properties, installing double glazing is easy, quick and efficient. While expensive, it provides a wide range of benefits including keeping the house warmer in winter and cooler in summer, so it is an effective means of reducing your heating bills. It also reinforces your home against potential thieves by increasing security and helps prevent condensation during the winter, which reduces the effects and risk of damp or mould.
For more traditional windows, you can enlist the help of experts, who will be able to combine tried and tested repair techniques with the latest in double glazing technology in order to reproduce double glazing on traditional window designs. It keeps the original design, yet makes the property more suitable for modern use.
Buy a New Boiler
Your double glazing could be extremely effective, your loft insulation might be nicely keeping in the heat but if your boiler is old or inefficient, then you’re going to feel the credit crunch anyway. If your boiler is close to or older than a decade, it is time to seriously start replacing it. Newer boilers are equipped with more energy saving technology and are designed as such to be more environmentally friendly, thus increasing your energy efficiency while decreasing your carbon footprint at the same time. They are not cheap, but you’ll certainly start to see the difference in just a short period of time.
By requesting an Energy Performance Certificate you will be able to see where your shortcomings are in terms of your energy efficiency and you can make plans from there. While insulation and double glazing are the most obvious options, in some cases something as small as switching to energy saving light bulbs can have an effect on the amount of money you pay for electricity and heating each month so it is worth taking a look.
At the end of the day, the aim is to save money in the long term, so while insulation and double glazing might be expensive at the moment, in the long term you will save far more than you have spent in heating bills. Plus you will see a noticeable difference in the summer and the winter and you will be far likely to suffer from condensation, which is a great plus when it comes to the prevention of damp and mould!
