***Collaborative post***
No one likes to have a cold home. When you are prone to having a cold house, it can feel like a continual battle to keep warm. Trying to keep your home at a constant, comfortable temperature during the winter can lead to extortionate gas and electricity bills, which can be a real cause of stress. Receiving a high energy bill can be a nasty surprise, and may leave you worrying about how you will cover the cost.
If you find yourself continually turning up your heating to stay warm, you may benefit from improving the energy efficiency of your home. Improving the energy efficiency of your home will not only help keep you warm all winter long, but it will also reduce the cost of your heating bills. Of course, increasing the energy efficiency of your home is about so much more than saving money. When you actively make changes to improve energy efficiency in your house, you are also helping to reduce your carbon footprint. Here are some of the ways that you can increase the energy efficiency of your home and enjoy the benefits that this brings:
Switch Your Lighting
Your choice of lighting can influence the cost of powering your home. Some lights require a large amount of electricity to keep them running, but switching to LED lighting will provide an energy-efficient alternative. LED lights use 90 per cent less electricity than regular light bulbs, so you should see a reduction in your energy usage when you switch to LED lighting.
Check Your Insulation
If you are continually turning up your heating, but still not feeling the warmth in your home, you may need to improve your roof insulation. If your roof is not well-insulated, all of the heat generated by your fire or central heating travels up into your loft and through your roof. To prevent your heat from being wasted in this way, you will need to ensure that your loft insulation performs at its best. Using the best insulation will allow your home to stay warm and less heat will escape through your roof. This means a cosier house and less expensive energy bills.
Change Your Windows
Are you losing heat through your windows? Many homes lose heat through their windows without even realising. Even if your windows don’t seem drafty, they can still be energy inefficient, and cause your heating bill to rise. Double-glazed windows and triple-glazed windows can help to boost your home’s energy efficiency by providing improved insulation when compared to single-glazed windows. However, not all double-glazing and triple-glazing is equal. The energy efficiency of your windows will depend on the quality of the glazing and window frames. Changing your windows and doors to double or triple-glazing with a high energy efficiency rating will help to ensure that your home stays well insulated. You may also want to consider adding a heavy curtain to the windows to help keep the warm air in and prevent any drafts entering your home.
