Heating your home is incredibly expensive and it’s a real worry as we are about to enter the winter months. But try not to panic, there is plenty you can do to save on your heating bills.
Ideally you could try not to turn on the heating on as often. Although this is easier said than done when your feeling cold and miserable. However, you can do this by heating the people in the house not the property. Make sure everyone has a warm pair of slippers this Christmas and dish out hot water bottles and fleecy hoodies to everyone in the family. Plus a nice warm blanket for the dogs in your home!
Should You Leave The Heating Running?
Many people wonder if it’s better to leave the heating constantly running so you’re not continually heating a cold home as one method to save on heating bills. Others prefer just putting it on at set times instead. However, if your house is poorly insulated and not retaining heat you are better off only putting it on only when needed.
Our last house our heating was on all the time, and it hardly kicked in, we were in a terraced house and had cavity walls. In the house we are in now it just wouldn’t work like that. We have a detached house and many more external walls to heat!
Should you turn off radiators in unused rooms?
This can save you energy and is something my husband is keen to do. Although you do have to balance those savings with the impact of leaving rooms unheated. They could become damp and cost you more in the long run. This is especially the case for north facing rooms that don’t benefit from direct sunlight. In those cases, the radiators are best left on.
What about installing a heat pump?
Installing LGS Heat Pumps in properties could save money. Our boiler runs on oil and oil prices fluctuate wildly thorough the year. It’s actually scary being at the mercy of those prices at times. In the last nine years we have spent anything from £350 to £1100 for 1,000 litres of oil!
With a heat pump you will see an increase in your electricity bills. But you can also invest in solar panels to help with that cost, which makes it much more affordable once you’re up and running.
Are There Any Grants To Help?
It’s worth seeing what grants the government have available to reduce the costs of installing heat pumps and solar panels through their help to heat scheme. The cost of these upgrades might seem too prohibitive otherwise. However, with so much help available it might work out a lot cheaper than you think.
Should I put foil behind my radiators?
We have done this to one of our radiators so far as a bit of a test. The science behind it is it reflects heat back into the room rather than heating the wall! I would say this particular room does feel warmer since we did it. So, we might have to roll it out to all our radiators. It doesn’t have to cost much either, we used big pieces of cardboard from deliveries and just regular kitchen foil. Official tests found that it helped with a 5 degrees heat output. My wife really feels the cold, so I know she is very grateful of any additional heat!
What about having carpets instead of wood flooring?
Carpets can save 10% of heat loss compared to wooden flooring. So, it’s tempting to carpet more of your home to retain warmth in your home. The more warmth you retain the less times your boiler will need to kick in to bring your home to a set temperature.
What about window coverings?
Always make sure you have a covering of some kind on each window in your home. You could choose to have shutters or thermal curtains. My earlier article about what window covering to choose might help you narrow down your choice. Thermal curtains can reduce heat loss by up to 25% and solid shutters according to some sources can save more than 50%. So don’t be tempted to save money and not bother with window coverings just because it’s a room that isn’t overlooked! Just think of all that lovely heat leaving your home that could be keeping you warm instead.
Additionally, make sure you open your curtains, shutters or blinds during the day so the sun can heat your home. Only close them as the night draws in.
Should I leave my oven door open after cooking?
If you are tempted to leave the oven door after cooking to allow a bit more heat into the kitchen, think again, your temperature dials might be damaged by the heat. Or a child or pet might be injured because it has been left open, our little dog would probably stick her head in there hoping for some crumbs of food! Some savings aren’t worth making!