We all want warm and secure buildings that cost less to run and are less impactful on the environment. This can be achieved by making them more energy efficient, which in turn can increase property value. Bills and carbon emissions of buildings can be reduced by up to 50% by actively reducing energy consumption and stopping heat being leaked.
Behavioural energy efficiency measures
The cheapest way of improving energy efficiency is by doing simple things such as turning devices off when not using them, turning down the thermostat and using less hot water. It makes sense to make these changes for a few months before installing any other measures. This will allow you to establish a baseline of energy use.
Here are some top tips, which if done together will save 10% on your energy bill.
Turn down the heating
By controlling your heating you can make immediate savings. Often heating is turned on for too long, is on when you’re away for the weekend, or is simply a bit too high. Controlling when you are heating hot water can also make a big difference.
Turning it down the heating by 2 degrees can save up to 20% on bills and environmental impact.
Turn off heating in unused rooms
Turning off heating in unused rooms is an obvious thing to do, but is something people often don’t do. You can get controls for particular rooms by putting in thermostatic radiator valves, but you can also simply turn off the radiators in unused rooms.
Use less hot water
By having timed showers or fewer baths you can really improve energy use in your home. Alternatively, you can get a more efficient showerhead. You can save a huge amount of water too! Each of us uses around 50,000 litres of water, with a third of that for washing.
Make the best use of appliances
We all know about switching off appliances and lights, and not overfilling your kettle, but these simple steps can save £30 a year. When you add in the cutting down of the use of the washing machine and using a bowl for washing up, you can also save another £30.
There are some other things you can also consider – when you replace devices, ensure you buy those with a AAA+ rating and get smart devices such as fridges that turn themselves off at night.
Insulation
Your Energy Certificate is a good place to start. This is a requirement for properties that are rented and for those that have recently been sold. This document provides a grading and recommendations on how to improve energy efficiency.
Loft insulation is the cheapest form of insulation and if you haven’t got any, installing this will give you the biggest bang for your buck, so get up into your attic and check out what’s there!
Loft insulation
You lose around a quarter of the heat from your home through the roof. In many cases, you can install loft insulation yourself very cheaply. The first layer of loft insulation is laid between the joists, the second across the joists.
You can also insulate between and over the rafters, which are the sloping timbers that make up the roof, but you need some professional help for this. If there are inaccessible areas in your loft, you can also have a professional use specialist equipment to blow insulation into these inaccessible spots.
Wall insulation
Depending on how your house has been built, a professional may be able to put in cavity wall insulation. This can add to the building’s energy efficiency, however, you should consider that this has caused condensation problems for some householders.
The alternative is to install solid wall insulation, which means either putting in a layer of insulation internally or on the external walls of the house.
Underfloor insulation
Underfloor insulation can be achieved by getting excellent carpets with underlay but can be enhanced by getting under the floorboards and installing insulation. You need to see what floor you have in order to consider your options, as some are concrete.
To see what’s possible, lift the corner of a carpet using a pair of pliers.
Insulating hot water tanks and pipes
Some houses have a hot water tank, many simply have a combi boiler that responds when the house is calling for either hot water or heating. If you have a hot water tank and it doesn’t have insulation, here you can have a quick win! Simply get a hot water tank insulating jack for £20 from a DIY shop and cover that tank – it will pay for itself within a year. Piping around these systems also loses a lot of heat. You can get pipe lagging and install it around these pipes for some quick payback. If you want, you can also get under the floorboards and insulate the pipes there.
Draught proofing
Draught proofing doors and windows can be done at a very low cost. There are options for adding a film to your window and covering the gaps around the window itself using specialist tapes. Draught proofing doors will have a bigger impact and there are plenty of options for door draught excluders.
Other energy efficiency measures
There are other things to do to increase the energy efficiency of your home which are detailed below. You can also consider whether you want to install renewable heating systems or renewable electricity systems in your home.
Lighting
Replacing spent light bulbs with energy-efficient alternatives will save energy and as they last longer, these will reduce the amount of waste from lighting. They have an additional cost, but this is quickly paid back. If you replace all the bulbs in your house, then you could save up to £25 in a year.
Radiator reflectors
Putting a reflective surface behind radiators will ensure as much heat as possible comes back into the room. You can use tin foil or get more professional reflectors from DIY stores.