With Winter biting and exposing all the draughty corners of your house, you may regret procrastinating on that home maintenance list. As a homeowner you would normally have a long list that simply keeps growing. Here is a list of 8 easy ways to keep a warm home while saving money.

8 Ways to keep your house warm while saving money

As temperatures fall, most homes switch their heaters on to keep a warm home. What most people do not know is that heating can take up more than 70% of their total energy consumption. Reducing this cost while keeping the house warm can be tricky, and that is why we are going to look at 8 ways you can keep your house warm while keeping your energy bills as low as possible. Check out Hometree for additional ideas.

Get the right curtains to ensure a warm home

The right curtains provide an extra layer of insulation that ensures heat does not escape from the house. If the house is already warm enough, it will not take your heating system long to heat your house to the right temperature, thereby helping you save some money.

On days there is some sunlight, you can open the curtains to take advantage of the heat from the sun which also helps reduce the strain on your heating system.

Use timers intelligently

If you want to turn the heating system on earlier in the morning or before you get home from work, using timers can help you save some energy. Setting the heating at a lower temperature ensures the house is heated to a warm temperature before you get home without the wastage of energy you would have if you set it at a higher temperature.

Also, use the timers to switch the heating off for the times you are not home or for the rooms that are not occupied to save some more energy.

Ensure your heating system is working efficiently

Your boiler is likely your home’s primary heating system. If it is not working as efficiently as it should, it could be costing you money. To remedy this, you should improve its efficiency. One of the best ways to do this is to keep it clean. By cleaning the boiler, you prevent the pipes and tubes from getting clogged up.

Your radiators also need some care, and this involves bleeding. To find out if your radiators need bleeding, switch the heating system on and see how long it takes them to warm up. If they take too long or if there are cold spots in the radiator, it is time to bleed them. Consider getting Slimline Radiators for a sleek modern look. Most modern styles are also very effiicient.

In some cases, doing maintenance on your heating system will not yield any positive results. This is especially so when your boiler is too old or no longer works as expected. In this situation, the boiler will need to be replaced.

A new boiler might seem counterintuitive when you are trying to save money. However, a new efficient boiler will pay for itself from the savings you get over time. These savings could be as high as £600 per year! Reputable companies like Boiler Central make the process of getting a new boiler very simple. All you need do is make contact, answer some questions and you will have a quote in less than a minute. You can then buy a new boiler right on their website, have it installed and only pay after the job is done.

Move your furniture

Having a sofa set in front of a radiator might feel nice, but remember that materials absorb heat. The heat absorbed by the sofa is wasted. It is heat that could have been used to heat the house, and this leads to wasted energy.

When you move or place your furniture strategically, you allow for hot air to circulate freely and warm your house evenly. The same reasoning applies for clothes and curtains that hang too close to the radiators.

Keeping a warm home – Insulate

About 30-40% of all the heat in your home is lost through the floors, roof and walls. This loss can be reduced by insulating your home. A good place to start is with the loft. A 25cm insulation should help reduce the heat lost here. Cavity wall insulation, although costlier than loft insulation, can minimise heat loss further and save you over £100 per year.

Apart from the areas discussed above, it is also worth looking into getting your boiler lagged (insulated). This insulation keeps the water in the boiler warm for longer. In this way they will help you reduce the energy and time required to heat the water to a higher temperature.

Adding insulation to your current home is important, but you should also prioritize it if you are building your own home. There are a lot of things to juggle when designing and constructing a house, which is why it’s important to work with experienced builders such as Coral Homes, who can help you find the best insulation solutions and design the home in the most energy efficient way possible. When you build your home with the best possible insulation to begin with, you will find it much easier to warm your home and save money.

Prevent hot air from escaping

While spending time and money working to keep your home warm in the winter, you may be disillusioned as your efforts evaporate with the draughts. To prevent warm air from escaping, find areas where there might be draughts and seal them. These include under and around the doors and windows as well as cracks on wooden floors.

Doing this is often as easy as installing rubber seals around the doors and windows. Also, draught excluders are cheap and easy to install. Ensure that you get these installed before the temperature plummets too low. This way you can test their efficiency so you can buy more before the winter-induced demand leads to an increase in their price.

Perform an energy audit

An energy audit gives you a clear understanding of how energy is being used in your house. A professional energy audit includes tests that help identify humidity levels, air leakages, insulation efficiency and air infiltration. Once the tests are done, the report will show you where you are losing energy. It should also show you what you can do to rectify the situation. As with the boiler replacement, the money you spend making the necessary changes will be recouped over time.

Use radiator panels

Radiator panels help reflect the heat a radiator produces in the direction you want it to flow. They are cheap and relatively easy to install. If you cannot find radiator panels in your local hardware store, you can also use aluminium foil. Installing the foil behind the radiator works the same way as using the radiator panels.

Keeping your house warm can become very expensive, especially when you live in a large home. However, there are a few things you can do to help bring your energy costs down and the tips outlined above are a great place to start.