5 Ways to Conserve Energy in Your Home

Lifestyle

Winter home energy saving tips

In the midst of the cost-of-living crisis, it’s safe to say we’re all looking at ways we can save money on soaring energy bills each month.

With this in mind, we’re sharing our advice on how to save energy at home. It’s surprising how small changes can make a big difference. Plus, conserving energy around your home has an added environmental benefit too (and if you’re interested in this, discover our guide to creating an eco-friendly home).

From home improvements to simple habits, here are our top winter home energy saving tips to try this winter.

Identify the problem areas

Before you start making changes, it’s worth assessing the problem areas properly first. A professional can analyse where you might be losing heat and where you might be able to make a real impact, whether it’s replacing your boiler, filling gaps, or installing insulation. Then you’ll know where to focus your efforts.

Get a smart meter

A smart meter or monitor is a good idea for helping you save energy at home, simply because they make you more aware of your energy use. They will tell you how much energy you’re using and how much it is costing you per day. Being confronted with your daily use is a great incentive to use less, and remember to switch things off!

Draught Proof

A more obvious way of losing heat is through holes! And draughts of air are never pleasant anyway, so it’s important to get these sealed up for your own comfort as well as for energy efficiency. You’ll usually find draughts around your windows and doors – especially if you live in an older house. It may be worth checking them regardless, just in case you have a draught you haven’t noticed.

If you can’t seal them up, or you live in a rented property, then heavy curtains are a great way of trapping air and preventing it from cooling the whole room.

The windows themselves could also be the source of the draught, which is why it’s important to consider double or triple glazing. It’ll make your home more comfortable, quieter and will reduce condensation on the inside of windows too.

Efficiency

Replace old electrical items with more efficient versions and you’ll find that your energy consumption goes down and bills are reduced without any change to your behaviour. For instance, replace standard bulbs with LEDs and you’ll soon find that they’ll last much longer and use less electricity.

The same goes for white goods. Your 8-year-old washing machine could be replaced with something that’s bigger, quieter and uses less electricity to do the same thing.

If you’re renting, then there are ways of using the items that you have more efficiently. For instance, it could be scraping the plates before they go in the dishwasher to aide an easy clean, or reducing the temperature you wash your clothes at.

Habits

Habits are really important when it comes to becoming more energy efficient. Often the simplest of things, it’s just getting into the habit of doing it that’s the tricky bit! Here are just a few suggestions:

Don’t leave the tap running when not in use
Don’t leave the lights on when not in use
Don’t leave windows open with the heating on
Put a jumper on, don’t turn the thermostat up (keep the heat on a low heat)
Switch electronics off at the wall.

With a few simple changes, you’ll soon see the benefits of being more mindful about your energy use.

Builder Fitting Insulation Into Roof Of New Home

Install insulation

Insulation can make a huge difference to the amount of energy you use. It’s one of the best ways to conserve energy, because if you’re losing heat through the loft, the walls, and the floor, you’ll be using much more energy to heat your home.

Insulation can be an expensive upfront cost, but it will make a difference to your bills each month and is a solid long-term investment. Here’s what you should consider:

Loft insulation

Loft insulation is one of the easiest ways to install insulation, as it doesn’t require too much upheaval. Other forms of insulation are a little bit more difficult to install, but they could offer more energy-saving benefits.

Wall insulation

You should also consider wall insulation, to ensure air isn’t escaping through your walls. There are two options when it comes to wall insulation:

Cavity wall insulation applies to properties that have space between the inner and outer walls. This type of insulation prevents heat from escaping through the walls and requires a certified installer to pump the insulation through small holes in the outer wall.
Solid wall insulation applies where there is no space between the inner and outer walls, and the insulation is applied to the inner or outer walls. This type of insulation can be quite expensive, and a hassle to install. Inner wall insulation will affect the room sizes and what you can hang on the walls. The main disadvantage of external wall insulation is the cost, but it can help with weathering and soundproofing of the building alongside excluding draughts.

Underfloor insulation

Underfloor insulation is usually installed on the ground floor and upper rooms above unheated areas, like a garage.

Timber floors can be insulated relatively easily, which means that you can reduce costs by installing it yourself. Concrete floors are trickier, so this method would be best suited if you’re replacing the floor anyway.

Pipe insulation

Pipe insulation combined with the insulation of the hot water cylinder is cheap and easy to do. It keeps your hot water hot for longer, so your boiler doesn’t have to work as hard. DIY stores offer pipe insulation in a variety of sizes, so just make sure that you have accurate measurements for your particular pipes.

Draught-proof your home

A more obvious way of losing heat is through holes and gaps causing draughts throughout your house. You’ll usually find draughts around your windows and doors – especially if you live in an older house.

To tackle draughts:

Get double or triple glazing on your windows
Hang heavy curtains to trap cold air near the windows
Use draught excluders at the bottom of doors
Apply adhesive draught strips around door and window frames

Replace doors and windows

If you’re losing considerable heat through your windows and doors and your budget allows for it, new, modern windows and doors could be a worthy investment.

From our bi-folding doors to our aluminium windows, all of our products are designed to be thermally efficient and allow for excellent solar heat gain – all of which we expand on in our downloadable product brochure and on our Express glazing options page.

Replace old electricals

Old electrical appliances could also be contributing to high energy bills. Consider swapping out your old toaster and microwave for more efficient, modern versions, and you’ll likely find that your energy consumption goes down and bills are reduced.

For instance, replace standard bulbs with LEDs, and you’ll soon find that they’ll last much longer and use less electricity. The same goes for white goods. Your 8-year-old washing machine could be replaced with something that’s bigger, quieter and uses less electricity to do the same thing.

Energy Saving Habits to save you money:

Habits are really important when it comes to becoming more energy efficient. Often the simplest of things can make a huge difference, it’s just getting into the habit of doing it that’s the tricky bit! Here are just a few suggestions:

Don’t leave the tap running when not in use
Switch lights off when you’re not in the room
Put a jumper on before turning the thermostat up
Keep the thermostat on a low heat
Switch electronics off at the wall
Fully fill the dishwasher
Wash your laundry at 30 degrees instead of 40
Avoid using the tumble dryer
Have shorter showers
Don’t over-fill the kettle

Whether it’s installing insulation or simply trying to get into good habits, follow these energy-saving tips, and you should notice a reduction in your energy bill. Small savings soon add up, so even minor changes can make a difference over winter and the rest of the year.

Head to our blog for more expert tips, guides and inspiration on all things home.