How To Keep Your Home Energy Efficient

With the cost of living crisis in the UK, gas and oil prices continue to rise and we don’t expect to see them drop dramatically anytime soon. While Ofgem has announced the energy price cap is set to fall until June, many households are still struggling with debt and unpaid energy bills. Luckily, households can become more energy efficient and reduce their energy bills. In this article, we explain the effective ways you can keep your home as energy-efficient as possible.

Book Regular Boiler Maintenance Check-Ups

As we’ve discussed in our previous blog, getting your boiler maintained regularly ensures that it is working the way it should be. If a boiler has an unnoticed issue, it can harm your home’s energy efficiency. A faulty boiler uses more energy, leading to higher energy bills. For proper maintenance, we recommend that you get your boiler serviced by a qualified professional at least once a year. A boiler service flags any issues and ensures they are fixed before they become dangerous or costly. 

Boiler maintenance and servicing can also prolong the lifespan of your boiler. If your boiler is old, it might be worth replacing it. Similar to faulty boilers, older boilers are seen as less efficient as they tend to use more energy to heat your home, meaning you spend more money down the line.

Improve Insulation Throughout Your Home

Around 38% of heat is lost through gaps in walls, windows and doors, making it the main source of heat loss in UK homes. To improve this, multiple areas of the home can be insulated such as the attic, walls and windows. When your home is insulated, it traps heat during the winter and keeps out warm air during the summer. This means you can enjoy a comfortable temperature indoors all year round and lower the amount of heating you use. While home insulation is a costly investment, it can significantly increase your home’s energy efficiency and reduce your energy bills in the long run.

Generate More Heat From Your Radiators

Besides maintaining your boiler, you also need to maintain your radiators. Over time, radiators can build up with sludge and cause cold spots, blockages and other issues that can harm your home’s energy efficiency. Here are three simple ways to maintain and generate more heat from your radiators:

1. Remove Dust – If dust has collected between the fins of your radiators, it can prevent heat from escaping. To remove dust at the back of your radiators, use a hairdryer on the cool setting to blast out the dust. Any dust on the exterior of your radiators can be removed with a dry cloth. 
2. Don’t Block Your Radiators – Heat from the radiator can get blocked if a sofa or another piece of furniture is placed in front of it. This also includes curtains hanging over the radiator. To ensure your radiators generate as much heat as possible, move any furniture away from your radiators and ensure your curtains are long enough to cover your windows but not long enough to touch your radiators. If your curtains are too long, then pull them back when your heating is turned on.
3. Bleed Your Radiators – Trapped air can affect the energy efficiency of a radiator. Regularly bleeding your radiators allows the trapped air to escape. Turn on your heating for a while and if the top of your radiator is cold, then it requires bleeding. Before you bleed your radiators, ensure your heating is off and cold to the touch. Locate the value and use a radiator key or screwdriver to open the valve anti-clockwise. When you hear a hissing sound, this means air is escaping. Once the sound stops, water will start to stream out. Place a container underneath the value beforehand to catch any water. Finally, you can re-tighten the valve. After bleeding, check your boiler’s pressure and ensure all of your radiators are warming up properly. 

Use Your Heating Wisely 

This may be obvious to most people, but using your heating wisely makes a huge difference. Set your thermostat to a more efficient setting. The ideal temperature for a room is between 20 and 22°C. This temperature range is low enough to keep energy costs at a minimum but high enough to take the coldness out of a room. If you require more warmth during the winter, layer up with extra clothing and use blankets. Furthermore, only turn on the heating for rooms you’re using, instead of heating the entire house. Consider fitting thermostatic radiator valves to your radiators, these allow you to control the temperature of each radiator individually.

Keep an Eye On Hot Water Usage

We use hot water in the home for many reasons. Whether that is for cooking, cleaning or washing our hands, using too much hot water is something to be mindful of. The more hot water you use, the more energy it takes to heat the water and the higher your energy bills will be. To reduce your hot water usage, don’t leave tapes running, choose a cooler temperature in your washing machine, choose a shorter cycle in your dishwasher and take shorter showers. 

How Can JH Heating & Plumbing Help Improve Your Home’s Energy Efficiency?

At JH Heating & Plumbing, we are plumbing and heating specialists based in Tipton with over 30 years of experience. Our range of services varies from boiler breakdowns and repairs to central heating upgrades and boiler servicing. Not only do we work with customers in Tipton, but we also offer our services to homes across Rugeley, Cannock, Burntwood, Wolverhampton, Kidderminster and Bridgnorth. Our team of Gas Safe technicians will be happy to repair or service your boiler. Get in touch today by calling us on 077 7502 9452 to receive a quotation and learn how we can help improve your home’s energy efficiency.