How To Save On Your Heating Bills
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Winter time is officially upon us. It’s that time of year when you spend your mornings defrosting the car windscreen before setting off to work and wearing a coat and a woolly hat outside is an absolute necessity and regular cups of tea are needed to keep warm. The list goes on and on, but importantly it’s also that time of year when your heating bills increase. The handy tips in this blog will help you save money this winter and beyond, from wearing more socks to getting a local plumber or central heating company to install a new energy efficient boiler.
Shop around
Don’t just accept the first price for your energy bills. By shopping around you might be able to find a much better price leading to big savings which are easily achievable.
Price comparison websites such as CompareTheMarket.com, Confused.com and uSwitch are great tools for finding a lower price. Simply follow the steps, filling in details along the way and let the comparison website show you the lowest prices. It’s always worth checking a few different comparison websites as they don’t all use the same suppliers.
Turn the heating down a notch
Although it’s only by a small amount, turning down your heating by just 1 °C could make a significant difference to your heating bills.
According to Energy UK, by turning down your heating by just 1 degree you could cut your heating bills by up to 10% a year and this could save you around £85 a year. This really simple tip could make a big difference and so is well worth considering!
Put another jumper on
Worried that you may get a little chilly by turning down your heating slightly? We’ve got the solution.
Wearing more clothing inside your home such as an extra jumper, a dressing gown, slippers and socks could really help. Making use of extra clothing will allow you to turn down your heating slightly and still stay warm! If you are still undecided what you want for Christmas this year then maybe a new dressing gown and slippers could be a perfect gift, enabling you to enter the New Year with warm feet and lower heating bills!
Install loft insulation
According to Energy Saving Trust, a quarter of the heat in an uninsulated home is lost through the roof. This shows how important loft insulation is and how much money it can potentially save you!
According to Which?, Installing loft insulation could lead to your energy bills dropping by up to £240 a year. Which? claim that for a typical semi-detached, three-bedroom home with gas central heating it would cost around £300 to have loft insulation professionally installed but it would pay for itself in energy savings in around two years. The affordability of loft insulation and the very short average payback time means that it is a very effective method to consider.
The recommended thickness of loft insulation is 270mm and so even if you already have loft insulation it is worth checking that it meets this recommended thickness. If not, top it up.
Replace your boiler
According to Energy Saving Trust, 60% of your annual energy bills is accounted for by heating. Replacing your old boiler can be a big investment, but in the long run upgrading your boiler to a modern, more energy efficient boiler could save you significant amounts on your heating bills.
While the initial investment may be a lot, it’s worthwhile considering how much per year the boiler will save you in energy bills and how many years it will take until the boiler effectively pays for itself.
A new gas boiler should be installed by a competent person who is Gas Safe Registered and specifically authorised to work on boilers – it’s really important that you check this to ensure that the person who is installing your new boiler is permitted to do so.
Find a local plumber or central heating company to explore your options and find out how much a new boiler may cost you.
Service your boiler
You may already have a relatively new boiler which has been serving you well but it’s important that to keep running efficiently and safely your boiler is serviced annually.
This is very important to ensure that is working correctly – if it isn’t it may be wasting you money on energy. Furthermore, from a safety point of view, a faulty boiler may start leaking carbon monoxide (which cannot be seen, smelt of tasted) so it’s incredibly important that it is maintained. Again, the boiler should be serviced by someone who is Gas Safe Registered and specifically authorised to work on boilers.
These are just a few handy tips which can ensure you can stay warm for less this winter. If you are planning on having a new boiler installed this winter or having your old boiler serviced then let us help you find a local plumber or central heating company. Stay safe and remember to make sure that they are Gas Safe Registered to work on your boiler beforehand!