Keep The Warmth In Your House
With energy prices as they are and the government offering help for households who make these moves (see here), there’s never been a better time to look at keeping the warmth inside your house.
Simple things like: putting reflective surfaces behind your radiators, insulating your hot water tank, lining your curtains and checking your loft insulation is sound are all part of you saving energy and playing your part in stopping the planet warming up.
Click here to see if you are eligible for insulation and energy saving grants. grants.
And click here for the government’s CO2 energy-saving website – packed with great advice and tips.
Join the fray by signing in.
As a Generous member, you can leave comments or tips below each action. The difference between a comment and a tip is that a tip is really advice (or wisdom, as we like to call it). A comment is just an observation.
Join the fray by signing in.
Hawick, GB , 09 Jan 2009
Having halved our gas usage in the last year or so, my top tips are:
• block up draughts with decorators’ caulk or squirt expanding foam into the big holes
• keep doors shut and only heat the rooms you need
• if you have a high-pressure water system (combi or unvented) use minibore pipe (10mm or 8mm) for direct feeds to each hot tap
• consider installing a Heat Recovery Ventilation Unit—it obviates opening windows and speeds up clothes drying in the house too.
• insulate under the floor if at all possible (and appropriate!)
• instal a solar water heater if you have a south-facing roof or wall
• consider installing a wood-burning stove or boiler
• add an enclosed porch
All the other basics are well-publicised; loft & cavity insulation, efficient boiler and white-ware, double-glazing, fit TRVs, room thermostats & good controllers, etc
Stroud, GB , 10 Nov 2008
Did all I could on this LONG ago!
London, GB , 19 Nov 2008
We moved into our house in September, with very mixed feelings about the very poor “energy report” it has received. On the one hand it means heating it is going to be very expensive for a while, but on the other it’s a chance to make sure it gets sorted.
Our loft insulation was installed today. It took a while to get it organised because of the way our energy company’s subsidies work, but it was relatively cheap and very easy. Next we’re going to seal up any drafts we can find, and hopefully by next autumn there’ll be subsidies for double-glazing…
Dalton in furness, GB , 29 Jan 2009
We are putting reflective material behind each radiator as we decorate throughout the house. Double glazing newly in and insulation in the loft done. Draft excluders still to go on doors. Have not decided whether to fit a gas fire in the lounge or open it up for an open fire, or neither as our central heating is great at heating the house with our insulation.
Luton, GB , 05 Feb 2009
You may also want to sign up to Ebicos’s Fuel Poverty Challenge (www.ebico.co.uk). we commit to reducing our fuel use by 10% (I think I’m going to find that hard as I already do most of the things suggested!) and they will fund assisting people living in fuel poverty to also reduce their costs and fule use and improve their houses.