THE darker and colder nights are drawing in as households start cranking up the thermostat.
But some areas of your home are more prone to losing heat than others and leaving them untouched can see bills rack up.
As it gets colder you want to make sure you’re draught-proofing your room efficiently[/caption]
Luckily, there are ways to stop draughts about your home – and some you can do on the cheap.
Putting these measures in place could save you £1,295 a year too, according to Laura Court-Jones, energy expert at comparison site Bionic.
She revealed four heat loss hotspots around the home you’ll want to address as soon as possible to save money on bills this winter.
Boiler
Not all boilers have water tanks, but if you’ve got a “regular” or “heat-only” model, it will come with one.
These types of boilers can run less efficiently than combi boilers though as they lose so much heat through the tank.
Luckily, you can buy insulation jackets which lock in any heat produced that escapes from the water tank.
And Laura said adding one to your water tank could save you around £155 annually.
She said households should ensure the flow temperature of their boiler is set to the correct temperature as well.
Often when boilers are installed, the flow temperature is set too high meaning you can dial it down and cut costs.
Not only will you save on your gas bill overall, but it means you’ll lose less heat through the hot water cylinder too.
Walls, floorboards and lofts
It makes sense that because they cover so much space, walls, floorboards and lofts are massive heat loss hotspots.
The quickest way to avoid losing heat through these areas is, of course, getting insulation put in.
Laura said to cover all three areas and you would save yourself around £700 a year on energy bills.
Of course, it will cost you to get a professional to install insulation in your home.
How to draught-proof your home
Senior consumer reporter Adele Cooke explains how to draught-proof your home and save money too.
Around 21% of the heat lost in your home is from doors and windows.
By draught-proofing your house you can help to prevent heat from escaping.
This means that it can take less energy to heat your home.
You can buy a roll of draught insulation tape for about £5 but once installed it can save you around £45 a year.
To apply it, simply cut the strips of insulation tape to size, peel back the plastic backing and stick it to the inside of your door frame.
Another option is to install door brush draught excluders.
These are attached to the bottom of your door to prevent cold air from getting in.
Prices start from around £6.
A chimney draught excluder can also prevent heat from leaving your home.
A removable chimney balloon blocks the airflow, which stops warm air from escaping.
To install it, push the bag inside your chimney and blow it up using the long plastic tube.
Checkatrade says the average cost of spray foam insulation will set you back around £37 per metre squared and £250 a day for labour.
Meanwhile, you are likely to pay £1,000s to get external wall insulation installed.
But while it can be an expensive upfront cost, you should recoup any money invested in the long term.
Doors and windows
Sealing draughts in your doors and windows can save you around £290 a year, Laura said.
That means hanging up thermal curtains, blinds or even laying down rugs which can offer an extra layer of insulation.
You can get thermal curtains for as little as £25 on Dunelm‘s website.
You can also use fabric draught excluders for the gaps under doors around the house.
At the time of writing, Online Home Shop was selling some for as little as £4.50.
Chimneys
Sealing draughts in your chimney will stop excess heat from escaping and could save you around £150 a year on your energy bills, Laura said.
You can do this with a chimney draught excluder which will stop heat escaping and prevent colder air from coming in.
Prices vary depending on where you buy them, but at the time of writing Screwfix had one for £17.
You could also try buying a specialist one from Chimney Sheep – we found one for £13.50.
The exact temperature to set your thermostat
ENERGY bills remain relatively high leaving many worrying over the thermostat.
Energy experts have revealed the exact temperature to set it at so that you can save cash and still keep warm.
When it comes to your thermostat, the Energy Saving Trust recommends you should set it to the “lowest comfortable temperature”.
For the majority of us, this is between 18 and 21 degrees Celsius.
It’s just the right balance between keeping your home warm, and keeping those energy bills as low as possible.
If you have your thermostat set at a higher temperature you can probably afford to turn it down and still keep cosy.
Of course, there are exceptions like anyone who is in ill health, and there is support available to cover extra costs.
Just by turning down the temp by a single degree, you could save as much as £100 a year.
If you cut it by more you will obviously make even bigger savings.
The Energy Saving Trust also says that you don’t need to turn your thermostat up when it is colder outside, the house will still heat up to the set temperature.
More ways to heat your home efficiently
As well as taking steps to block draughts from coming into your property, Mike says there are a host of simple ways to help keep heat in, without bumping up your energy bills.
Moving furniture away from walls and doors
One easy way to boost energy efficiency which won’t cost you a penny is by rearranging your rooms.
“You’ll find that in the colder months, the first places to attract cold air will be your windows and external walls,” said Mike. “If you have a sofa or other item of furniture close to these, try moving them away to create a barrier for cold air.”
Keeping radiators clear
A similar trick also works when it comes to your radiators.
Mike said: “If you have furniture blocking these units, you block heat from travelling around the space. Re-shuffling items in your room can be a great way to keep heat in.”
Fitting radiator foil
Another useful tip involves you fitting reflector foil. This goes around your radiators so the heat gets reflected back into your room, as opposed to disappearing through the wall.
At Screwfix, you can get a roll of radiator foil for less than £8.
While you’re paying your radiators some attention, don’t forget to bleed them to get rid of any trapped air. This will mean they are working as efficiently as possible.
Getting a jacket for your hot water cylinder
Make sure your water cylinder is insulated with a jacket, as this will ensure the water you’ve heated stays hot. The Energy Saving Trust recommends a thickness of at least 80mm. It estimates this simple move could save Brits £45 per year. You can find jackets on eBay from £12.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.
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