How to make your home more energy efficient
If you’ve been following my Instagram recently, I did an interesting set of stories, asking people how worried they are about our planet (rising temperature, extinction of animals and plants, etc.) and what they’d be willing to do.
The results showed that:
- 88% of people would be willing to eat less beef or meat
- 69% would switch to a green energy tariff
- 7 out of 10 people would consider installing solar panels
- Only half of people would use public transport more than their car
- 9 out of 10 people would reduce spending on unnecessary items or try to buy second-hand.
It’s amazing what people are willing to change about themselves and their lifestyles, and I think it’s so important for our planet.
As a home interiors blog, I started to think not just about what we can do at home, but changes we can make to our actual homes. Read on to find out what I came up with.
Start from the top
It’s a myth that 90% of the heat in our homes is lost through the roof, but still quite a substantial amount is lost in this way (around 25%). Therefore, you should make sure that your loft is nicely insulated. Energy grants can help cover the insulation costs as you can learn more here.
We need insulation because it traps pockets of heat instead of allowing it to glide straight outside. You may choose to insulate the flooring in your loft, the walls themselves, or both! And don’t forget, this will help to keep your home nice and cool in summer too.
…but insulate other areas too
I absolutely adore solid wood flooring – in fact, when we do all the work on our home, we’re wanting wood floors through the hallway, lounge and into the kitchen. It’s beautiful, it’s cosy and it’s certainly practical. However, it’s not necessarily the best insulator.
Most of the heat in your home escapes through the walls and floors combined, so you should pay attention to these areas too. Perhaps you have a million air vents for no reason, or original floorboards that have lots of cracks in.
Insulating a floor can be messy, so the best way to do this is to lay a couple of rugs down. They’ll prevent lots of heat from escaping through the cracks, but you’ll still be able to see and appreciate your wood flooring if you buy a rug that isn’t too big. Plus it will protect your wooden floor from scratches and other wear and tear.
Double glazing is a must, and triple glazing is a thing now too, so that’s one for you to consider. If you have a period property, did you know that you can buy uPVC in all kinds of styles and designs, so it could match exactly what you have now.
Delay putting your heating on
I know, I can practically hear you all screaming at me for this one. I haven’t quite got my heating on yet, and I’m trying to delay as long as possible. Instead, dressing gowns, blankets, hot chocolates and hot water bottles have been my best friends!
If you really must have your heating on, then turning it down by one degree could save you around £75 a year – that’s quite a substantial saving. But when you do this, your boiler requires less energy in order to heat up your home, so you’re making your home more energy efficient. Try turning your thermostat from 21 degrees down to 20 and I bet you barely notice a difference
Switch to a green tariff
This is probably one of the easiest changes you can make. Most energy providers offer a green energy tariff. When you switch, it means that all the electricity you’re using comes from only renewable sources (wind turbines, solar panels, etc.). The more people that do this, the more electricity the National Grid will have to generate in this way. Therefore, by making the switch, you’re essentally forcing the grid to make this change.
It could cost you a little bit more money each year, but I think it’s worth it.
Install solar panels
All of the changes I’ve mentioned up until now have been relatively small, but some big alterations can be made too. Solar panels could produce electricity for your home year round, meaning you pay less on your energy bills and you’re reducing your carbon footprint – what’s not to like?
I think we will definitely be installing solar panels in our new home when we come to doing the extension work.
Still looking for smaller changes?
You could:
- Put your clothes on the line instead of in the tumble dryer
- Wash your clothes at 30 degrees
- Turn appliances off fully instead of leaving them on standby
- Get a new boiler that’s more efficient (or even look into getting a heat pump)
- Install low-flow shower heads to reduce water usage
- Use draught excluders
- Install energy lightbulbs (LEDs)
- Cover pans with lids when cooking to keep the heat in, requiring less gas usage
- Replace very old appliances
- Turn the lights off when you leave a room (we’ve all been told that a million times).
