If you’re looking for ways to save on your heating bills, Dave Raval, CEO at Loftzone, has five top tips:
1. Invest in loft insulation
‘Heat rises and in a typical British home 25% of your heat goes out through your ceiling, into your loft and out through the roof,’ he said.
‘Most people have some loft insulation, but you need a lot more that you think.
‘The government recommendation is a minimum is 300 millimetres, which is almost a foot.
‘Don’t put your boxes and belongings straight on the insulation – most people don’t know that squashing insulation makes it 50% less efficient.
‘Fluffy loft insulation works by trapping air so when you squash it you get rid of all those air bubbles, and it doesn’t work so well. Raised loft boarding is a perfect solution to help protect your insulation.’
2. Draught–proofing
‘The first thing I would always do in the home is to look for draughts,’ Mr Raval said.
‘Don’t let the money you’ve spent on heating your house seep through the gaps!’
3. Install Thermostatic Radiator Valves
‘If you have radiators, make sure each one has a TRV – a thermostatic radiator valve,’ Mr Raval said.
‘Most homes have one single thermostat controlling your temperature, but many rooms need less heat.’
4. Consider a radiator fan
‘As heat rises, the ceiling gets warm first, then only afterwards does the lower part of the room start to warm up,’ Mr Raval said.
‘To tackle this, why not consider a radiator fan, which you can put on top of a radiator.
‘It simply blows the heat on to you, rather than let it drift upwards, so you feel warmer, sooner.’
5. Save hot water
‘There are obvious things to save water, such as taking quicker showers and having fewer baths, but often people forget the water used whilst washing up,’ Mr Raval explained.
‘Use a bowl, or plug the sink, to avoid washing every item under the hot water tap, that is just heated water you’ve paid for that is going down the plughole!
‘You can rinse cleaned crockery etc with cold water, too.’
