There are many ways to try and save money on fuel bills and you will see these listed all over the internet. Some of the more obvious things include installing a smart thermostat, turning off appliances on standby, installing a new boiler, washing clothes at lower temperatures, and investing in double glazing. But what about the slightly less obvious solutions?
Here we look at 5 alternative ways to reduce your energy bills
Install a loft ladder and increase the insulation in your loft yourself!
It goes without saying that the better insulated the house, the easier it is to keep warmth in and the less that heating is required. One of the easiest ways to increase your insulation is to add more to your loft space. Increasing insulation between the rafters and between the joists will help to keep heat in. However, to save money you might want to try doing it yourself. Some people find accessing their lofts very difficult. This is where installing a loft ladder is helpful. The Loft Shop is the best-known name in loft ladder installation and operates a fitting service in the South of England.
https://www.loftshop.co.uk/about/fitting-service
Open your old fireplace back up and get it functioning again
Up and down the country there are houses with perfectly good chimneys just waiting to be used. Many might have been bricked up or covered over during the 80’s and 90’s when there was more of a move towards gas as a fuel for heating. But simply uncovering an old fireplace might give you the option to use another form of heating such as burning logs in a stove or open fireplace saving you huge amounts of money on your heating bill! Take professional advice from a builder and chimney sweep before you start burning anything though.
Use space heating
Rather than just whacking the heating on throughout the entire house you could alternatively use space heating. Let’s be honest, how many rooms do you actually use on a daily basis? Mostly just the kitchen and living room and a lot of the time these two rooms are as one in a modern home. Whether it is using your stove, fireplace or even an electric heater you can get away with not even putting the heating on while your space heater is in use.
Keep your heating off at night and sleep better!
Rather than putting the heating on over-night, switch it off altogether and it might even have other benefits. According to the Harvard Medical School, your body begins to drop in temperature right before you fall asleep. During sleep, your core temperature is reduced by 1 to 2°F, as a way to conserve energy. Sleeping in a colder room will help you drop to that level faster, which will help you fall asleep (and stay that way) quicker
Use a draught excluder for your disused chimney!
If you have got a chimney, but you don’t use it…then make sure its draught proofed. A huge amount of heat can escape up your chimney and with it ££’s!! Not only that but a chimney that has not been draught proofed will often cause cold draughts to come back down. Colt Cowls offer a range of environmentally friendly chimney draught excluders made from the wool of the Herdwick sheep. These are available in a number of sizes able to fit 99% of the market requirement.
https://www.coltcowls.co.uk/products/chimney-caps/chimney-draught-excluder