Autumn is here, and this means that the nights are getting darker and colder. Naturally, you will want to keep your home nice and warm and maybe switch the lights on a little earlier, but Autumn needn’t always mean a hefty increase in your energy bills. There are ways you can keep your house warm and comfortable without adding some unwelcome numbers to your monthly outgoings.
Thick Curtains
Thicker curtains are a much better insulator than normal curtains, meaning that you can keep heat in your home for longer.
Draw the curtains when it’s dark outside and you won’t feel the need to turn up your heating to keep you warm.
You can either buy thicker curtains or line your existing ones yourself with materials like fleece or PVC.
Natural Light
During the day, opening your curtains to benefit from a free source of light and heat.
By closing your curtains as soon as the light fades, you get the maximum heat retention for your home.
Double Glazing
Although it can be quite expensive to install double glazing in your home, it can help save you money on your heating bills.
There is an alternative to double glazing that you can fit yourself, a simple film that offers a similar insulation effect to that of double glazing, but with less invasive installation. Admittedly due to this, the insulation it offers is less comprehensive than full on double or even triple glazed windows.
Draught Excluders
A simple, yet effective way of keeping the cold air out and the warm air in, draft excluders offer heat retention without any installation costs or professional assistance required.
Draught excluders are available from a wide range of shops, and you can choose one that best suits the design of your home, whether that’s a novelty green snake or a neat rubber trim affixed to the bottom of a door.
Something as simple as a keyhole cover, as well as brushes in the letterbox are also simple little things that can stop a cold draught finding it’s way into your home.
Insulation
You can have your home professionally insulated or you can do some DIY loft insulation, with the latter being considerably cheaper but the former providing a much more comprehensive solution.
The huge rolls of wadding type material line the floor of your loft space, making it harder for the warm heat to leave your upper floors / home. Equally, making sure the loft hatch does not have unnecessary holes will limit cold air getting in.
Time your Heating
Leaving your heating on all day can be tempting, and the thought of arriving home to an already-warm house is certainly attractive, but by doing so you can waste a lot of money.
Using your thermostat, set your heating to come on an hour before you get home and an hour before you wake up, and you will have a nice warm home at the important times of the day.
Cover floorboards
If you have uninsulated floorboards, they can account for up to 10% of the heat lost in your home. By simply covering them with a rug, you can help retain more heat and avoid the unpleasantness of walking around on a freezing cold floor.
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VHL are proud to offer a range of services for our customers, from electrical work to central heating repairs and installations. We can repair your current boiler or install a superb high-efficiency model to the highest standard so you can be sure of a warm home this Autumn. Get in touch with us today to find out more.