Winter is already here, and most of us in the UK are feeling the chilly breeze seep into our homes. Sadly, the winter season is going to get worse, and Britain is going to be battered by arctic blasts for quite some time.
Most of us will be keeping the central heating on for longer this winter, and as a result, we’ll be burning up more and more money to keep ourselves from freezing. A lot of Britons will be concerned about their energy bills this winter, especially with the horrible weather coming up, and no one wants to be falling victim to debt.
Make Use of Your Thermostat
Your thermostat tries its best to keep your house at a comfortable temperature that you can set yourself. It’s been proven that turning down your thermostat by just 1°C could potentially save as much as £60 per year. Trying to manually control the heat of your house takes time and effort, and it’s not as cost effective as simply trying to keep your house warm. Trust in your thermostat, let it do the work, and your wallet will thank you. If you think you need to relocate your thermostat, check here for some tips.
Get Comfortable
Wear an extra pair of socks, put on a sweater, and wrap yourself in some blankets. When we need a quick blast of heat to warm ourselves up, we usually crank up the thermostat or manually up the central heating. Put on some extra clothes instead—you can always take them off when your body is at a comfortable temperature. You don’t need to buy anything expensive, just some cheap winter clothing to get you past these chilly months.
Check Your Boiler Efficiency
Heating makes up roughly 60% of our energy bills per year. An efficient boiler is a good investment to consider if you’ll be living in your home for a long time, and the best way to upgrade is to consult a professional for your boiler installation. Replacing your boiler could cost upwards of £2000 for a new model, but you can expect to see savings of over £300 per year.
Draft-Proof Your Home
If you’ve ever felt a sudden chill run up your spine, that’s probably because a draught is blowing into your house. You could save roughly £50 a year if you fully draught proof your home, and it’s not that hard to do either. You probably won’t need to hire a professional to do it, it just takes a bit of DIY-work and a small investment of about £100 in equipment. Follow this guide here for a bit more advice—just make sure not to seal gaps in rooms that need ventilation such as a bath or kitchen!
Program Your Heating
If you’ve got a set schedule most days of the week, you could benefit from programming your central heating to turn on and off at specific times. Let’s face it, when we’re deep asleep we aren’t going to notice much of the cold, and our bed helps us to keep nice and warm at night. Program your heating to turn off when you’re asleep or outdoors, and turn it back on a couple of minutes before you’re indoors or awake again.
Photo sources: Flickr
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