The first snow of the season is set to sweep across the country this week – and as the mercury dips, energy bills will inevitably rise.
The colder months mean ramping up the central heating and relying more on power-guzzling appliances, which means using a lot more gas and electricity.
While energy prices have fallen since the peak of summer 2023, they are still well above pre-‘energy crisis’ levels and are set to be hiked again in January.
It therefore makes sense to use as little energy as possible. The most effective way to do this, while staying warm, is to retrofit your home – this means making changes to an existing building to improve its energy efficiency.
This in turn, reduces carbon emissions, making it a smart move for the planet as well as your pocket (it should increase the value of your property, too).
Find your home’s EPC rating and personalised recommendations for making it greener
Here are six key retrofit steps that will make a big impact on your energy bills:
1. Find out how energy efficient your home is
First, find your home’s EPC rating so you can see how energy efficient it is. This will give you a good starting point for any upgrades you want to make, and help you calculate how valuable they could be.
2. Make the easy, low cost upgrades first
Upgrade to more efficient appliances like fridges and dishwashers with an A+++ rating, get a smart thermostat installed and programme your heating to match your schedule. Replace any traditional or halogen lightbulbs with energy-efficient LEDs.
3. Change your windows and doors
Replace any single-glazed windows or doors (which let out a lot of heat) with A-rated double glazing or triple glazing. Or, add secondary glazing to existing single-glazed windows.
4. Insulate!
The walls: Cavity walls are the easiest to insulate, as insulants can be injected into the cavity from the outside. It’s still possible to insulate solid walls, but this will need to be done either internally or externally.
The loft/roof: The recommended minimum depth for loft insulation is 270mm. So while your roof or loft may already have some insulation, it’s worth checking that it reaches this depth. Topping up from 120mm to at least 270mm of insulation can cut annual carbon emissions by as much as 55kg annually (equivalent to the carbon created by 26 weeks of laundry!). Of all the ways of insulating a home, loft and roof spaces are the most affordable improvements, and the easiest to carry out.
The floors: Around eight per cent of heat is lost through the floor in an uninsulated home. This figure rises if you have an insulated roof and walls. Suspended floors, usually floorboards, rest on joists above an empty space and can be insulated using rigid boards, mineral wool, or spray foam. Solid floors are generally stone or concrete and a layer of rigid insulation can be laid on top.
5. Install renewable energy systems
Installing renewable energy solutions such as solar panels means your house can generate its own electricity. In some cases, you can even make money by selling unused power back to the grid.
6. Switch to a low or no-carbon heating system
Air source or ground source heat pumps are no-carbon alternatives to gas boilers. You could also replace an inefficient gas boiler, such as a G-rated version, with an energy-efficient A-rated condensing boiler. While this option still uses gas to heat a home, a newer, more efficient version will use much less power to keep your home warm and your water hot.
Find out how to make YOUR home greener – and exactly how much it could save you
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