Top 5 ways to take energy efficiency further in your home

If you want to take energy efficiency in your home to a new level, read on for some tips on what to consider next...

So, you’ve turned off your lights, drawn your curtains, turned off and unplugged your appliances when you’re not using them, only used the amount of water you need (in the kettle, shower and washing machine) and turned your thermostat down, but how can you take energy efficiency even further in your home and enjoy both a warmer home and lower monthly bills?

1. Get a quote for double glazed windows and doors

According to the Energy Saving Trust, installing double glazed windows and doors can cut the heat lost from your home by half and save you up to £130 a year on your heating bills.  Unless you’ve recently moved into a new build property or you’ve had double glazing fitted in the last five years, it’s worth looking into having your windows and doors replaced by a recommended fitter as your windows could be inefficient, costing you money and making your home difficult to heat.

2. Draught proof your home

You can draught proof leaky windows and doors with the help of cheap draught strips that can be cut to the right length and are easy to apply. According to the Energy Saving Trust, if everyone in the UK draught-proofed their windows and doors, we’d save £200m each year on heating bills!
But it’s not only your windows and doors that are responsible for poor energy efficiency. In fact, around a half of the heat lost in your home is through the walls and loft / roof space, and with initiatives in place around the country to help you with the cost of cavity wall insulation and loft insulation, now is a good time to look into it. Having insulation fitted is a relatively quick and straightforward job and can make a real difference to the efficiency of your heating, especially during cold weather.

3. Use energy saving light bulbs in ceiling lights and lamps

Energy saving light bulbs give out the same amount of light as a normal light bulb but use around 80 per cent less energy to do so. As well as this, energy saving light bulbs last around 10 times longer than a normal light bulb and could save you up to £6 each per year depending on the wattage you choose and how long your lights are on for each day. 

4. Invest in an energy meter or complete a free home energy check online

Wireless domestic energy meters can be purchased from most major hardware retailers and are designed to simply connect to your electricity supply and show you exactly how much you are using and how much it is costing you. Energy meters can point you in the direction of those energy hungry habits that you need to break in order to lower your electricity bills, save money and help the environment.

5. Fix dripping taps

Finally, did you know that dripping taps can waste enough water in a week to fill half a bath tub? So if you’ve got a leaking tap, getting it fixed is a quick job worth doing straight away. 

(Courtesy: The Co-operative Magazine)