No one likes to feel cold at home, but what do you do when typical home heating methods such as electric radiators cause so much pollution in the environment? Well, unless the electricity is produced by sustainable methods of course.
Luckily, there are some simple changes you can make around the house that will trap warmth in, reducing the amount of electricity you need to use to achieve the same temperature. In fact, if your home is currently super inefficient, you may even find that you don’t need to turn the heating on at all!
Buy Thicker Curtains
A massive amount of warmth is lost through windows. It’s much easier for heat to pass through here than through the thick walls surrounding your home, so it’s absolutely critical that you take the right steps to reduce energy loss through that thin layer of glass.
Curtains (or blinds) will add a second layer to the obstacles that heat must pass through to get outside, slowing down its escape and keeping the room inside warmer for longer.
Of course, thin curtains won’t trap as much heat in as thick ones do – as a rule, if you can see through your curtains to the streets when they’re drawn, they’re not doing much to help energy-wise!
Invest in some thick curtains (velvet drapes are my favourite) and you’ll soon see the cost paid back in cheaper energy bills.
Install Double Glazing
Of course, you don’t want to be in a dark, gloomy room all day whilst the sun is shining outside just because it’s warmer that way!
During the daytime it’s normal to have the curtains flung wide open, but by installing double glazing you’ll have two sheets of glass, not one, for heat to pass through before it’s lost.
Add to this the fact that most double-glazed windows are filled with an inert gas such as argon that doesn’t allow for much heat transfer, and you’ll have instantly warmer rooms.
Insulate Your Loft
After your windows, your roof is one of the biggest energy drains – heat rises, which means that a lot of it leaves your home through the rooftop.
To reduce this, get your loft ceiling properly insulated with a thick padding. As with double glazing, it’s not a cheap option but it’s a one-off fee that will gradually pay itself off (and more) over the years as you pay less on your energy bills.
Use Draught Excluders
Can you sometimes feel a cold draught, even inside your home? Put your hand up near the edges of your windows and doors – can you feel (or perhaps even hear!) the air coming through?
If your doors and windows are old, or just weren’t fitted correctly, they may not be totally sealed off round the edges, leading to small gaps where cold air can come in and warm air can go out.
Draught excluders take many shapes and forms, all designed to cover these thin little gaps. You can have ‘brushes’ installed at the edges of your window panes, or re-seal the edges with filler.
It could even be something as simple as buying a long, sand-filled draught excluder to place against the bottom of your front or back door!
By following all of these tips you are certain to notice an increase in the average room temperature and a reduction in your energy bills.
Estelle Page is an interior designer who’s passionate about creating gorgeous homes that don’t ruin the environment. She’s an advocate for sustainable yet stylish decor and believes this is possible whatever your budget may be.
The Warm Front scheme is still running until March 2013 in England and allows households on qualifying income related benefits to have insulation and heating improvements carried out up to the value of £3,500.