Lower Utility Bills and Improve Your Heating Efficiency

Energy Saving Tips to Reduce Heating Bills

With UK energy costs having risen by over 30% in the last year, many people are looking for ways to lower utility bills. Even without changing energy suppliers - which these days offers fewer advantages, there are many simple steps a home owner can take to reduce gas and electricity bills and to avoid energy wastage. These include:

• Turning appliances completely off at the power socket when not in use. TV's, digital set top boxes (including Sky boxes), DVD players, video recorders, mobile phone chargers, radios and stereo equipment can all consume power when left plugged in, on standby. Collectively, these appliances can cost up to 100 a year to run if left on 24 hours a day!
• Installing low energy fluorescent lighting in all rooms. Low energy lighting uses around 20% of the energy of conventional filament lamps.
• Lower your utility bills by regularly defrosting your freezer to improve its energy efficiency. A build up of ice in your freezer will result in the compressor running for longer periods, greatly increasing electricity consumption.
• Install cavity wall insulation in your home. Up to 30% of the heat loss from any property is through the walls. Foam or Rockwool cavity wall insulation will reduce heat loss, keeping your home warmer in winter and cooler during the summer months.
• Get your boiler serviced regularly to improve its efficiency. Dirt and dust can build up in your boiler's heat exchanger and flue, increasing gas consumption.
• Ensure that loft insulation is topped up to a depth of 300mm. Many older houses were built before the new UK building regulations and may have 150mm of loft insulation or less. Avoid insulating under water tanks to reduce the risk of frozen pipes.
• Install sealed-unit double glazing to reduce heat loss through your windows. The latest types of heat reflective double glazing can lower utility bills by 15% compared to traditional single glazed windows. There are security benefits too.
• Turn off lights when leaving a room. Make it a habit!
• Consider replacing old appliances with new energy efficient versions. For example an A+ energy rated freezer with a high efficiency compressor can use up to 50% less electricity than a 10 year old freezer.
• Lower your room thermostat setting. Reducing your room thermostat by one or two degrees can save you 10 - 20% on your utility bills. Some more modern UK homes have separate heating zones allowing independent temperature adjustment. A comfortable room temperature is 20 - 21 degrees centigrade.
• Fit draught strips on doors and windows to reduce draughts. Ill-fitting windows with significant draughts can account for 15% of a property's total heat loss.
• Consider installing a boiler economiser. These high-tech boxes help lower your utility bills on gas or oil fired central heating systems by making use of the latent heat in the system to reduce the amount of time the boiler is operating - maintaining a more even temperature in your home.
• Install radiator foil on radiators which are positioned on solid external walls. Radiator foil reflects heat back into the room, reducing heat loss through solid walls and improving the efficiency of your heating system - consequently making your home warmer. The author recommends using extra thick tin foil from your local supermarket, cutting it to size and using double sided adhesive pads to fix the foil to the wall behind your radiators. A cheap way to lower utility bills and reduce your carbon footprint!

Steve Larkins works as a marketing consultant for Gas-Elec, whose hi-tech G-save boiler economiser product helps lower utility bills by up to 30% on gas or oil fired central heating systems.