It always seems as if the cost of living is increasing year after year. Utility bills increase, and heating the home becomes more and more expensive. Most homeowners, as a result, are looking for the best ways to lower heating bills. Most homes do have scope to cut their energy usage, but there are also other methods available to cut heating bills.
One of the first things to do when trying to lower your heating bill is to actually look at the cost of the energy being used. Competition in the marketplace now means that there is more than one firm vying for your custom. Shopping around will allow for heating to be supplied at a rate most suitable to meet the homeowner’s needs.
Lower heating costs though doesn’t mean that ways to reduce the amount of heating being used shouldn’t be considered. A much lower heating bill can be achieved if less energy is used. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the overall temperature of the home is reduced, although this is an option, but rather that heating isn’t wasted.
Large amounts of the home’s heating are wasted heating an area just outside of the building. A lack of wall or loft insulation will see as much as 50% of the home’s heating being used to heat the outside air. Wall insulation is something which is normally installed by professionals, but could help to save as much as a third on heating bills. Loft insulation though is something that almost everyone can install for themselves, and can lower heating bills by 20%, as heat is kept within the home.
The other main area of heat loss in the home is through the windows, and again it is wasted heat hat only increased heating bills. Most homes now have double glazing which helps the situation, but it is also important that there are no air gaps around the windows. Windows can also be insulated through the use of drawn, heavy curtains, which will keep heat within the room.
Having ensured that as much heat as possible is kept within the home, it is time to look at other ways to lower your heating bill. The next logical step is to think about turning down the thermostat. This doesn’t mean living in a freezing cold home, but turning down the thermostat by a single degree C can save 10% on heating bills. So the question is whether putting on a jumper is worth the financial savings?
Individual thermostats can now be fitted to radiators as well. Thermostatic radiator valves and individual room thermostats can both be used to control the individual temperature of a room, ensuring that rooms are not overheated, especially if they are a room which is rarely used.
There are many ways to lower your heating bill, and it is amazing just how much money can be saved just be being aware of where heat is being lost.