Tips for reducing your energy bill and keeping your house warm

We may be approaching the start of spring technically, but it is still very cold, wet and grey in wales, certainly no sign of nice warm weather yet. So while the weather is still rubbish outside I like to hibernate in my nice warm and cozy home. Keeping my home warm and cozy though can sometimes impact on my energy bills. So me and Jon spent some time (and money) last year before our little dude arrived trying to make our home as energy efficient as possible.

Here are some tips for reducing your energy bill by keeping your house warm and stop it losing heat unnecessarily. There are some really simply tips which you can implement at a low cost, but there are also some bigger tips which might cost more in the short term but will save you lots in the long term and make a long term impact on your home.

Soft Furnishings – It might sound a bit random, but soft furnishings help keep a room from loosing heat too fast and help make a room feel cosier. This is especially true if you have wooden or laminate flooring. A nice big thick rug will help make a room feel homely and of course its nice on your feet. If you’ve got big windows consider hanging thick curtains as its surprising how much heat can be lost against cold window panes.
Insulation – This might not always be an option for everyone, but making sure you check to see if you have good insulation in your attic as this is one of the easiest places for you to add insulation. And as heat rises, losing it through your ceiling is one of the most common ways to lose heat
Check your roof – This is a big one and follows on from the insulation point! If your roof has any damaged, loose or missing tiles you could be losing lots of heat as well as risking damp and moisture getting into your home. Make sure you regularly check your roof, especially after any bad weather spells.
Double or triple glazing – This is something that can make the biggest difference to keeping your house warm and your energy bills down. If you have single glazing or defective double glazing panels your windows are not effectively working to their full potential. Look into finding a local tradesman and get yourself a quote for new double glazing or to have your defective panels fixed. We had all our back windows changed from single to double glazed early last year and the difference was instantly noticeable. It has helped us save considerably on our energy bills and our house is always warm and toasty which was super important when we had a newborn in the house.
Draft excluders – Simple and basic, but doors don’t seal tight (see tips below to increase door seal performance) so a simple draft excluder place along the inside of your doors can make a huge difference. Plus there are some super cute ones you can buy online or you can DIY one yourself!
Door Rubber Seals – Exterior doors are rarely perfectly sealed all the way round, especially if your doors are wood rather than PVC. Our front door let in a heck of a draft when we first moved in so we applied a rubber door seal to the bottom to help act as a permanent draft excluder.
Turning Handle into Lock Position – Jon just told me this one and I hadn’t even thought about it. Exterior doors can let a lot of air in and out if they are simply closed, to really engage the seal they need to be locked or at least have the handle lifted into the lock position.
Letter Boxes – Check your letter box has a cover on both inside and outside, you’d be surprised by how much of a draft a letter box can cause!