To make the most out of your heating and hot water system, it’s important to help it run as efficiently as possible. Collectively, this helps reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other harmful gasses from combustion. The Energy Saving Trust found that if everyone in the UK were to turn their thermostat down by 1 degree, then £650million would be saved annually, amounting to 3.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide.
This guide highlights some of the key ways that you can save energy, from system changes to much smaller measures.
Energy efficiency rating
Since 2018, new boilers must meet some minimum efficiency standards in order to improve the market’s overall carbon emissions while also helping households make crucial long-term cost savings.
Boiler replacement in the UK will automatically improve your systems efficiency since new regulatory standards mean that boilers must meet at least 90% energy efficiency. You can check how efficient your system is by checking the ErP label on the boiler itself.
This grades the boiler from the most energy efficient, A grade, to the least, G grade. D grade or lower falls under the optimal energy efficiency and so is a telling sign that your boiler is outdated and might call for a replacement, depending on how old the system is and how well it’s performing.
However, it’s not always easy to simply replace your boiler. Luckily there are several other ways to improve your systems efficiency without breaking the bank.
Smart thermostats
A smart thermostat allows you to remotely control the degree of heat coming from the system from any smart device, even when you’re not at home. These features can also learn your heating and cooling habits to turn up or cool down your home at optimal times. This includes switching on the heating in time for you coming home.
This saves you energy since, for example, if you accidentally leave the heating on while you’re out the house, you can switch it off from the app on your phone. What’s more, the system can also monitor your energy usage and provide you with reports that will enable you to make smarter decisions about how to adjust your energy usage to save more.
Insulation
Insulation throughout your home optimises your heating system since energy is not leaving the house through hollow walls or through the roof.
Insulation materials, such as glasswool or polyester, are fairly easy to come by and fit between your walls or in your loft. Plus, doing so will bring down your energy bills significantly. This material can be applied in the space between the inner and outside walls, the cavity. These types of walls are the standard across the UK to help prevent moisture from entering the building and causing damp. Heat loss is prevented from escaping cavity walls through insulation since the air between the walls can no longer escape.
Since heat rises, it’s also a good idea to fit some loft insulation between the joists in your loft to prevent heat escaping through your roof.
There are also several low-cost, draught proofing measures you can easily put in place to further reduce heat loss. Draught proofing materials include draught excluders which can be fitted under doors and windows, or radiator foil which can be placed between a radiator and a wall to reflect heat back into a room, rather than letting it escape through the wall.
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