Energy Saving Guide

======================================================================================================

1. Get to know your heating controls

Ensure your thermostat and programmer is set up so you can heat your home to suit your own personal needs.

Top tip:

Turning your thermostat down by just one degree makes a huge difference, helping reduce heat used. You can try doing this slowly and try a degree cooler for a few days and then a further degree after that.

2. Get everyone on board

Make everyone who lives in your home aware how your heating system is programmed and the potential savings that small changes can make. Kids could even apply for a Green Blue Peter Badge by pledging to reduce the thermostat by a degree.

3. Wrap up warm

Make sure you reach for a pair of slippers or warm jumper and layer up before you reach for the thermostat.

4. Block draughts

If you can feel a chill coming in from the outside then your heating system must work twice as hard – a waste of energy, not to mention the added cost to your energy bills.

Top tips:

· Close doors and curtains to stop heat escaping.

· Get radiator savvy: if there's a room (or two) you don't spend much time in, then switch off the radiator, or turn it right down, and shut the door to save energy.

· Making your home draught-proof can be done by getting thick curtains, running draught excluders or seals along the gaps between windows and doors.

5. Make sure there is enough airflow

Although no one wants a draughty home, you don’t want your home getting stuffy either! When draught-proofing your home there needs to be some ventilation too. If there’s no ventilation then this can lead to poor air circulation which can cause mould and damp, so try not to block up every nook and cranny.

For good airflow, we recommend keeping the following unblocked:

- Wall vents

- Extractor fans

- Trickle vents

- Underfloor grills or airbricks

6. Get a water-efficient showerhead

Have showers not baths and save water.

The quicker the shower, the more energy you’ll save.

7. Give your radiators an MOT

You want to make sure the radiators you use are using are working to their full potential.

Air can often get trapped in your radiators, which makes them less effective. If your radiators aren’t warm all the way to the top, then you’ll know this has happened. Bleeding your radiators means getting rid of this extra air - you’ll need to use a screwdriver or a radiator key (depending on the type of radiator you have) to open a valve and let the air escape.

8. Insulate under your floor (if you live on the ground floor)

Around 8% of heat is lost to the ground beneath an uninsulated home. To stop heat escaping through the floor, add insulation under the floorboards of the ground floor to keep your home warm.

If you lay insulation beneath floorboards or over solid floors, it should save you £40 a year which means your carbon footprint will reduce by 175kg!