10 Ways to make your home more Energy Efficient (UK) 2010
With Energy Efficiency and saving money on heating bills high on everyone’s agenda. Here at Ramsdales we have listed 10 ways to make your home more insulated, more energy efficient and helping you reduce your future heating bills.
1 – Cavity Wall Insulation – Houses that were built from 1920 and onwards usually have a cavity wall. This means there is an outside course of bricks and internal course of bricks/block. The gap in the middle of the two courses in known as the cavity. A lot of these cavities are not insulated. By using cavity wall insulation it helps to keep the heat in the house where it is required. There are government grants available with some companies charging as little as £99 to the homeowner and getting the remainder of the cost of the installation through the government. Cavity Wall insulation can save you between £115-£160 per year depending on size etc
2 – Loft Insulation – This is simply insulating the loft by laying insulation over existing joists. This is fairly easy to do however it is always advisable to use a qualified tradesperson to lay the insulation. It is estimated a Third of the homes heat is lost through the roof. Loft insulation should be around 270mm thick. Fitted Price is Around £198 (B&Q) or on supply only basis Rolls of 200mm Insulation covering 1.48m2 cost around £5.68. Loft insulation can save you between £190-£220 a year
3 – Floor Insulation – This is only a viable if you floor boards have been lifted up for some reason. Insulating under the floor will save you around £50 per year.
4 – Energy Efficient Double Glazing – A Rated Windows – A major source of heat loss in the home is through windows. If your windows are single glazed or were installed before 2002 it is likely a lot of heat is escaping through the windows. Recent developments in the double glazing industry now means double glazed windows can be rated in the same way as white goods, such as fridges can be. An ‘A’ rating is currently the highest rating a double glazed window can achieve. Windows are rated and are certified under the BFRC rating scheme. More info can be found on www.bfrc.org. Figures vary for the energy saving that can be achieved. This being a conservative estimate, on a Detached house 20 Square Metres installing A rated windows from single glazing will save £247 per year – 20 year saving of £14200. Upgrading from existing double glazing to A Rated windows £193 per year – 20 year saving of £11,100
5 – Replace Any worn Out Weather stripping – Inspect all existing doors and windows any worn out weather stripping will need to be replaced. Replacing worn or damaged weather stripping around exterior doors will save money on your energy bills. Take a piece of the old weather stripping with you to the home improvement store so you can easily match it. The weather stripping in newer doors fits in a groove in the door casing. To remove it, simply pull it out. Then cut a new piece to length, and insert it in the groove. Older doors can be retrofit using rolls of self-adhesive foam weather stripping or rigid strips that are nailed in place.
6 – Foil Back Of Radiators – Fitting aluminium foil behind radiators is a very cheap way of conserving heat, as the foil reflects the warmth back into the room. You can buy specially designed radiator foil from DIY stores for this job, but normal tin foil will work almost as well. This form of insulation is especially important on outside walls where any heat loss will simply escape outside.
7 – All Doors to be Made Draft Proof – Seal Outside frame + Weather strips + Upgrade drafty letterbox’s. Old Doors are a major weak point of the home with regards to letting heat escape unnecessarily. Ways to reduces this heat loss. Make sure the frames are sealed on the outside between the frame and the wall. If not reseal with silicon, make sure all weatherstrips are intact, if not upgrade these weather strips. Upgrade any drafty letterboxes. These can be purchase from DIY stores for around £7 -£12
8 – Upgrade to an Energy Efficient Boiler. Raising your grade from an ‘F’ to an ‘A’ means more heat for less money, and a healthy cut in your carbon footprint.
Heating our homes and our water is the biggest energy cost households face each month, yet many people don’t know the average boiler is only F-rated. An A-rated boiler can produce the same amount of heat for a fifth less fuel – and CO2.
Changing from a low G-rated traditional boiler to an A-rated condensing one could reduce a household’s CO2 emissions by over a tonne. Making the switch could save £110, about a quarter of the average heating bill. Upgrading your heating controls can save a further £90. There are government grants available for certain boiler upgrades
9 – Hot Water Cylinder Jacket - Insulating your hot water cylinder is one of the simplest and easiest ways to save energy and money. Fitting a British Standard ‘jacket’ around your cylinder will cut heat loss by over 75%. If you already have a jacket fitted, check that it’s at least 75mm thick. If not, it’s well worth treating your old cylinder to a new winter coat. A new, 75mm thick hot water cylinder jacket will save you around £35 per year. The jackets themselves cost less than half that, meaning that you can reclaim your initial cost in less than 6 months. Insulation for hot water pipes will cost around £10 and can save you around £10 a year, which means you should recover the cost of fitting within a year. Information from www.energysavingtrust.org.uk
10 – Change Single Glazed Timber Doors – External single glazed timber door should be changed to Insulated UPVC or composite doors. By upgrading your existing single glazed timber door to insulated doors, you will benefit from upgraded seals (usually double sealed). This reduces the heat loss from the door when it is closed. The glass on the door will have upgraded double glazing units. Usually a Argon filled, Low e glass unit will be used to reflect heat back into the home and not letting it escape to the outside.
Research shows that buyers are willing to pay up to £10,000 more for eco-friendly homes – Source: Energy Saving Trust, www.energysavingtrust.org.uk.
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Please note all figures are only guideline approximate figures
10 Ways to make your home more Energy Efficient (UK) – Middlesbrough
Here at Ramsdale Home Improvements we have started 2012 the same way we finished 2011, by producing workmanship of the highest quality, matching and exceeding customer expectations, and continually raising the bar for all Double Glazing installers in the North East.
