Control Your Heating and Save Money and the Environment

A Personal Article in Allotment Growing

Keep Warm for Less by Insulating and Controlling

You can keep just as warm and comfortable in your home for less money without spending a fortune.

Most houses nowadays have some form of insulation but standards have changed and fuel prices are consistently headed up so what was good practice 20 years ago is now inadequate.

The first thing to tackle in your home is heat loss.

Draught Proofing Windows and Doors

15% of your heating bill probably goes to heat the world outside through draughty, ill-fitting doors and windows. The solution is simple: fit effective draughtproofing materials. Not only will you save on your fuel bill, you will also enjoy more comfort.

The cost for this is only a few pounds for a roll of draughtproofing foam and it doesn’t take long or any skill to fit. Because this is cheap and easy it is often neglected but it is the most cost-effective way to reduce your heating bills.

Loft insulation

This is the next easiest and most cost-effective ways of improving the energy efficiency of your home. By installing loft insulation to a depth of at least 8 inches (200 mm), you can save around 20% of your heating costs. If your loft is already insulated, check the depth. If it is less than 200mm – and I bet it is – then add some more. It will usually only take a few hours to do the job and the savings start immediately. Payback is around 2 to 3 years. That’s like a bank offering you a rate of 50% on your savings.

Cavity Wall Insulation

This is the most cost-effective way to reduce heating bills after loft insulation.
Cavity wall insulation is a simple solution, which reduces heat loss through walls by up to 60%, and can save up to 35% on fuel bills.

It is a specialist job, so you will need to use a company – shop around and look out for summer bargains. All the materials used are produced under the strictest quality control to comply with the highest safety standards. Cavity wall insulation should come with a 25-year guarantee. Payback on this energy saver is around 4 years.

Double Glazing

The solutions above all offer large benefits for a small outlay with reasonable payback periods. If your house needs new windows, then double glazed is the way to go but replacing perfectly good windows with double glazed will still save you money although the payback period will be between 10 and 20 years.

Heavy curtains and or blinds that trap air creating an insulation between the glass and the room are going to be much more cost-effective.

Controlling Your Heating

Having stopped a lot of heat from escaping your house, the next thing to think about is how you get that heat. If you have an older boiler you will save money by replacing it and the payback period will be around that of cavity wall insulation – 4 years. There is a big but to this, the latest condensing boilers are supposed to be efficient but they are more complex than older boilers and may not last as long.

If you have a serviceable older boiler, then you may be better off putting controls on it.

One word of warning - many plumbers and heating engineers like to install an overpowered boiler so if we have a really cold day their customer will not complain. I have even heard a plumber say that a large boiler doesn't have to work so hard and, therefore, costs less to run. Yes and three litre cars use less petrol than one litre engines. Before you buy a new boiler, check your engineer knows what he is talking about.

Heating Controls

Thermostatic Radiator Valves (TRVs)

First of all, go for Thermostatic Radiator Valves (TRVs) these effectively switch off an individual radiator when the room is warm enough. You only need very basic plumbing skills to fit them so you will probably be able to do it yourself.

Programmers and Room Thermostats

If your boiler doesn’t have a programmer or has a broken one, get one. If you have a working one, check it is synchronised with your clock and not on summer time in the winter or vice versa! Consider the on off periods – do you really need it on in the day if you are out at work? Or is it coming on at 5am when you don’t get up until 7am?

A room thermostat adds even more control to your system. Placed correctly it will switch off the heating regardless of the programmer when your house is warm enough. If you have a thermostat, check the setting. Just a one-degree reduction can reduce your heating bill by 10% and you probably won’t notice the difference – except when the bill comes in.

Conclusion

You can save a significant amount of money on keeping warm without reducing your comfort or spending a fortune. Not only will your bank balance be healthier but also the environment will be.

Resources

Energy Saving Trust

We encourage energy efficiency and the integration of renewable energy sources into the economic fabric of our society. To achieve this we promote the use of cleaner fuels for transport and better insulation and heating efficiency for buildings and homes and champion small-scale renewable energy, such as solar and wind power.

Friends of the Earth

This organisation is at the forefront of the campaign against Climate Change

CAT aims to 'inspire, inform, and enable' people to live more sustainably. A solutions driven organisation, offering practical solutions to environmental problems, our key areas of work are renewable energy, environmental building, energy efficiency, organic growing and alternative sewage systems. We have been in existence for 27 years. CAT services include a visitor centre open 7 days a week, practical and informative publications, a mailorder service of 'green' books and products, educational services for schools, consultancy for individuals and businesses, residential courses, membership and a free information service