As the cost of living continues to rise, managing energy costs and keeping them as low as possible is a key priority for many people.
One key part of doing this successfully is to ensure your home is energy efficient. This can be achieved by investing in insulation, sealing air leaks, and upgrading to energy-efficient appliances.
Insulation
Insulation helps to keep homes at a more consistent temperature all year round. It will essentially keep your home warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer, which ultimately means more predictable (and cheaper!) heating bills.
Depending on the age and condition of your home, insulation might be more necessary for some people than others, but it’s certainly one of the first aspects you should be looking into. Loft insulation can make a huge difference to homes, as well as conservatory roof insulation – a room that is notoriously unusable during many months of the year.
Sealing Air Leaks
Air can leak in and out of the house through unintended gaps and cracks around areas including windows, doors, attics and chimneys. This can often be an easy and affordable DIY fix, but the more severe the leakage, the more likely you’ll need to seek professional help.
Energy-efficient appliances
As more homes are now using smart meters, it’s much easier to identify which appliances are using up the most energy. Often, it can be down to the appliance itself being particularly costly to run, so it’s worth looking into more energy efficient alternatives. This may be an investment initially, but your energy bills will thank you in the long run.
It’s also important to be mindful of your usage, turning off lights and electronics when they are not in use, and taking advantage of natural light whenever possible. There are also some simple changes you can make to current habits that may help – for example, run your washing machine at 30 degrees, and only do a wash when there’s a full load. Tumble driers can also be a big energy drain – consider hanging clothes on a drying rack, or outside in the sunshine to cut back on this often unnecessary cost.
Alternative energy sources
Exploring alternative energy sources can help you reduce your reliance on traditional sources. For example, solar panels can not only help you to cut energy bills, but being a low carbon, renewable source they can also help you to reduce your carbon footprint and even receive payments for any extra energy you generate.
Infographic Provided By Solar Panel Installation Company, Sunburst Solar
Comparing energy providers
Finally, it may be helpful to compare energy plans and providers to find the best deal for your needs. Once you’ve taken all the necessary steps to ensure your home is as energy efficient as possible, it’s definitely worth exploring new energy suppliers and tariffs to make sure you aren’t paying over the odds. People can often get into the habit of sticking with the same energy suppliers through ease and convenience, but taking the time to compare could be a cost saving move in the long run.
By taking these steps, you can help to keep your energy bills low and manage the cost of living crisis more effectively.
