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5 Ways To Lower Your Heating Bills This Winter

Even though it seems a while before chilly weather sets in, now is a great time to start thinking about reducing your home heating bill this winter. By preparing early, you can take measures to make your home as energy efficient as possible and cut costs before the cold weather arrives. See below for our top 5 ways to lower your bills this winter.

1. Turn down the thermostat

It sounds obvious, but turning your thermostat down by just 1 degree could save a considerable amount. It’s likely you won’t notice such a small change in temperature, but you will notice up to £65 off your bills every year! You should also upgrade to a smart thermostat so you can control exactly when your heating should turn on and at what temperature.

Also, be sure to turn down the radiators in rooms you’re not using to avoid wasting heat and money. Simply turn the dial to the snowflake symbol – this will make sure that the room never gets down to freezing, so there’s no danger of your pipes freezing up.

2. Wrap up warm

Another obvious one, but try putting on a jumper or cardigan when you start to feel cold and add another blanket to your bed. The extra layer will trap heat, keeping you warmer for longer without the need to knock the heating on.

3. Ensure your home is properly insulated

The majority of heat escapes through the roof, windows and doors of your home. By ensuring these areas are properly insulated you can help to eliminate heat loss.

Properly insulating your loft can provide massive savings on your energy bills and your energy company may offer to insulate it for free! If your windows and doors are old and drafty then it may be time to upgrade them to a modern, energy efficient material such as PVC, which will save you money long-term.

Thermal curtains are a great way to keep the heat from escaping near windows (be sure to open them on sunny days to let the rays heat the house). Also, if you have an open fireplace then you can block it with a specially made balloon to stop heat escaping up your chimney. Tin foil behind radiators also works well!

4. Change energy supplier

If you feel you are currently paying too much for your energy then it’s worth shopping around for a cheaper energy company, it could save you hundreds of pounds. Comparison websites can help you to find the best deals.

5. Switch to renewable energy

By switching to a form of renewable energy like a biomass boiler or an air source heat pump, you can drastically lower your energy bills and make money based on the heat you create.

Biomass boilers work by burning wood fuel in a boiler. The hot gases pass through a heat exchanger, then the heat is transferred via circulated water and stored in the buffer vessel. The buffer then ‘feeds’ heat to a heating and/or hot water system. As the heat in the buffer is depleted, the boiler reheats it. A biomass boiler is better suited to large properties and businesses as they require enough space to house the boiler and the fuel.

An air source heat pump is great for small to medium properties as it doesn’t require much space. They work in a similar way to your fridge/freezer, using refrigerant gases to transfer heat from one space and ‘rejecting’ that heat to another space, allowing you to maintain a comfortable temperature in your home all year round.

Biomass boilers and air source heat pumps are both sustainable, carbon neutral ways of heating your home, so you can lower your impact on the environment as well as saving money.

If you would like to know more about renewable energy, give us a call on: 01228 522 481 or email: info@refrigeration-mitton.co.uk

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