Simple tips to reduce your energy bills
Are your energy bills too high? Here are our simple tips to reduce them.
Household energy bills are soaring, so it’s time to take better control.
Start by understanding your household’s peak times and durations of energy use to help you and your family become more efficient and minimise your costs.
Then, follow up with our top tips to boost the efficiency of your heating while dialling down your energy consumption.
Service your boiler regularly
If your boiler is in peak working condition, it will warm your home as efficiently as possible.
An annual boiler service – think of it as equivalent to an MOT on your car - will help guard against potential issues or errors that might cause your boiler to work at a limited capacity. It should save you time and money in the long run and avoid a breakdown during the coldest months.
You can view our boiler service plans here.
Upgrade your boiler
Fast moving technology means you can now cut your energy consumption and bills by up to £320 a year, depending on the size of your property, according to The Energy Savings Trust*
But not all boilers are the same, so do your research before any upgrade or replacement.
If you have a large family with a big home, for instance, you may benefit from a powerful system with smart capabilities to help keep the house at the optimum temperature whilst fitting around your schedule.
A new boiler might sound like a big investment at the time, but a high-efficiency model can warm your home much more cost effectively, helping to reduce your carbon footprint and save you money.
You can get a free quote here. One of our sales consultants will then discuss options for your new boiler.
A Swale Heating expert can advise on the best options for you, your family and your home – please click here for more information.
Draught proof your home
Don’t think of draught excluders as insulators but as a way to prevent cold or warm air from passing around it through an old door, perhaps, or a chimney. A good draught excluder helps reduce energy bills and keeps your house nice and warm.
To find potential draughts, inspect all potential openings that might let cold in and leak warmth such as:
- Doors
- Windows
- Letterboxes
- Loft hatches
- Chimneys
- Exterior fans
BUT be careful not to block vents that the heating requires to operate, and always leave some ventilation or make use of ‘trickle’ vents on windows to ensure against dampness and mould.
Boost insulation
Replacing, updating or installing high-quality loft or cavity wall insulation can markedly boost your home's energy efficiency – properly installed roof installation can cut up to 25% of heat loss there for instance**.
Sheep wool wall insulation absorbs moisture and releases energy in the form of heat, thus raising the surrounding temperature and reducing dampness.
To save even more money whilst boosting insulation, upgrading to a newer and more economical hot water cylinder is another option to consider if your central heating system requires a cylinder. It’s highly advised that, when replacing your boiler, to replace your hot water cylinder as well to ensure maximum efficiency. To read more about updating your hot water cylinder, click here.
Get an Energy Audit
Another way to help evaluate and budget your energy consumption is to get an Energy Audit. This will show how efficient your home is, and will offer solutions to improve this – this is even more crucial as energy prices are spiralling and we are all becoming more aware of our carbon footprint.
Don’t have a bath – have a shower
A normal daily five minute shower saves up to 35 litres of water compared to a full bath***. Furthermore, you could halve your climate impact simply by cutting out baths and having shorter and cooler showers.
Modern thermostats and TRVs
Updating your boiler, thermostat and TRVs (thermostatic radiator valves) can dramatically decrease your energy bills.
They all use new technologies to optimise energy use and deliver complete control over your heating – you can turn the heating on or off whenever and wherever you are.
Turn the temperature down
A tiny tip you may not have even considered: adjusting the thermostat downwards by as little as one degree could decrease your bills by around 10%****.
The advantages of energy efficient homes
Lower energy bills are just part of running an energy efficient home - you also gain more control and are likely to become more environmentally aware.
Smart meters, thermostats and boilers are just three ways to begin making the changes and help you recognise the costs, usage and needs of your household.
You can then add in home improvements and developments, and smart appliance choices to further cut energy consumption and billing.
Frequently asked questions about how to reduce your energy bills
What other ways can I make my home more energy efficient?
Apart from using your central heating efficiently, Swale Heating recommends:
- Being more conscious of your household water use
- Buying more energy efficient appliances
- Invest in double glazing
- After using your oven and turning it off, leave the door slightly ajar so excess heat can warm the kitchen
- If you think there are any blockages in your radiators, bleed them. Read our blog on how to bleed a radiator here.
- Use smart thermostats to optimise your heating control. Read more about smart thermostats here.
- Check for any leaks, such as a leaking radiator or leaking radiator valve. Fixing issues such as these will optimise the running of your central heating system, making it more efficient.
- Re-pressurise boiler - if your boiler pressure is either too low or too high, this can cause it to run inefficiently.
Some of these simple adjustments can begin to make a real difference to your energy usage and efficiency.
What is a high efficiency boiler?
It might also depend on your household’s energy usage, the number and lifestyle of its occupants and other contributing factors - everyone’s energy consumption is different so it's best to have the right boiler for your household.
There are a variety of boilers to choose from. Combi boilers, for example, are best for smaller properties as they don't need a separate water tank in order to work.
Alternatively, system boilers are far better for larger houses if the heating and hot water demand is greater. Ensuring you have the correct sized boiler could increase your household's energy efficiency.
There are also other factors to consider when trying to cut down your energy usage. If you want to be more energy efficient and cut energy bills, spend time calculating where you use energy the most – do you always use a tumble dryer rather than a clothes line, for instance – and that should suggest ways to help you reach your goals.
Why choose Swale Heating?
Swale Heating were founded in 1972 to focus on top quality installation with follow-up maintenance to the same standard.
We are now one of Kent's largest installers of boilers and heating systems, completing thousands of installations each year, and keeping homes safe and warm via our maintenance and repair services. What's more, all of our Gas Safe registered engineers are experts in installing high quality boilers from well-known boiler brands including Worcester Bosch, Vaillant and Viessmann.
We understand that the failure of your central heating system can leave you feeling anxious, which is why we're available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You can find out more about our boiler cover plans and use our online portal to book your repair or annual service. If you would like a quote for a new boiler, click here.
Information sources: