Is your home leaking money? Do you find that every time you put your heating on, you can guarantee there will be an enormous bill arriving a month later? If so, you are in good company. The average household spends far more than they need to on heating bills. And it’s bad for your finances, the environment, and your ability to save for a better future. With this in mind, I thought I would give you some simple tips on how to cut your heating costs by a significant amount. Let’s get started right away.
Switch your supplier
First of all, when was the last time you changed your electricity and gas supplier? There’s a good chance that you have never done it at all! Almost one in two households are still with the same energy supplier, despite the fact there are better deals almost everywhere else. Providers offer all their best deals to new customers and rely on people not switching - which is where they get a lot of their profits. Look around at price comparison websites and see if you can snag yourself a better deal.
Switch your system
It’s worth investing a little money on upgrading your heating system, too. Look at what you have, and seek alternatives. For example, underfloor heating tends to be more efficient than radiators. Heat pumps can save you around 30% of our annual heating bill. And a new, up-to-date boiler system will reduce your energy use by a significant amount, too. If you haven’t upgraded your heating for the last five years or so, think about doing so now.
Limit your thermostat
You won’t believe the difference that lowering your thermostat will make to your heating bill. Even dropping it by a single degree can give you a 10% reduction in your bills every year. Just think what you can save if you could limit your thermostat by five degrees or so? If you have a habit of waiting until your home is cold before whacking up the heating, think again. You might be better off having it on all the time, but at a lower temperature so it never gets cold.
Insulate
Insulation is what keeps the hit in your home, and the cold out. Start by ensuring your roof is insulated, followed by the attic floor. You should see an immediate impact on your home\’s ability to trap heat. You should also investigate cavity wall insulation. It can be a little expensive, but the heat you will save is phenomenal. Finally, plug up any gaps in your doors, windows, and floorboards. Again, the cost savings will more than outweigh the expense in time or money.
Look after your water
Finally, make sure you are watching the temperature of your water. Turn it down a little - even going from scalding to hot can save you plenty of dollars each year. Start using the 30 degrees setting on your washing machine, too. It will save you almost three-quarters of the cost of washing at its hottest temperature. And while that might not seem much per wash, it soon adds up over the year.
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