Top Five Tips to Make Your Home More Energy Efficient - from FMB
Below are the FMB’s top five tips on making your home more energy efficient:
- Mind the gaps
Did you know that up to 25% of heat in many homes is lost through inadequate draft proofing? To ensure that you do not lose a quarter of the heat you are paying for through windows and doors check that they close properly. If there are gaps either use a draft excluder or fit draft proofing strips around the sides of the doors and windows. - Time for a new Boiler
Heating and hot water account for about 60% of the average fuel bill. If your boiler is older than 15 years, it should be replaced. By installing a high efficiency condensing boiler, you will save around a third on your bills. - Insulate before you generate
Good insulation is crucial to ensuring that you are not losing heating that you have already paid for. Current Building Regulations recommends that the minimum level of loft insulation should be 200mm (8"). If your current insulation not up to this level, it’s worth having it topped up as you could be losing up to 25% of your heating through your roof.It is also worth insulating your walls as you could also be losing a further 35% of your heat through them. What can be done depends on the type of walls you have; a good builder should be able to advise you on the best course of action.
If you live in a period property with the original floorboards bare then you will probably notice the drafts coming up through the floorboards or how cold the floor gets during the winter. But even if you have carpets and don’t feel any drafts you could still be losing up to 15% of heating through the floor. Having floor insulation installed will dramatically reduce this.
- Ensure water pipes are properly lagged
To ensure your water pipes are working to maximum capacity make sure they are lagged correctly. Remember to check the loft for exposed pipes. If you are going away during the winter you should leave your heating on at a low temperature for a couple of hours a day so the pipes do not burst. - Generate your own energy
Generating your own energy can be a significant expense but if you chose the right technologies it could save you a substantial amount on your energy costs. There are also grants available to some homeowners to help cover the cost of installing the technology. The type of technology you can use will depend on a number of things; how much you want to spend, whether you can get planning permission from your local council and what you want to use it for. A specialist builder will be able to advise you on what’s best for your home.
Help and Advice
You can start right now on some of these changes, others you may need to get a professional in to help. If you do need a professional builder, always follow the FMB’s simple advice for finding a good builder:
Be specific and prepare a detailed brief. Be as clear as you can about what you want, as this can make a huge difference to quotes.- Choosing a reputable builder. Ask friends and family; check the find a builder website (www.fmb.org.uk/findabuilder). And don’t be afraid to ask for references or to speak to previous clients.
- Get at least three quotes. When you are ready to decide, don’t just go with the cheapest, consider communication and quality too.
- Use a contract. You can download free contracts on the FMB website (http://www.findabuilder.co.uk/why/contractsNew/).
- Never pay the full cost of the project up front. Agree a payment plan. Using a credit card to pay can offer you more protection.
If you are considering having any renovation work carried out your home then why not do as Russell suggests (in the Green Giant page) and add some eco-excellent measures at the same time?
There are grants available from government, energy suppliers and local council to ease the cost of installing energy efficiency measures. You can find out more by contacting the Energy Saving Trust (www.saveenergy.co.uk).
