Four Ways to Reduce Your Energy Bills Next Winter

Well, spring is still in the air, so why on earth are we talking about next winter? Well, because there’s no better time than now to make those changes that will help to keep your bills down next winter. All of the suggestions we outline below are cheaper to install/carry out at this time of year, than in autumn and winter. You might as well make those changes now so you can make savings later. 

1.       Double and triple glazing.

Do you have single paned windows and doors anywhere at home? If you do, then it’s well worth considering switching to double or triple glazing. Such steps will dramatically decrease heat loss, and consequently, reduce your household bills. Our only word of warning is to make sure that you ventilate the property well too; otherwise, the lack of air can lead to issues like damp.

2.       Replace your radiators.

If your radiators are more than 10 to 15 years old, then it could be time to make some changes. Buying trade radiators, rather than replacing each radiator at a time, can massively reduce the cost.

Bulk buying radiators is always cheaper than buying single, retailer, radiators. If you’re thinking of replacing all your radiators at once, definitely consider buying trade radiators. New radiators will always run more efficiently than older radiators will.

3.       Add thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) to your radiators.

These allow you much more control over you heating. They open and close to allow water in and out, so that they maintain a specific temperature. They do this automatically. For instance, you set the TRV to 3, which is a medium heat. When it senses that the radiator is hot enough it closes, and when it sense that it’s too cold it opens. This helps you to save a lot of money, because the radiators adjust to the temperature.

4.       Install draft excluder

Finally, you should use draft excluders to cover any incoming drafts. This will help to minimise heat loss, and will thereby reduce your heating bills.

If you are interested in buying new radiators, then please visit Designer Radiator Direct

How Can You Make Your Radiators More Efficient?

We live in the UK, and it gets cold, so it follows that radiators are an essential feature in all of our homes. However, many people’s radiators are running inefficiently: they’re costing more money to run than is necessary, and they aren’t producing as much heat as they are able to. Here, we’re going to consider some of the things that you can do to ensure that your radiators are working to optimal capacity. By the end of this article, you should have a few good tips to help you keep those electricity and gas bills at a reasonable level, even if the gas/electric companies are trying to bleed us dry.

Use a Timed Thermostat

It is amazing how many households waste money because they don’t use a thermostat. Here is a common scenario to explain why thermostats are important, and how they can help you save money:

•Sarah works all day. She leaves the radiators off all day. When she gets home, it’s freezing cold, so she whacks the temperature up to 40 to make sure that it gets hot as quickly as possible. That costs a lot of money, and with a timed thermostat, she could have set the heating system to come on ½ an hour before she gets home. By the time she’s home the house is nice and warm, and she’s spent less money on her heating.

Bleeding the Radiators

The majority of radiators, whether residential or trade radiators, use water or oil within the system. This is because it is much better at retaining and distributing heat than air. With air, it gets warm quickly, but it cools quickly too. Air is much less efficient for radiation.

So, air is less efficient – what’s that got to do with an oil/water based radiator? Well, overtime, air will get into the system, and when this happens, it has an effect on efficiency. You need to be able to let the air out of the system when it accumulates. To do this, you bleed the radiator. A special bleed valve with key will allow you to do this.

It is important, therefore, that you bleed the radiator on a regular basis if you want to ensure your radiator remains efficient. This is true whether you are buying domestic radiators or trade radiators.

Reflector Panels

You have probably heard that if you place a piece of foil behind the radiator, that it will reflect the heat back into the room, thereby making the radiator more efficient. This is true, but today, you can purchase radiator reflector panels, which are far superior to using sheets of foil. It has been estimated that a standard two bedroom home can save an average of £50 a year. This may not sound like a lot, but money is money at the end of the day, and if you look after the pennies, the pounds look after themselves. You may have to remove the radiators to fit the panel, but that’s relatively easy.

Follow us :