Actions that won't cost the Earth

Under €50

• Put reflective insulation sheeting behind your radiators mounted on the walls. This is available from most DIY stores.

• Block up the chimney when you are not using it – and don’t forget to remove the stuffing when you do want to use it.

• Fit draught excluders under all external doors, attic door, letterbox and cat or dog flap.

• Check your windows for draughts; you may need to add extra insulation seals around poorly insulated windows.

• Change to the ESB Nightsaver tariff for electrical appliances that can be run at night, such as dishwashers and washing machines.

• Don’t forget to insulate your hot water tank with a lagging jacket; this can be done for about €10-15. To make it even more efficient fit your hot water boiler with a thermostat, regulating the temperature of the boiler at an efficient level.

• High wattage bulbs are generally not needed in bedrooms, so why not try a smaller or a CFL low energy bulb?

• Replace bulbs in your house with CFL long life bulbs. This can be done as your current bulbs become exhausted.

• Add water saving devices to showerheads and taps.

Place a bottle of water or a small brick in your cistern to reduce the amount of water needlessly used in each flush.

Around €100

• Install thermostatic regulators on your radiators, especially in rooms like the kitchen. These control the temperature in the room by switching off when the room has reached the chosen temperature.

• A similar thermostat can be installed on your water boiler to ensure that you only heat the water to a required temperature. 

• Get your boiler serviced regularly to ensure it is working properly and not wasting your money.

Insulate all your hot water pipes and hot water tank. If you can do this yourself it will work out to be quite cheap.

€500 - €1,000

• Re-insulate/insulate your attic. The cost of this depends on the size of your attic and the type of insulation you choose to use. Most insulation costs between €10-25 per roll.

• Change any inefficient appliances for new A-rated appliances when you need to replace them.

€1,000 - €5,000

• Do you use an unsustainable fuel like oil? Consider changing over to a more sustainable type of fuel such as wood, biofuel or biomass. Grants are available for many of these – check them out on the SEAI Warmer Homes website.

• If you don’t have insulation in your external cavity walls, get them filled.

Around €10,000

• Install solar panels

• If your windows are not double glazed, look into getting them replaced. It may also be possible to install internal secondary glazing instead of replacing all your windows. This would work out a lot cheaper especially if you have an older house.

• Consider geothermal heating.

• Consider wind power.