Improving Energy Efficiency in Your Home

Radiators

• Turn off radiators in rooms that are not being used

• If your radiator is below a window, install a shelf just above it to direct the heat back into the room

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

Hot Water Heaters

Try to ensure that your central heating system will have hot water available for you when you need it. The aim is to avoid having a hot tank of water sitting there all day, wasting energy.

Heating Controls

Become aware of the heating controls in your home. Appropriate time and zone controls make sure that heating is operated to comfortable and appropriate levels when and where it is needed. Make sure you use them effectively to minimise energy wastage. In most houses, the separate control systems that affect fuel consumption are:

• Wall thermostat (allows you to set house temperature level at which the boiler turns on and off)

• Central heating programmer (sets the time at which heating goes on and off – can be overridden by the wall thermostat (see above)
  

• Radiator thermostatic valve (allows you to regulate temperature on individual radiators)

• Boiler power regulator

• Thermostat on the hot water tank (to regulate your hot water temperature)

Turning your heating down by 1ºC can cut about 10% off your heating bill and proper heating controls can reduce your heating system running costs by 17%.

Central Heating

•  Turn off heating overnight or if you are out of the house

• Turn down your thermostat by 1ºC. 20ºC is the optimum temperature for living rooms and 18ºC is suitable for bedrooms

• Turn off radiators in rooms that are not in use

• Close doors and stop drafts between heated and unheated rooms

Low e-glass

Low e-glass is a type of glass that has a low emissivity coating painted on it. This coating is microscopically thin and works by reducing the infrared radiation from a warm pane of glass to that of a cold pane of glass. This helps to reduce heat loss through windows. Although low e-glass windows typically cost between 10-15% more than regular glass windows, they do improve heat loss by 30-50%.