Home owners across the UK are experiencing are experiencing the biggest squeeze on their energy bills in decades. This has been driven by political and economic factors relating to the supply chain of key distributor countries. While we can’t do anything about cross-country frictions, what we can do is make changes to reduce our energy needs and therefore energy bills. Here are 6 ways we can do exactly that.
- Insulate our homes properly
The more insulation you have the better your home is at retaining heat energy. This is perhaps the most effective way to reduce your energy bills. It can be expensive to purchase and install insulation but using websites such as Builders Insulation will help you secure the best prices and can offer advice on exactly what insulation you need for your home. For example one of the best thermal conductors is Rockwool RWA45 100mm. It has the large thickness and is relatively easy to fit.
- Install Solar Panels
Solar Panel technology has come a long way over the years and they are becoming more and more popular in UK. You might be wondering how this helps with energy bills, well when used combination with an air source heat pump, solar panels can indirectly provide heat through heat pump.
- Install a Heat Pump
The UK government want to push this technology and are offering homeowners with grants to switch from their gas boilers over to heat pumps. They are incredibly efficient at converting electricity into heat. Air source heat pumps are the more affordable however ground source heat pumps offer consistent heat output all year round as they operate at a more stable temperature. Heat pumps will help to heat your hot water and even help out with the heating which works particularly well when used in combination with underfloor heating.
- Double or Triple Glazing Windows
Similar to insulating your home, ensuring you have at least double-glazed windows will retain the heat energy in your home for a longer period and reduce the overall amount of heat needed. This is due to the insulative layer of air between glass which prevents heat from passing. Aside from reducing your energy bills, you’ll also get a higher grade on your EPC certificate.
- Moving from gas to electric cooker
This won’t have an monumental impact on reducing your energy bills however every little helps as they say. With gas prices increasing over 300% over the last 2 years and no idea when it will stop increasing, this seems like a simple and effective way to reduce energy bills without too much initial upfront cost.
- Use less energy
Perhaps the easiest way to reduce your energy bills without making any changes to your house at all is to simply use less energy. If your house runs off a boiler then spending less time in the shower and even having a cold shower will help save a few pounds each month.