Energy Prices Are Rising!

It’s all over the news, we’ve seen the rise, but what can we do about it? 

Homes all over the country are now preparing for one of the steepest energy price rises for years. If you’re concerned about the price hike, perhaps it’s time to look at other ways of reducing your consumption. 

The easiest and most effective way to ensure your energy prices are lowered is to reduce your energy consumption. 

Air Tightness

First and foremost, you will need to locate any air leaks around your home. If you have gaps in the fabric of the building, this will allow heat to escape, pushing up your energy costs. Once you have found all the gaps, you need to make sure you have sealed them. This can be easier said than done after completion of a build. These things are often harder to fix in retrospect, but if you’re stuck, or need advice, seek out a building compliance company. They will have engineers who can assist you and point you in the right direction. 

If you’re currently building, make sure you address the air tightness at the earliest stage. If you design an air tight structure, you will automatically save on your energy consumption. 

Improve Your Insulation

This might sound like a simple solution, but it shouldn’t be overlooked. Improving the insulation of your home can have a huge impact on your energy consumption and therefore your energy bills. 

Heat loss through walls, ceiling and floors can be much more than many people realise. You need to ensure that you have at the least the recommended minimum insulation, you’d be surprised at how many homes don’t even have this. Again, you can speak to an energy assessor who can advise you on what type of insulation you need, and how much you of it you should have. This will depend on many factors, such as when your property was built, what systems you have in place, the materials used, etc. 

Check to ensure your loft space is well insulated. Air escapes this way, and it can be an easy fix so you must make sure you have this right. Also, make sure that your loft hatch is fitted correctly. Any gaps will allow air to escape, which isn’t what you want when you’re trying to reduce your energy consumption. When you’re in the loft, you could also check out to see if there is a vapour barrier present. This is a great way to seal any holes in the fabric of the build and can make a huge difference. If you don’t have a vapour barrier, you might consider painting the walls using a vapour barrier paint. 

Inspect All Equipment

Make sure you have your services are up-to-date on your heating systems, this is a great and easy way to ensure they are working efficiently. A heating system that isn’t working at its highest capacity will drain your energy usage and in turn, push up your energy bills. Refer to the manufacturers guidelines, if they say you need your system serviced yearly, then have it serviced. Don’t wait. 

Use LED Lightbulbs 

Did you know that your lighting accounts for about 10% of your energy bill? So, replacing all your inefficient lightbulbs with energy saving ones can help reduce the cost of running your home. The small changes can make a big difference over time, so don’t underestimate their impact. 

Choose The Best Appliances

When you’re considering what appliances to have, choose the ones with a better energy efficiency rating. If you opt for an A+ rated washing machine, you can get more use at a cheaper cost. Collectively ensuring your appliances are as energy efficient as possible will certainly help with this energy price rise! You might not be able to afford to replace them all now, maybe one at a time. When you’re next looking for a new cooker, ensure the energy efficiency of this product is A+. 

Get An Energy Assessment

If you’ve gone through all the above and are still looking at reducing your consumption, you might consider getting a professional Energy Assessment completed. Your Energy Assessor can go over your whole property and show you where improvements can be made, and even advise you on how to make them. You will be informed of how efficient your home currently is, and what it could potentially achieve if all the changes were made. 

Changes don’t just come from fixing or not fixing your bills, they come from ensuring that your energy consumption is as low as it can possibly be!