Energy Price Rises

Domestic energy bills are set to increase by up to 50%, according to the chief exec of Energy UK.

That is a huge hike in cost…so what, if anything can we do about it?

Here’s our list of 5 things we can do to help reduce our energy bills

1) Get Smart

Smart controls offer numerous ways to help improve energy efficiency in your home. Having an app on your phone means you have instant control over the heating. You can still set heating schedules, but you can also update those schedules on the go. For example, with phone geofencing you can set your heating to turn off when you leave the house. No sense heating an empty home and no need to change the heating schedule.

Another feature you can use is smart radiator valves. Initially expensive to buy, these can save you a lot of money in the long term. As a lot of us are now working from home, we’ve had the heating on. Having standard radiator valves would mean you’re heating the whole house when the heating is on. Smart radiator valves change this so you can heat just the room you are in, or a couple of room…or whatever rooms you want to heat, all independent of each other. So no more need to heat an entire house for the sake of one room

In addition to radiator valves you can also integrate home security features, smart light bulbs and plug. All controllable via the app or through Alexa.

2) Powerflush

All heating systems develop corrosion and sludge. Sludge blocks up pipes and radiators and inhibits the ability of the system to heat your home. At a minimum each system should have a system filter installed. At best, older or blocked systems should be flushed as well as having a filter installed. A system clean can save you around 6% a year from your energy bills, according to Adey.

Here's an interesting video explaining how it works

3) New Radiators and valve

Modern radiators are much more efficient at delivering heat in to your home than older styles. Type 22 double panel radiators are some of the most efficient. If you have a very old set of inefficient radiators it would be energy saving to update them. The larger the surface area of the radiator, the cooler the temperature of the heating needs to be to heat your property.

4) A New Boiler

Modern condensing boilers are miles ahead in terms of efficiency of older boilers. In particular, back boilers or open vented gas boilers. Although new boilers are relatively expensive to install, if you plan on staying in your property the reduced maintenance and breakdowns, as well as energy savings are well worth it

5) Insulation

Insulation is cornerstone of the domestic energy sector going forward. We’ve all heard of loft insulation, but the next step is going to be sub-floor and wall insulation. If you’re thinking of doing any decorating or updating your property I would strongly recommend looking in to insulating your interior or exterior walls.

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