Heating your home is so important as you get older. Low temperatures in your home can lead to health issues and discomfort, so it’s vital that you prepare for the winter. Unfortunately, the cost of heating your home can quickly spiral out of control and many older people struggle to manage their bills and keep their home comfortable and warm.
If you are having difficulties with your heating, there are some simple but effective ways that you can minimise costs without sacrificing heat.
Improve Your Insulation
Insulation is vital for all homes but particularly important as you get older. Older people are more likely to suffer from extreme temperatures, either feeling too cold or too hot, and this can lead to poor health.
Improve your insulation by ensuring loft insulation is in place across the whole house. You should also consider wall cavity insulation and draught-proofing your home to keep out the cold. Simple draught-proofing methods include fitting door seals and investing in some draft excluders for your doors.
However, it is important that you consider ventilation when you are draught-proofing. If you block the air flow too much, you may experience problems with humidity and damp in your home.
You can also get double glazing fitted, which is an effective way of keeping the cold out; you should also purchase thermal blinds which fit over your windows. Standard blinds let heat out but specific thermal ones will lock it in.
By finding ways to improve insulation, you can make heating your home easier and keep it warm. As a result, your energy bills will be drastically reduced.
Use Foil Heat Reflectors
Foil heat reflectors behind your radiators can make them more efficient. They reflect the heat back into the room so it isn’t lost through the walls. This means that you are kept warmer but also use less energy. Foil heat reflectors cost next to nothing and they’re easy to install but they make a big difference.
Using foil heat reflectors is a great way to reduce the heating costs of your home without reducing the temperature.
Have Your Heating Systems Serviced Regularly
Regular servicing of your heating systems can prevent them from breaking down and keep them running efficiently. If your boiler breaks, you will have to spend money on getting it fixed or buy a new one, but if you get it serviced regularly it should last much longer. By having different parts of your system checked and maintained annually, you stand more chance of making savings in the long run because the equipment is working so effectively. However, if your boiler and radiators are old and run down, heating your home will take much longer and your bills will spiral out of control.
It’s also important that you change all filters and clean out any excess debris or dampness in order to improve airflow and reduce problems with air quality. A poorly maintained system uses more energy and is less efficient, so make sure that your heating systems are serviced regularly in order to avoid any issues with them. If you have a particularly old boiler or radiator system it may be time to replace it completely because you will make big savings.
Upgrade Your Radiators
If you have old and outdated radiators, it is a smart idea to upgrade them. Old radiators are uninsulated and lose an incredible amount of heat into the walls. Replacing your old ones with new models can cut energy consumption significantly by preventing heat loss and warming the house faster. It’s also an effective way of improving air quality because new radiators generally have filters which prevent dust from getting trapped inside them.
When you invest in upgrading your radiating system, you improve the efficiency of the heating systems but also air quality too. You may find that by replacing old equipment your central heating runs more efficiently so it uses less power, allowing you to save on bills too.
Set The Heating On A Timer
It can be wasteful to heat your home all day and night if no one is in. Instead, try setting the heating system on a timer so that it switches off and on regularly. This will ensure that you aren’t wasting energy when you don’t need it and it means that your house will always be at a comfortable temperature.
Setting your heating on a timer is an easy way to save money without affecting the comfort of your home. It also ensures that the home is already nice and warm when you wake up in the mornings.
If you want to make further savings, you should consider installing smart heating controls. These can be programmed to your preferences so that your heating only comes on when you need it. They even learn over time and make small adjustments to your heating so you can reduce energy usage and save money.
Change Your Energy Provider
If you haven’t switched energy providers for a while, now is the time to do so. There are lots of new companies which will supply your home with gas and electricity at much cheaper rates than you currently pay. All you have to do is enter your postcode into an online comparison website in order to get quotes from different providers in your area.
Switching energy providers can help you save money on bills without having to compromise on the quality of service that you receive. It’s worth comparing prices every few months in order to make sure that you’re always getting the best deal possible. New deals are being released all of the time so switching regularly is the best way to save money. You should also look into fixed-price deals so you don’t get caught out by price hikes.
Heating your home efficiently is crucial, especially as you get older. You need to make sure that your house is a safe, comfortable temperature, but you also need to consider the costs. By following these tips, you can keep your home nice and comfortable, even during the winter, while also cutting back on your energy costs.
