The cost of living is increasing at an incredible rate. Energy and fuel prices are rising and even things like food price of food is now more expensive than it was before. It’s not surprising that more people are starting to look for ways to save money on ongoing costs. This is why we have put together a guide on home décor options that will help to reduce your monthly bills and put some money back into your pocket.
We appreciate that given how much more expensive things are now, you might not be thinking of redesigning your home. However, things break and need replacing or repairing all the time. So it is worth reading through this before making any new essential (or non-essential) purchases.
Here are five ways you can help to reduce your energy bills:
1. A gas fire could reduce your energy bills
The main way we heat our homes is with central heating, powered by a boiler. When this is on full power, it uses up a lot of energy. That energy is being used to heat the entire house. But if you’re only using one room in the house, you don’t need to heat the entire building. A gas fire in your main living room can warm up the room you are using and cost less. It is important to remember here that the gas fire you choose is crucial. Decorative gas fires are not energy efficient, they won’t help you to save energy, so choose your gas fire wisely.
2.Biomass boilers
Pretty much everyone has a boiler in their home to power their central heating system. But there is a newer option, biomass boilers which generate heat through biomass. Although these boilers cost a little more, they inevitably save you money. Biomass is cheaper to run than any other fuel source. The government have schemes that provide funding for the installation of a biomass boiler and a Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) which can generate a long-term income stream for using the boiler.
3. Double-glazed windows.
Not every house in the UK has double glazing which is surprising considering how much heat we can lose through our windows. Depending on when your home was built, you could be losing between 18 and 25% of the heat you pay to put into your home, through the windows. Double glazing can help to reduce the heat you lose from your home. In addition, in the summer months, double glazing can help to reduce the heat radiated by the sun, meaning you’ll need to use your fans less. This means with double glazing you can save money on heating your home in the winter and cooling it in the summer.
4. LED lighting help reduce your energy bills
Changing your regular lightbulbs for LED lights can save you a lot of money on your energy bills. Lighting accounts for approximately 15% of most households’ electricity bills so if we can reduce the cost of lighting, our overall energy bills are lowered. The measure of light output is called lumens. A 40w bulb will produce approx. 450 lumens, while a 60w bulb will produce about 825 lumens.
A LED bulb which produces the same volume of lumens only requires around 6-10 watts. Switching your bulbs to LED ones could save you up to 90% on the lighting energy you use, which could drastically reduce your electricity bill. So if your lamp has broken, consider buying a lamp that uses LED lighting instead of traditional.
5. Blackout blinds help reduce your energy bills
Another fantastic way to reduce your energy bills is to install blackout blinds. These will help you to keep the sun out and your home cool in the summer. They will also help you to keep the heat in and prevent draughts in the winter.
There are lots of other ways you can reduce your energy bills. For example, thick curtains can add an extra layer to installation, even if you have double glazing and blackout blinds. As well as the above, there are some free ways you can reduce your energy bills. For example, the placement of your furniture can have a massive difference. Just moving something that is blocking an air vent could reduce bills on your air-con. Look online, find some other great ideas you can use to make your home more energy efficient and implement as many as you can.
Energy bills are going to continue to rise for everyone, so we all need to do whatever we can to try to lower our energy consumption and save ourselves money in the future.
Cover photo by deborah cortelazzi on Unsplash
