Guest blog: Save money on your energy bills – Mel’s Top Tips!
As winter slowly approaches, many are already thinking about how they can heat their homes in as cost-effective and eco-friendly way as possible. To help support customers as they look towards the cooler months, the team at Glow-worm is partnering with interiors and DIY social media influencer, Melanie Cooke, @banish_the_beige_, to provide some top tips to help save on your heating bills.
Firstly, I know the rising cost of energy bills is playing on a lot of our minds, I know I worry about it frequently. I, alongside the experts at Glow-worm have a few tips & tricks that may help you! Some of them have been passed down from my Dad (John the joiner) and some are new tips acquired by trial & error in our own renovation projects. Read on to find out how you could save on your bills.
1. If you can, install an energy efficient boiler. We installed an ErP A rated regular boiler from Glow worm when we moved in. We wanted something high quality and built to last that was easy to maintain and would fit into our small cupboard space. The A rating ensures ultimate energy efficiency, therefore, reducing our energy bills and reducing our carbon footprint too.
2. Use a Glow-worm MiGo personal heating assistant. This clever heating control allows you to stay in control of your heating and hot water through an app on your phone. It also recognises your home's energy needs and automatically adjusts the settings to ensure the utmost efficiency.
3. Get your boiler serviced annually. This is really important in making sure your boiler works efficiently, runs safely and is less likely to breakdown. Find your local Gas Safe registered Glow-worm engineer using the link here.
4. Turn your heating down by 1 degree to save money on your bill. It’s a small amount that shouldn’t impact the warmth you feel but can potentially help to make some savings on your energy bills.
6. Buy radiator thermostatic valves and make sure you turn them down or off in rooms you don't use. The main function is to control the air temperature of a space by automatically adjusting the amount of hot water that enters the radiator they are attached to. One of these will allow you to have a little more control over the temperature in each room of your home, making creating a warm and inviting space more efficient and cost-effective.
7. If you’re able to, insulate your loft to stop heat escaping. There are grants available for this such as the Energy Company Obligation or Winter Fuel Payment Scheme. We paid 1/3 of the quote for ours as we used a grant. You can find more about this grant here.
8. My personal favourite, make sure your curtains are the same length as your windowsill. They need to rest on the ledge of the windowsill and shouldn’t drape over the radiator, otherwise they trap most of the heat behind them.
9. When your gas contract is up for renewal always compare suppliers and switch to find the best deal. Set your thermostat at a constant temperature, ours is 18 degrees, this means that the boiler doesn’t need to use as much gas to maintain the heat.
I really hope these hints and tips help some of you to save money this winter!