I keep turning my heating up but my house is still cold? We get this question a lot! If you are always the first to turn the heating up full but you don’t seem to feel the benefit, then read on!
Cold temperatures indoors can put a real damper on your day! Everyday tasks like doing the dishes or trying to relax and watch TV suddenly become unbearable! Not to mention it’s probably costing you a fair whack in wasted fuel every time you crank up the heat!
Here are some of the reasons your home is cold - and tackling these issues can save you a fortune on your energy bills!
Insulation
The number one reason your home is always cold is likely poor insulation.
Because heat rises, lofts and roofs are huge sources of heat loss. Ensuring your loft space is properly insulated can save you a literal fortune. Up to 25% of the heat you generate in your home could be being lost through the roof! With energy prices soaring, an incorrectly insulated roof could be a costly oversight.
So what can you do to resolve this?
Luckily there are government backed-energy efficiency schemes which will cover the cost of having your loft space professionally insulated. Direct Savings can survey your property for free to check if you need more insulation and we can also help with securing the funding to have the issue resolved. Get in touch to find out if you qualify.
If you do opt to do the insulation yourself (why would you when it’s funded, right?) make sure to wear protective clothing including gloves, goggles and a face mask, and leave enough of a gap around the eaves to avoid condensation.
Floors
Your flooring choice could also be contributing to the chill factor at home - if you have wood floors or bare floorboards then the heat is more easily lost than those with carpeted floors. Tiled floors are also a main culprit for cold, not only causing heat loss but also feeling cold on your feet.
If you have a space under your floor, or a “suspended floor”, this should be insulated to avoid losing heat - up to 10% of the heat from your home can be lost through incorrectly insulated floors.
Again, there ARE government energy efficiency grants that you can claim to have floor insulation done professionally, more often than not there is no cost to yourself - to find out if you qualify speak with us instantly via our live chat facility in the bottom right of this page - or contact us here.
Another option to consider is underfloor heating - although this can be expensive and there are currently no grants available for it - it can prove to be extremely effective for a cold home.
Cheaper options include putting down rugs to keep the heat in and also make your feet feel warmer, or filling gaps in floorboards and skirting boards. As they can shift and move slightly throughout the day, it’s important to use a filler which can handle this movement, which are usually silicone-based.
Timers & Thermostats
Ok, so Is it cheaper to leave your heating on all day?
This is generally considered a myth, it is more cost effective and of course more energy efficient to only heat your home when you need it - no point in wasting money getting the place roasty toasty while you are at work all day!
Use a timer and a thermostat to ensure that you get the heat when you need it - and save money - honestly with the price of energy at the moment, using a timer correctly could save you a literal fortune.
Old, Inefficient Heating
One of the reasons your home could be cold is simply your heating system just isn’t up to scratch.
If you have an old boiler - let’s say more than 8 years old, the chances are it isn’t operating as efficiently as it once did - and won’t perform well compared with the latest boilers on the market. Most new boilers also come ready to handle a hydrogen/gas blend - something which will be rolled out on the UK gas network in the future.
Likewise old, electric storage heaters could be costing you a fortune and not effectively heating your property.
Luckily there are grants available through various government backed schemes to replace old inefficient boilers or storage heaters - often providing 100% of the cost for these heating measures! Speak to Direct Savings today, instantly via live chat, to see if you qualify.
Radiators
Make sure that your radiators aren’t blocked or covered. It’s easy to overlook the radiator when trying to figure out the best position for your sofa, but if you’re blocking it with a large piece of furniture then the warm air won’t be able to get into the room. Radiator covers may look nice, but they reduce the efficiency of your central heating.
It’s a good idea to place a shelf just above your radiator to deflect the rising heat back into the room, but remember not to put anything on the shelf. This is especially useful if the radiator sits underneath a window, where the heat can be lost very quickly or can become trapped between the window and the curtain.
If your radiators are slow to heat up, they may need bleeding, or you might even need a power flush of your central heating system to get rid of built-up sludge inside the heating system. It’s also worth considering updating your boiler to a newer, more efficient model to ensure that you’re getting the most out of your radiators.
Walls
Insulating the cavity space in your walls will help you to reduce heat loss and lower your home energy bills more than any other measure. On average a house will lose 35% of its heat through external walls if they are not insulated. This makes it an obvious choice, especially when you consider you can have it done for free through the UK Government's ECO (Energy Company Obligation) funding grant.
If you have had cavity wall insulation done previously, bear in mind that it only works effectively for around 25 years before needing redone.
If you do not have cavity walls, but rather solid walls, then internal wall insulation maybe the best option for you.
Get in touch with Direct Savings and our experts can help you figure out what energy and heat saving measures are best suited to your property,