Saving energy in your home is good for the environment but it also good for your wallet too. Small changes can make a big difference to your heating bills and make you snug too.
Let me show you how with these 5 simple eco-friendly, energy-saving tips with EDF Energy.
Simple ways to save energy at home
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If you are anything like me, you love saving energy (and money) when it comes to your home. When it comes to heating my house, I have some nifty tips and tricks that I want to share with you today.
Draught-free Doors
According to the Energy Saving Trust draught-proofing around doors could save you around £25 per year in heating bills. Old doors that have warped or have gaps allow heat to escape.
You can buy a letterbox brush for less than £3, which will stop the wind blowing through your home.
With your keyhole, buy a purpose-made cover that drops a metal disc over the keyhole.
The gap at the bottom of doors can be insulated using brushes or a hinged flap draught excluder.
Gaps around the edges of your doors? Then fit foam, brush or wiper strips.
If you have a little more money to spend, think about putting on a new front door. In my own case, I replaced my old wooden door that had warped with age with a smart modern composite door. I no longer have a breeze blowing through my hallway into my open-plan living space.
Warm Up Your Windows
Old sash windows can allow heat to escape if they are not insulated properly.
Try fitting self-adhesive foam strips around the frame of your windows – which can cost as little as £4. Metal or plastic strips with brushes or wipers attached are along-lasting but cost a little more.
For a long-term solution, you can do what I did and get your windows fully restored so that they no longer allow the cold air to escape into your home.
And draw your curtains at dusk to reduce heat loss by around 40%. I’m thinking of getting mine thermally lined which will reduce heat lost by a further 30%. This will keep you as snug as a bug at nighttime.
Control Your Heating with a smart thermostat
Your central heating system is key to heating your home. It would be best if you kept it in tip-top condition by getting it serviced regularly.
If your boiler is over 10 years old, consider it a wise investment in getting a new more energy efficient one installed. An A-rated energy-efficient condensing boiler can save you up to £225 on bills (depending on the age of the boiler you are replacing).
Once you have your new boiler, I would recommend getting a smart thermostat to control your heating through your phone.
With EDF Energy Connect+Control2 tariff, a fixed tariff for two years, you get the Heatsmart smart thermostat. The Heatsmart is fitted to your boiler, and then you control your heating with an app on your phone. The Iconic designer Philippe Starck designed the Heatsmart thermostat makes a chic and stylish addition to your home. You can move it from room to room to keep a comfortable temperature.
A remote control heating system is easy to use, and you can set a different heating schedule for each day of the week. The app uses your phone’s GPS to detect when you leave your home (turning the heating down) or when you are on your way back (turning it back up again).
The system uses analysis to monitor your heating patterns and uses an algorithm to work out the best heating setting for how you use your home as, let’s face it, we all use our homes differently.
Set the ‘Auto-Adapt’ on your phone to automatically adjust your schedule if the weather is cold. And the product comes with a two-year product warranty for peace of mind.
I love the ‘Frost-Guard’ function which protects your system against freezing in winter maintaining a minimum temperature even if you are away to prevent your pipes from freezing.
The package also comes with an Amazon Echo Alexa – so using voice control, you can control your heating and review your energy usage just by talking to your Echo.
I’m always chatting to my Alexa – asking her to turn up and down my heating depending on how warm I want to feel. You’ll have so much fun asking her to do things for you (ask her to sing you a song for a giggle!)
The benefit of using a smart thermostat like the HeatSmart is that you don’t heat up an empty home wasting energy and money.
EDF Energy will supply and fit for £199 on the Connect+Control2 tariff. As well as some amazing smart tech to help you control your energy use, this particular tariff also has a fixed rate, which means no energy price rises.
Block Your Fireplaces
Although an open fireplace can look very pretty, it can allow the cold air to leak into your living room. According to the Building Research Establishment – an average of 80 cubic metres of air travels up the chimney per hour. That’s how much heat you could be loosing!
I bought a plastic chimney balloon for £12 from Amazon which you fit into your fireplace flu then pump full of air. They come in various sizes to fit your fireplace. They can save you up to £50 per year per chimney in the heating bill alone.
My chimney balloon has dramatically stopped the draught I used to get on an evening. Just remember to remove it when you light your fire.
Snug Flooring
Wooden floorboards look lovely, but the gaps are detrimental to the heating of your home. You can block cracks by squirting filler into the gaps.
Floorboards and skirting boards often contract, expand or move slightly with everyday use, so you should use a filler that can tolerate movement – these are usually silicone-based. This can save you up to £40 a year on heating your home.
I put new flooring on top of my floorboards as there was no way to fill in all the gaps. And I have rugs everywhere too so that my hardwood floors are snug underfoot.
Now I have a cosy home with the look and feel of floorboards but without the downside of losing heat.
There you are. Lots of tips and tricks to use in your home there. Which one have you found the most helpful?
If you want to see them in action – especially the HeatSmart thermostat – then why not watch my short youtube video here which gives a tour of my home and all the energy-saving measures I have taken. Tip four, I know will surprise you….
Love
Maxine
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** Disclaimer. This was sponsored content. All photos, opinions and thoughts are my own.
I love your videos Maxine. You are so good on camera. You should definitely do more. Some really useful tips here. I’ve been thinking about removing my electric fire but haven’t done so as I didn’t want all the draught from the chimney to cause issues. I thought a chimney balloon had to be fitted from the roof so it is great to know that you just shove it up from inside the home. Also I have sash windows at work which are massively draughty and I’m always freezing at my desk. I didn’t know you could get brushes. We tried the foam but it quickly fell off. Will definitely look into brushes though. Thanks for all the tips.
Glad you found the tips helpful 🙂