Every year, not just in winter a homes Heating System fails.
Within this article I have come up with 10 Top Ways of ensuring that you and your families stay warm.
1.
Keep The Radiators Clear It's all well and good having your Central Heating as high as it can go on your thermostat.
However, if you have things blocking it such as a sofa, a nest of draws or a large object all of that lovely warm goodness is just money and more importantly heat straight out of the window! A radiator's main role is to heat the room as efficiently as possible.
But how can they do that if they are stuck behind a sofa with a restricted air flow? So my first tip is to make sure that all of your radiators are away from large objects that could potentially block them and in a location within each room where the air flow will be good and no drafts can blow precious heat away.
2.
Curtains! Most men hate the thought of spending hours in those home department stores with their wives and partners looking for the 'right' curtains.
However, sorry lads but the women are indeed correct! Having Thermal or Heavy curtains can certainly help your heating systems stay more efficient.
By closing them as early as dusk or sunset can prevent any precious air escaping through tiny gaps in window seals and framework.
3.
Drafts Unfortunately on this occasion we're not talking traditional Irish Stout.
But the evil gasps of air that catch us all by surprise as we get out of the shower.
By ensuring that your home is draft free can save you up to £55 every year! The best ways to make sure drafts are limited in your home are to make sure that all of your windows are sealed correctly, any skirting boards are flush to the base of the walls and doors, keyholes and door frames are fitted correctly.
Should you find any gaps appearing Caulk is pliable and used to correct these fixable issues.
4.
Loft Insulation Having a fully insulated loft will not only make your heating system much more efficient.
Loft Insulation acts as a blanket, preventing any heat escaping through tiny gaps.
Insulation doesn't just help through-out the winter, it also keeps you cooler during the summer, resulting in your heating bills being reduced all year-round.
So that is my 4th Top Tip, it is also a very quick process usually taking less than a day to install and is definitely worth investing in as it can save you up to £180 every year.
5.
Cavity Wall Insulation Staying with the trend of insulating, ensuring that your home is fully insulated using a cavity wall insulation has similar benefits to loft insulation.
It also acts as a blanket but instead prevents heat escaping through gaps between your exterior wall.
It does this by pumping a brown liquid into the gaps with little mess or fuss.
6.
Double Glazing Most modern homes will already have double glazing fitted.
However, should your home not it would certainly be money well spent! It prevents heat from escaping through worn out pieces of glass and small gaps within the seal of the frame.
Although it is not just the glass that needs to be looked at.
Never neglect the casing.
This plays an essential role in the prevention of heat.
7.
Boiler Installation / Replacement It may sound a bit obvious but ensuring that you have a boiler installed and fitted correctly will cost money in the short-term, however will save you money in the long run.
There are lots of companies that will be local to you that specialise in boiler installations.
If you have a boiler that is 15 years or older then you should certainly look at having it replaced.
It's all well and good just having a new boiler fitted but make sure you have the right type of boiler fitted.
Having a condensing boiler with controls will give you more responsibility and control over your heating and how much you spend.
You could save as much as £310 every year! 8.
Shower Time Keep an eye on how much hot water you are using.
If you have an electric shower try to limit each one to around 10 minutes.
If you prefer a longer shower then maybe invest in a shower monitor to keep an eye on how much water your house hold is using.
9.
Central Heating Timers This is a great way to manage how much money you spend on heating your home.
Most newly installed boilers can come with controllers or timers to be programmed with a new system.
However if you don't have one, DON'T PANIC you don't need to go out and spend money on a new boiler.
You can buy these online and hire a local plumber to fit and programme it for you.
Timers give you the ability to set what time you want your central heating to come on.
Most homes have them programmed to coming on a few hours before you get up in the morning, off when everybody is out at work or school, coming back on around an hour or two before everybody comes home, off before going to bed and then repeating the cycle.
But each home owner is different and will want different times and that is perfectly fine.
10.
Jackets and Other Forms of Insulation Loft and Cavity Walls are not the only places within a house hold that need insulating.
Ensure that the pipe work has been insulated as well as the hot water immersion tank.
By having the immersion tank fully insulated will result in your hot water being kept hotter for longer and the by having the pipe work insulated you will be able to say up to £15 every year.
A good question to ask yourself would be "have we got our hot water cylinder insulated?" if not the why not? It may seem silly to give you cylinder a jacket so to speak but this could save you up to £45 every year.
So in summary my 10 Top Tips are
Feel free to leave your comments below.
Within this article I have come up with 10 Top Ways of ensuring that you and your families stay warm.
1.
Keep The Radiators Clear It's all well and good having your Central Heating as high as it can go on your thermostat.
However, if you have things blocking it such as a sofa, a nest of draws or a large object all of that lovely warm goodness is just money and more importantly heat straight out of the window! A radiator's main role is to heat the room as efficiently as possible.
But how can they do that if they are stuck behind a sofa with a restricted air flow? So my first tip is to make sure that all of your radiators are away from large objects that could potentially block them and in a location within each room where the air flow will be good and no drafts can blow precious heat away.
2.
Curtains! Most men hate the thought of spending hours in those home department stores with their wives and partners looking for the 'right' curtains.
However, sorry lads but the women are indeed correct! Having Thermal or Heavy curtains can certainly help your heating systems stay more efficient.
By closing them as early as dusk or sunset can prevent any precious air escaping through tiny gaps in window seals and framework.
3.
Drafts Unfortunately on this occasion we're not talking traditional Irish Stout.
But the evil gasps of air that catch us all by surprise as we get out of the shower.
By ensuring that your home is draft free can save you up to £55 every year! The best ways to make sure drafts are limited in your home are to make sure that all of your windows are sealed correctly, any skirting boards are flush to the base of the walls and doors, keyholes and door frames are fitted correctly.
Should you find any gaps appearing Caulk is pliable and used to correct these fixable issues.
4.
Loft Insulation Having a fully insulated loft will not only make your heating system much more efficient.
Loft Insulation acts as a blanket, preventing any heat escaping through tiny gaps.
Insulation doesn't just help through-out the winter, it also keeps you cooler during the summer, resulting in your heating bills being reduced all year-round.
So that is my 4th Top Tip, it is also a very quick process usually taking less than a day to install and is definitely worth investing in as it can save you up to £180 every year.
5.
Cavity Wall Insulation Staying with the trend of insulating, ensuring that your home is fully insulated using a cavity wall insulation has similar benefits to loft insulation.
It also acts as a blanket but instead prevents heat escaping through gaps between your exterior wall.
It does this by pumping a brown liquid into the gaps with little mess or fuss.
6.
Double Glazing Most modern homes will already have double glazing fitted.
However, should your home not it would certainly be money well spent! It prevents heat from escaping through worn out pieces of glass and small gaps within the seal of the frame.
Although it is not just the glass that needs to be looked at.
Never neglect the casing.
This plays an essential role in the prevention of heat.
7.
Boiler Installation / Replacement It may sound a bit obvious but ensuring that you have a boiler installed and fitted correctly will cost money in the short-term, however will save you money in the long run.
There are lots of companies that will be local to you that specialise in boiler installations.
If you have a boiler that is 15 years or older then you should certainly look at having it replaced.
It's all well and good just having a new boiler fitted but make sure you have the right type of boiler fitted.
Having a condensing boiler with controls will give you more responsibility and control over your heating and how much you spend.
You could save as much as £310 every year! 8.
Shower Time Keep an eye on how much hot water you are using.
If you have an electric shower try to limit each one to around 10 minutes.
If you prefer a longer shower then maybe invest in a shower monitor to keep an eye on how much water your house hold is using.
9.
Central Heating Timers This is a great way to manage how much money you spend on heating your home.
Most newly installed boilers can come with controllers or timers to be programmed with a new system.
However if you don't have one, DON'T PANIC you don't need to go out and spend money on a new boiler.
You can buy these online and hire a local plumber to fit and programme it for you.
Timers give you the ability to set what time you want your central heating to come on.
Most homes have them programmed to coming on a few hours before you get up in the morning, off when everybody is out at work or school, coming back on around an hour or two before everybody comes home, off before going to bed and then repeating the cycle.
But each home owner is different and will want different times and that is perfectly fine.
10.
Jackets and Other Forms of Insulation Loft and Cavity Walls are not the only places within a house hold that need insulating.
Ensure that the pipe work has been insulated as well as the hot water immersion tank.
By having the immersion tank fully insulated will result in your hot water being kept hotter for longer and the by having the pipe work insulated you will be able to say up to £15 every year.
A good question to ask yourself would be "have we got our hot water cylinder insulated?" if not the why not? It may seem silly to give you cylinder a jacket so to speak but this could save you up to £45 every year.
So in summary my 10 Top Tips are
- Ensure Radiators are clear from large objects.
- Use the correct Curtains.
- Reduce Drafts.
- Loft Insulation.
- Cavity Wall Insulation.
- Invest in Double Glazing if necessary.
- Boiler Replacement / Installation.
- Shower Times / Water Usage.
- Central Heating Timers
- Hot Water Cylinder Jackets, Pipe Work and Immersion Insulation.
Feel free to leave your comments below.
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