Now that we a firmly in the grips of winter, and with temperatures set to plummet in coming weeks, it is perhaps time to start thinking about how we can keep warm in the near future and into 2018.
Here are some of our top tips for keeping the bills down this winter:
Invest in underfloor heating
Although this requires a little investment, in the long-run, underfloor heating can really help save money.
A great alternative to traditional radiators, underfloor heating is more efficient due to the fact that the distribution of heat is more even within a room.
Here at Best at Flooring, we have a range of underlays that are especially designed to work with underfloor heating systems.
Switch energy suppliers
Simply by switching energy suppliers, you could look to save an average of £237 on gas and electricity bills.
It’s also worth checking out to see if you are on the cheapest tariff, and you’re also more likely to make the most savings if you pay by direct debit.
Which? has a great page to compare and switch between energy suppliers.
Inspect your light bulbs
Simply by taking a look at your lightbulbs and investing in some energy-saving LEDs or CFLs, you could save up to £180 simply from ditching old-style bulbs.
Although LEDs can be slightly more expensive to purchase, they can run for 25,000 hours and use 90 per cent less energy than traditional incandescents.
You can find out more about energy efficient lighting here.
Think about insulation
If you happen to live in a three-bedroom semi-detached house, you could be looking to trim about £175 a year from your bills — simply from installing 270mm worth of loft insulation in your home.
If you were to install insulation in your walls too, you could save up to £315.
This is because 25% of heat is often lost through uninsulated roofs, with another 66% being lost through uninsulated walls.
You can use the National Insulation Association’s website to find a registered and trusted installer in your area.
Get rid of droughts
Simply by buying or making your own draft excluder, you could save up to £25 per year by draught-proofing doors, windows, and cracks in floors.
What’s more, self-adhesive rubber seals around doors and windows are relatively cheap to install.
For those who want to enjoy building their own sausage dog drought excluder, you can find a handy guide here.
Replace your old boiler
If you happen to have an old G-rated gas boiler, with a new condensing model, you could look to trim up to £652 a year from your typical gas bill.
Although a new boiler can be expensive to begin with, at around £3,000, condensing boilers can last up to 15 years, which means that you can save up to £9,780 over the course of its lifetime.
You can find a guide for best condensing boilers right here.
