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5 things residents of older properties can do right now to keep their heating bills down

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15-02-2022

If you’re anything like a lot of people in the UK at the moment, you are likely to have responded with trepidation to the news that the energy price cap is set to jump by a whopping 54% in April, reflecting what government regulator Ofgem has described as a “record increase in global gas prices”

This rise will worry even many relatively affluent homeowners in London and the South East. However, it might be a particular source of anxiety for many of those living in older properties, which are often less energy efficient than their more recently constructed counterparts. 

The good news is, there are things you can do to help restrain your heating bills that don’t necessitate making what might be very expensive and major changes to your home. Here are just some of them. 

  1. 1. Draw the curtains 

It might seem a very rudimentary tip, but it’s also one that works; just drawing your curtains or blinds can do a lot to keep heat in your property, at the same time as preventing the cold from getting in. 

  1. 2. Adjust the temperature in line with your current needs 

Even during the winter in the UK, not all days are likely to be ones when you will find life in your home unbearable in the absence of heating. 

It’s about economising where you are physically able to do so without any compromise to your health; turning down your room thermostat by just one degree will reduce your heating bill by as much as 10%, so it may make sense to do precisely that on warmer and sunnier days. 

  1. 3. Move large objects away from your radiators 

If you’re at home as you read this, take a look around; do you currently have a sofa, cabinet, or other large item partly or entirely blocking a radiator? 

If this is the case, a lot of the heat will be going into that item, rather than heating up the wider home (and by extension, you). Again, it’s a seemingly obvious tip to move such objects away from the radiators, but one that all too many people fail to properly follow. 

  1. 4. Use energy-saving lightbulbs 

Did you know that according to a recent Daily Record article, you can slash up to a fifth off your lighting costs, just by using energy-saving lightbulbs? 

You can also ensure you use your lights more efficiently by investing in a timer switch. One of these could cost you as little as £5, and you plug it straight into the wall. A lot of these plugs presently available on the market allow the user to set time slots over the course of a day, so that the lights aren’t on when the resident doesn’t strictly need them to be on. 

  1. 5. Carefully manage your fridge 

The Energy Saving Trust has said that a fridge accounts for as much as 7% of a home’s electricity bill, which amounts to roughly £60 a year. 

So, it’s well worth checking the temperature of your fridge, particularly given that setting it a few degrees lower could reduce your energy use by up to a quarter. A fridge should ideally be between 3 and 5 degrees, while it is advised that freezers are set at -18 degrees. 

Like plenty of other people in the UK, our Weybridge, Chelsea and Banstead plumbers here at PGS Plumbers are greatly concerned about the impending rise in the energy price cap, so we would urge you to carefully consider such steps as the above. As for if you require our advice or assistance for any other reason, please do not hesitate to contact us today

 

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