There is a definite chill in the air and winter is certainly on its way. Before you turn your heating up, see if you can save money instead of spending, while still keeping your house warm.
Insulate pipes. Wrapping pipes in foam tubes, also known as lagging, keeps the pipes hotter for longer meaning that heating and hot water last longer. It also protects against the cold to prevent pipes from freezing and bursting. This is a minimal cost project and you can pick up the lagging from any good DIY store.
Install a central heating pump. Central heating pumps work by sending hot water around your home directly from your boiler, this then goes to your radiators and then returns to the boiler.
Hot water exits the boiler and as it travels through your heating system to the radiators it will lose heat. What heats the room is this pumped hot water, also known as latent heat. The water in the system then cools and travels back to the boiler. This process continues until the heated water returns to the radiators.
Pump Sales Direct sell a range of domestic pumps – from efficiency boosting central heating pumps to pressure boosting shower pumps. To make a start on saving, visit their website.
Use a thermostat. More often than not, if you are feeling the cold you turn the heating up to the max and, if you are like me, you leave it there until the house is way too hot. Setting your thermostat to a more middling fixed temperature instead, means you won’t have the heating on for too long or too high. The ideal temperature is 20°C. Consider setting your thermostat to this temperature to warm the room before you wake up, and then lower it slightly before you go to sleep.
Get your boiler serviced. Make sure your boiler is performing to optimum efficiency by getting it checked every year by a Certified Gas Safe Engineer. Make sure you check qualifications before work begins. Another option is to take a one of the many gas engineer courses and apprenticeships so you know exactly what is happening!
Keep on top of escaping heat. This is one of the easiest ways you can make sure your home stays warm. If you have gaps under doors, use draft excluders to stop heat escaping. Likewise with cat flaps and open letter boxes, you can buy inexpensive brush systems that prevent the wind from lifting or opening the doors. Windows should be sealed well and if possible double glazed, if this is not an option then keeping heavy curtains closed can prevent drafts. Try not to dry clothing on the radiators until the room has warmed up. This way you are not trying to heat a room through wet clothing. Consider instead investing in a standing air dryer for clothing.
This time of year is a great excuse to get on top of all of those minor jobs that need doing around the house, it is best to get them completed now so that you can save money when winter really hits.
XOXO
Debbie
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