There’s a regular debate that happens across different forms of media in the UK, where on the one hand people talk of their concerns about heating their homes when it’s cold, while others reply that they just need to economise and plan better. This debate has become harsher this year, with a significant price rise in heating fuel meaning that those fears are a lot more immediate. Tie that to the recent bizarre weather – many parts of the country have had snow in April – and it’s clear that we’re going to need help working out how to handle it.
Keeping your home warmer in winter (and now, apparently, spring!), and keeping it cooler in summer, are going to be big questions for us all for the foreseeable future. It therefore becomes all the more important to find smarter and more efficient ways to control the climate inside our homes. Keeping fuel bills down, and using less electricity, are going to be essential. This means that we need to look at more and better approaches to heating and cooling questions.
Smarter ways to heat the home?
The standard way of heating a home right now is to have radiators on the inside of a home’s exterior walls, precisely where things would be coldest, and to let the heat radiate into the room. A more efficient way can be achieved with a hydronic heating installation, which works by placing water-heated panels strategically around the home. The result is that it will take less time to heat a home, meaning you won’t need to have the heating on for as long, thus saving money (and energy, which is no small consideration). As we stare down the barrel of an energy price crisis, this may be a good way to defray some of the costs.
Efficient ways to cool the home?
Summers are getting hotter, there’s no doubt about that. Just a few years ago, the UK recorded its hottest single-day temperature, pushing close to 40 degrees Celsius. With the trends pointing upwards, it seems realistic to expect that we’ll have a day that breaks that mark. The big problem with this is that UK homes aren’t built to handle that kind of temperature. So you need to take every measure going to keep the air cooler in your home. This means using blackout blinds, trying some tricks with fans, and leaving windows open overnight (before closing them promptly in the morning). Air conditioning is an option to consider, but look for efficient options so as not to risk spiking energy bills.
Check for insulation
Staying cooler in summer and warmer in winter is easier if your house is properly insulated – it’s just that simple. Not everybody knows whether or not their home is insulated, so it is important to check when your home last had a check for an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). You can check this online for free, and it will tell you exactly what measures are in place to keep your home energy-efficient. If there isn’t a recent check, you can request one from an accredited assessor and get a quote for a possible insulation of your home.
