Winters are upon the northern peninsula, and energy bills will skyrocket as people seek warmth from thermal appliances. Conserving energy, therefore, has become a necessity than just an effort to go green.
Using energy-efficient ways to keep your home insulated from the cold weather can help you reduce energy consumption and wastage and lower energy bills simultaneously. There are many ways to avoid gas waste and conserve energy, such as getting regular gas safety checks by licensed engineers, fixing broken pipelines, replacing faulty air filters, using energy-efficient appliances, and much more.
This article suggests a few tried and tested and affordable tips and suggestions to keep your house warm and help reduce your cost of living. Let's have a look:
The best-estimated price for a good and reliable plastic window seal is £5.
Windows are the easiest route for outdoor air and cold penetrating your home. So, it is necessary to weatherize your exterior windows and doors.
If there's even a gap as big as a fingernail between your window and frame, cold air is coming into your home and allowing heat loss. It leads to an additional need for heaters and increases the use of gas or electricity.
To conserve heat indoors, you need to weatherstrip the windows. We recommend using a plastic window seal that creates a barrier to stop air from penetrating in and out of the gaps in your windows. It further prevents heat loss and improves air quality by preventing pollutants from entering your house.
The weather seal also endures heavy rain and snow and allows easy window sliding. And since window seals are translucent, they also allow sunshine in the home.
Here is how to install a window seal:
If you need extra insulation, you may add bubble wrap over your window in the same way over the plastic window seal sheet. However, the bubble wrap will block sunlight and prevent you from seeing outside the window.
While the prices vary according to the type and material of the door draft stopper, they will not cost you more than £10, which is an excellent offer because they're suitable for long-term usage.
Why is your house always cold in winter? Gaps underneath your doorframes may be the culprit; they allow as much air as a half-open window!
To test your doors, lay a piece of paper within the gap(s) in the doorframe and close the door. Pull out the paper, and if it comes out without tearing, there is an evident gap you need to fill.
You can quickly fix this with the installation of door drafts. Check all sides of your doors and use the appropriate door draft stoppers to prevent as much heat loss as possible.
These are the types of door draft stoppers you can use:
You As the name implies, door bottom seals or excluders are products that can be used for the gap at the bottom of your door. There are various affordable options in the market; the two most popular are can purchase all the products listed above from your local hardware store or online, most popularly through Amazon. You may also purchase them directly from the e-commerce websites of popular weatherization brands, like Frost King.
Handy products that are used to cover the gaps on the top and sides of a door. Adhesive and non-adhesive options are available in the market easily. These weather strips are made from different materials ; the most common are:
Door draft stoppers are an easy-to-install and affordable way to weatherproof your home for the winter season. They prevent air, moisture, dust, bugs, insects, and pollutants from entering your home.
Additionally, installing them only takes a few minutes, and they can last a long time. It is better to install a draft stopper on a door that is on a hard surface like tiles or hardwood to make sure the doors open and close without hindrance.
Water heater insulation blankets can cost between £40 - £165, depending on size and material.
In winter, boilers or heating units use the most gas or electricity so that you can get hot water in bathrooms and kitchens.
Heating units are usually located in basements, garages, or utility cupboards, which are the coldest parts of the house. It takes double the time to heat up a water tank in cold weather due to a lack of insulation. You can reduce heat loss and the energy needed to keep the water hot by simply covering your heating unit with a water heater blanket.
Water heater Insulation blankets are made from foil-faced or vinyl-backed fiberglass, an excellent insulator that keeps the heat around the tank. These heater tank covers reduce heat loss by 40% and lower the water heating cost by 5% because you don't need to reheat the tank repeatedly.
Insulation blankets are reliable for a long time and have excellent value for money. Moreover, if you have a direct water connection and tankless water, you can use pipeline foams to insulate the exterior of your water pipes.
The average price of caulk or foam sprays is £13.50, but the cost may vary. .
We talked about gaps between the doors and doorframes and windows and windowpanes. But what about the cracks on the non-moving parts of the window, such as its handles and the glass? A 1/16th inch crack can be enough for air to penetrate inside just as much as it would from a partly open window. .
To cover and seal these gaps, you can use caulk and foam. It can be used on masonry, plastic, wood, sheetrock, metal, and foam boards. It is one of the primary steps for the weatherization of your home and will help prevent heat loss which will help reduce energy bills in the cold weather. .
Expanding caulk or foam will permanently conceal any air leaks in your windows, skylight, or doors. It allows easy opening and closing of doors and windows and doesn't hinder movement. It is also fire retardant and non-toxic, so it's safe to use in a house full of children. .
Caulk and foam seals can fill up to half an inch wide gap and blocks moisture, daft, cold air, insects, and pollutants from entering the house.
You can purchase all the products listed above from your local hardware store or online, most popularly through Amazon. You may also purchase them directly from the e-commerce websites of popular weatherization brands, like Frost King.
Average cost of a gas safety certificate is £34+.
It’s important to maintain your gas appliances regularly to make sure they work safely. .
A gas safety check is a routine inspection of the system that supplies the building with gas. It helps identify any potential hazards, so that they can be dealt with before anything goes wrong. .
The gas safety check is typically carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer and consists of:. .
p> The engineer also checks whether the appliances are burning gas as they should and whether there any gas leaks. Appliances that are working properly use less gas, and hence reduce the gas bill. Therefore gas inspections are a sure shot way to reduce bills in winters.
In conclusion, utility bills can be hefty during the winter season because of excessive use of heating appliances. Weatherizing your home and getting a gas safety check will help you save hundreds of dollars by reducing heat loss and keeping your home and water warmer for a longer time.
Essential equipment like door and window seals, water heating unit blankets and caulk or foam seals can help you with home weatherization. The weatherization options discussed in this article are affordable and effective.
We hope these tips help you cut your bills this winter!
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