Energy Saving Tips 5: Heating
Many of the newly built apartments and houses are remarkably well insulated. Regardless, if you live in a newly built apartment or house, there are many ways to improve on insulation without major outlay of money. Insulating your home is the best way to keep heat in, reduce, or delay the use of a central heating systems.
Draught Stopping
Stopping the movement of cold air through the home is the simplest way to help keep the heat in. While airflow through the house is important to help mitigate damp, it is a good idea to control this airflow as best you can. This section highlights some places to look for draughts and mitigations to control or stop them.
Windows
Windows a great free source of lighting in a room, however in winter they are the biggest cause for the loss of warmth in the home. Here are some simple tips to help reduce heat loss:
1) Replace single-glazed windows for newer double or triple glazed windows. Double glazing reduces the heat loss by using the air gap between the panels to slow the loss of heat. Air is a poor conductor of heat, so the heat transfer between the two is reduced. Addition of an inert gas such as argon can increase the efficiency of the double glazing.
2) Replace failed double-glazing panels. These are panels where the dehydrated air in the double glazing has escaped by a seal failure and regular air enters the panel. You can tell a failed double glazing panel by the foggy moisture build-up inside the panels. Replacing these failed panels isn’t as expensive as you may think, it will have the added benefit of increasing the window efficiency and restoring a clear view out the window.
3) Check your window shut correctly and fully. Your window hinges may have mis-aligned over the years and can easily be corrected by a simple adjustment of the screws on the hinge. If you have windows with cockspur handles, check the striker plate pulls the window tight when closing. If you have sash windows, check that the window panes are pushed all the way to the top and bottom when fully closed.
4) Check the sealant around your window frame – an often overlooked part of your window, the sealant degrades overtime due to exposure to UV light. Sealing these will stop cold air creeping in through the frame.
A tip to check for a window draft is to open a window or door in another room and feel around the closed window you wish to check. If you feel any airflow pass through your hand, then your window may need to be checked or adjusted to seal better.
Window Dressings
Another way to reduce the heat loss is with window dressings. These can be one or more coverings that help reduce the heat transfer between inside and outside.
1) Blinds – venetian, horizontal, or black out blinds are made to be the exact size covering for your windows. Closing these when the heating is on at night will add another barrier to the window pane and reduce the heat escape.
2) Curtains – these can be the sole window covering, or an addition to your blinds. Drawing these closed will also help stop the heat transfer between inside and outside. However, if you have a radiator in the centre of your window, this may not be the best option as the heat is trapped behind the curtain and not being transferred into the room.
3) Addition of a film – there are some clear films available that claim to help with reducing the heat loss through the window glazing. These are generally used on single-glazed windows. A tinted film can be useful in hotter months as it reduces the amount of light entering.
Flues
Checking your wood or gas burning appliance is also a good idea as they may have an, “open-flue.” These are burners where the fire or flame vents its exhaust gases straight up and out of the burner. These require draughts to work efficiently and when not in use can be a big draw of cold air into the room. If possible, look to changing to a, “closed flue” system, these are not only safer to use as the removal of exhaust gases are more controlled, they can stop draughts when not in use.
Please note, that you should never seal off an open flue appliance (wood or gas), and have that appliance still in service. Installation of closed flue appliances should be carried out by a professional and if gas, a Gas Safe Registered engineer.
Doorways
Another area you can look to stop draughts is via doorways. There are few things you can check here:
1) Close internal doors, especially if a room is not in use. Have any central heating set to off or a low level to stop any damp, but keep the door closed so you are not heating an unused room.
2) Install draught stoppers/diverters – a simple and cheap option for areas where high draughts are present. These can be fixed to the door or portable and are easily moved when opening and closing doors and can reduce the draught in a room.
3) Check outside doors are sealing correctly. Like windows, the hinge or securing latches may come loose over time. Before winter, its always a good idea to check and see the doors are sealing as they should
4) Check the sealant around your door frame – an often overlooked part of your door, the sealant degrades overtime due to exposure to UV light. Sealing these will stop cold air creeping in through the frame.
Floors
Floors are another area where you can improve warmth with very little outlay. Hard floors can benefit from the addition of a rug that is suitably sized for the room. Rugs can stop draughts coming through floorboards and add an insulating layer from the ground.
Check around skirting boards for gaps between tiles and floor boards, these can be areas draughts may enter a room.
Insulation – Roof & Cavity
Insulating your roof and cavities is a big-ticket item, but can yield big returns by preventing the loss of heat in winter. All newly build houses must have insulation installed in the roof and walls, but older properties can benefit from government schemes to warm your home. Check with your local government to see what may be available to you.
Where cavity insulation cannot be installed, there are external cladding option now available. These options are fixed to the outer wall as another layer and have insulating properties. For domestic dwellings, this is can be a form of high-density foam.
Central Heating
Heating in winter is a huge expense to consider for our budgets. Heating can be supplied by a gas boiler, a heat interface unit, newer air or ground source heat pumps or directly electrically supplied. No matter which way your heat is supplied, we can all work to reducing costs on our heating bills. As previously mentioned in this guide, you can reduce your central heating costs by ensuring your radiators are in good serviceable condition, turning down or off un-used rooms and limiting draughts
Thermostat
We have all heard about turning down the thermostat by one degree to help cut costs, but your thermostat can do more than this to help cut down on costs by setting up the time-clock and manually switching on or off
Time-Clock
If your thermostat, whether for central system or if its located on the panel heater itself, will most likely have a time-clock fitted.
You can use this time-clock to limit how often the heating is switched on and off. This can help reduce the time your central heating is operating by not turning on when you or your family may be at school or work.
Manual Control
Alternatively, you could control your thermostat manually. This can be either at the physical thermostat or if you have a smart-thermostat installed, via an app. This can give you better control over the amount of time the heating is on. An example is that you might feel warmer than the day before, and not switch the heating on for another hour.
Check your TRV’s
Checking the operation of your TRV’s (Thermostatic Radiator Valve) is also important. This is the dial on one side of your radiator with numbers printed on it. These numbers generally range from 0-6, each number represent a temperature setpoint where the valve will open or close. When the temperature reaches a certain level in the radiator as set on the TRV, the heating flow is turned off by the valve. This is used as a comfort or limiting setting and can help reduce energy required to heat the room.
There are, “smart” TRV’s available now. These are powered TRV’s where you can set a temperature setting rather than guess by using 0-6 on a manual dial. These are often set using a smart phone app, and can, however, be expensive to install.
Wrap Up
It may seem simple, but it is very effective. Wrapping up is the best way to delay the use of your central heating system. Some great example of wrapping up are:
Thick socks – keep the cold off your feet by the use of some thick socks or slippers
Couch blanket – use a blanket on the couch to help stay warm when relaxing
Heavy duvet – upgrade your duvet by increasing your TOG level; 15 TOG is warmer than a 4.5 TOG for example.
Layers – keep your chest warm by layering up clothes, the hard the heat to escape your chest, the warmer you will remain.
A good cuppa – having a cup of tea is another way to warm your core, make it herbal to help warm your soul.