Lovely and warm right now but this will change as we all know, with the good weather we have had its now time to survey your property getting it ready for the winter to come. One thing we can all count on is our energy bills rising at some stage in the next 12 months so if you want yours to reduce act now.
There are key areas to check up on when surveying your property. Firstly, insulation. Check your loft and see for yourself what’s there and ask yourself is it adequate or not, and also take a look at the age and wear and tear of loft insulation.
Leaking roofs and gutters can help water enter walls – so if the property has insulated cavities, also check that gutters are clean and there’s no staining on exterior walls.
It’s also well worth checking the windows. High-quality double glazing would be the best option, but proper sealing to cut cold draughts is a good basic quality to look out for.
Next and most importantly the type of thermostats that are installed. Thermostatic radiator valves, a good quality programmer and room thermostat are required. When these elements are controlled properly they can save upwards of £155 a year in a typical 3-bed gas centrally heated home. This annual saving certainly stacks up over the years.
If your property doesn’t have them, that’s another potential cost to factor in – but you may want to go further and install smart heating controls that can be operated from your smartphone.
Beyond these basics, it’s worth considering renewable energy features. The most likely renewable technology you might consider is solar PV panels. They reduce your electricity bills while bringing in modest payments from the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) scheme.
Help required?
You may know or not that some of the features above can be installed free if you are receiving certain benefits. Do check on this site what you may be entitled to or contact one of our advisers.