Create A Sustainable Home To Help Lower Your Energy Bills

As the days grow shorter and temperatures begin to plunge many people are looking at ways, they can make their homes more sustainable. Energy prices continue to rise and it’s becoming more important than ever to consider the energy efficiency of your home. Energy consumers are more aware now of the effects of climate change on our planet. Consumers not only want to find ways of reducing their carbon footprint, but they also want to stay warm and lower their energy bills. Having an energy-efficient home can help you do that. 

There are numerous ways you can improve your home’s energy efficiency. Even a few simple tweaks can make a difference.
Here are some of the ways you can make your home more energy efficient, reduce your carbon emissions, and lower your energy bills:

•    Insulation

Proper insulation helps to keep the heat in your home during the winter, especially in older houses. Adding insulation to your roof could help you save up to £590 a year on your energy bills and prevent 1000 kg of CO2 from entering the atmosphere. This is a great way of making your home more energy efficient. You can also use natural fibre eco-friendly options such as wool or cellulose insulation made from recycled newspapers. 
24 million homes in the UK have a loft but only 17 million of them have loft insulation of 125mm or above which means that natural heat is escaping, and more energy is required to warm the home. 
Wall, floor, and loft insulation can be installed in both new builds and existing houses and is a fantastic energy-saving home improvement that shouldn’t be overlooked. A well-insulated home can reduce the cost of heating and cooling by over 40% and last up to 30 years. 

There are a range of government grants that may be able to help with upgrading existing insulation such as:

The Great British Insulation Scheme
You could be eligible for free or part-funded cavity wall insulation as part of the UK government’s support for the Great British Insulation scheme. By filling your cavity walls with insulation, each year you could save around £300 on your heating bills and 650kg of CO2 as well.

The ECO4 energy efficiency scheme
As part of the ECO4 energy efficiency scheme, if you’re eligible and are living in a home with a low EPC rating, you’ll be offered a bespoke package of improvements to help you increase the efficiency of your home and reduce your energy costs.
Working with you, your landlord, or your housing provider, a tailored survey of your property will be carried out. What you are offered will depend on the results of your survey, but it could include measures such as installing an air source heat pump, insulation, or a smart thermostat. 

Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund
Through the Government's Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF), energy companies like E. ON are working with Social Housing providers across the country to deliver home energy efficiency upgrades, such as insulation, solar panels, and PVC windows and doors, to homes with low energy efficiency ratings.

•    Replacing windows and doors

Replacing old windows and doors is a very effective way of saving energy in your home. If you haven’t upgraded yours for a long time, it may be time to install a new model. Windows have energy efficiency ratings with A++ being the best and E the lowest. If you’re living in a typical semi-detached house, a set of A-rated windows could save you around £155 a year on your energy bills. If you’re not able to upgrade your windows and doors check that the seals are undamaged and in good condition. A simple way to keep cold winter draughts out of your home is to fix any cracks where heat could escape, either by replacing the seals or using draught excluders or a thick door curtain.

Double-glazed doors and windows are a perfect solution for a modern home as they can significantly lower the emissions of greenhouse gases from heating and cooling which will reduce your carbon footprint and lower your energy bills. 

•    Check Your Boiler Is Running Efficiently

Around 80% of UK homes are heated using gas central heating so it’s very important to make sure your boiler is working at its best which will not only help reduce carbon emissions but also ensure sure your home stays warm and safe this winter. Maintaining the efficiency of your boiler will also save you money on your energy bills as old and inefficient boilers use much more fuel to heat your water than newer, more eco-friendly models.
To maintain the efficiency and safety of your boiler it should be serviced annually. Servicing your boiler rather than waiting for something to go wrong can help identify any issues early and prevent costly repairs. 
If you have a condensing combi boiler you should check the flow temperature. The boiler flow temperature is the temperature your boiler heats the water to before it’s sent to the radiators around your home. By simply checking and reducing the flow temperature you could help reduce your gas bills, saving up to £112 per year as well as lowering your carbon emissions without impacting the warmth of your home. 

•    Replace your boiler with a heat pump

Replacing your conventional boiler with a heat pump is a great way of saving energy and reducing your carbon emissions as most homes are currently heated with fossil-fuel boilers. Heat pumps work by extracting heat from the environment (air, ground, or water) and using it to heat your home, providing a more efficient and sustainable way of maintaining a comfortable indoor temperature. They are effective in both warm and cold climates and can generate up to three times more heat energy than the electrical energy they consume.
Although the initial investment is higher than for a traditional boiler, the energy savings, and potential grants available make heat pumps a cost-effective solution in the long run.
The UK government is currently offering a £7,500 grant through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme to cut the cost of installing your air source heat pump. The scheme covers heat pump installations that take place before the end of March 2028.

•    Consider installing solar panels

Solar panels are a popular and excellent alternative source of energy that can be used in the home. Solar panels not only significantly reduce your reliance on the National Grid but save you money, whilst also contributing to a more sustainable environment. By harnessing the power of the sun, solar panels convert sunlight into electricity, providing a renewable and clean energy source for your home.
Even during the winter months in the UK, there is still plenty of sunlight to make solar panels an efficient option for electricity generation.
Despite the initial installation costs, the long-term savings on electricity bills make them a cost-effective solution. The cost of investing in solar PV has been greatly reduced in the past decade. On top of that, homeowners can sell any excess electricity they generate back to the National Grid under the UK government’s Smart Export Guarantee scheme, creating an additional income stream. Even with the great benefits of solar panels, it’s important to check whether your home is suitable for solar PV and have your property professionally assessed before installing them. It’s also worth mentioning here that there is currently no VAT on solar panels or heat pumps.

•    Consider installing solar thermal system

Heating your home’s hot water system can be very expensive as well as use a lot of energy. Solar thermal technology (sometimes called solar water heating) harnesses this powerful, clean, inexhaustible, and free resource by converting energy from the sun into hot water for buildings of all types. Solar thermal technologies turn sunlight into heat instead of power 
They are more efficient than solar panels because heat waves carry more energy than sunlight and because there is no process of transformation into electricity.
Solar thermal panels can help you save up to 600 kg of carbon dioxide emissions in a year.

•    Install Smart Heat Controls

It’s important to monitor your energy use to reduce waste. Installing a smart meter and using your smart in-home display to track your energy use around the home can help you save energy and money. The smart meter can help you to see where you use most energy and how you could be more energy efficient. This will help you keep track of your energy consumption in real-time and where you can reduce it. It can be easy to waste energy by setting your thermostat too high or heating rooms that you’re not using. You should set the thermostat to a lower temperature rather than switching it off in rooms you’re not using to avoid dampness. 
Turning your thermostat down by just one degree can make a big difference to your overall bills, saving you around 3% of the cost.
Smart thermostats can allow you to control your heating in each room separately and remotely from a smartphone giving you easier control over your home heating.
According to the Energy Saving Trust using a smart thermostat could save you up to £150 per year on your energy bills, making it a worthwhile investment for both your wallet and the environment.
Smart automation systems will detect when you’re no longer using a device and turn off the power supply which will help to lower your energy bills. 

•    Buy energy-efficient appliances

When purchasing new home appliances look for high-energy ratings to ensure they use as little electricity as possible whilst still being energy efficient.
Try to use your washing machine and dishwasher at off-peak times. Avoid using the tumble dryer as much as possible and hang your clothes outside to dry or next to radiators.

•    Switch off ‘energy vampire’ appliances

According to recent studies, electronic devices and appliances that continue to draw power even when they are turned off or in standby mode account for up to 20% of your home’s energy use. By simply unplugging these devices when they’re not in use or using smart power strips that cut power when devices are idle, you can significantly reduce your power consumption. 
Not only does this make a noticeable difference to your energy bills but it will also play an important part in reducing your household’s carbon footprint.

•    Install energy-efficient lighting

One of the quickest and most effective ways to save energy and money is to replace your existing halogen or fluorescent light bulbs with LED lamps. 

Traditional incandescent light bulbs use an excessive amount of electricity and need to be replaced more often than their energy-effective alternatives. 
Energy-efficient bulbs, such as Light Emitting Diode (LED) and Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL), not only use 90% less electricity but also deliver up to 40,000 hours of use. So, not only do you save on your energy bill, but you save on replacement costs as well.

89% of homes in the UK have an energy rating of D or lower which means we are using unnecessary energy and contributing to the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Converting your home into a sustainable energy environment can be much easier than you think. The first step can be as simple as changing your light bulbs!