How to Make Your Home More Energy Efficient

A Collaborative Post 

Unfortunately, it has been reported that 40% of the emissions from the UK come from households. This means that everyone has a responsibility to look at their current habits and appliances and see where changes can be made. Making changes to be more energy-efficient doesn’t have to be timely and expensive, and can benefit you in many more ways, including appliances that last longer, and are cheaper to run. Here are some top tips to help you make your home more energy-efficient. 

Start a compost pile 

You don’t need a large back garden to start a compost pile. Just a small space out the front or back where you can place a compost bin. These will enable you to collect your waste in a much more energy-efficient way so that it decomposes over time and can be repurposed as fertiliser for your garden. It benefits the environment as it can significantly reduce the amount of rubbish that you are producing, and you use less chemical-based fertilisers in your garden.

Seal your doors and windows 

It is a good idea to regularly check all your doors and windows for any gaps or drafts. Regardless of how small and insignificant they may seem, they may progress quickly into a bigger problem. Sealing them all is a good way to save money now, and in the future to avoid costly repairs as they can quickly cause a lot of damage to your property. Sealing windows and doors also means less heat is able to escape, keeping your energy bills down. 

Maintain your heating sources

Whether you have a gas boiler or an oil tank, it is important to keep them maintained properly. If they are left to decay and get old, without proper maintenance, they will quickly become costly to repair, and mean your home is running much less efficiently. Keep them well serviced and in good working order. Boilers will require a regular clean, radiators to be bled, and pressure to be topped up. Oil tanks need to be kept topped up to keep them efficient, as well as properly maintained by a professional, to help with preventing and dealing with heating oil spills, which are bad for the environment. 

Replace your light bulbs

A simple, and cheap task to complete but one that can make a huge difference. With technology constantly evolving, there is now a range of new, energy-efficient light bulbs which run for longer and cost less. Some of these include light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and halogen bulbs. Switch out your old incandescent light bulbs for an energy-efficient alternative, which can help you save a large amount on your electric bill over a year. 

There are plenty of things that you can invest in around the house that do not cost too much money or take too much time, that enables you to play your role in being more energy-efficient, as well as benefit your bank account by saving yourself a lot of money.