Save Heat and Save the Planet!
As much as half of the energy used in your home goes to heating and cooling. Perhaps you've been thinking about how to reduce energy waste, but you live in an apartment where you can’t make major upgrades in energy efficiency, like insulating walls, because the neighbours aren’t on board. Or you might have a detached house but don't have money to make such investments. But you need to know that there are many small adjustments you can make to use less energy, that don’t cost a lot of money, and they are suitable for flats too. They reduce utility costs and your carbon impact as well! You can even use the money saved with these solutions to budget a larger energy efficient project in the future!
Adjust the temperature properly!
If you have central heating in your building, and you can’t adjust the temperature individually, a thermostatic radiator valve will do wonders! It is also great if even though you have a thermostat in your house, the rooms require different amount of heat due to different orientation or usage.
Many times people don’t bother adjusting the temperature, when the valve isn’t reliable, because it may become too cold or too hot. When you depend on a person to regulate the temperature, human comfort and error will cause you to use more energy. A proper thermostatic radiator valve will solve this problem instantly, and keep your home at exactly the right temperature. The Go Green Thermostatic Radiator Valve can save up to 30% heating energy, which means on average 46m3 gas and 82 kg CO2 emission per year. It allows you to control your heating on a room-by-room basis so you can turn it off in rooms you don’t use. It will automatically adjust – even when you are away from your home. You can set a comfort temperature for times when you are at home, and economy temperature, when you’re out. There is even a window setting, so when you open the windows, the thermostat won’t overheat, but automatically close the heating valve. If you have small children, you don’t have to worry about them messing with the valve, because it also has a child lock function. It is also very low maintenance, because it has an automatic descaling function that runs every week to avoid problems.
There are some considerations however that you need to remember, when you set the temperature. The evening hours are the most expensive time to heat due to colder temperature outside. Turn down your heat once your family goes to bed, and use heavier blankets. Also, keeping your heating on constantly on a low heat could potentially save you more money than switching it on and off for big blasts of heat. This is where getting to know and understand the timer settings on your thermostat will really pay off. Reducing your thermostat by 1°C could save you energy and money (c. £75 per year), without noticing any difference. And even if you are a little bit chilly, wearing more jumpers, socks and slippers around the house, and putting an extra blanket on the bed means you won't be tempted to turn the heating up.
Use the heat better!
Another great solution is applying a radiator reflector foil, which can save you 8-15% energy, and is capable to keep out vapor. How does it work? The radiator transmits heat in every direction equally. You can lose heat if a radiator is on an external wall, especially if it isn't insulated. By using a heat-reflecting roll made of aluminum foil and plastic foam, you can save the energy and use it to actually heat up the room. Just cut it to the size of the radiator, and glue the foam side to the wall with a double sided tape, so it only radiates heat in the direction of the room, and not outside.
Seal the leaks!
Weatherstripping is the process of sealing openings such as doors and windows from the elements. The goal of weatherstripping is to prevent rain and water from entering and to keep interior air in, thus saving energy on heating and air conditioning. It increases interior comfort, lowers utility bills, and reduces noise. It can make a huge difference in energy use. Leaky windows and doors cannot hold the heat in the house and moisture out, so your home will be cold and prone to mold.
Check the sweep below your exterior doors to ensure cold air is not entering below the door. Replace if necessary. You can fit stick-on strips onto your windows and doors but also check for holes and gaps - loft hatches, floor boards, skirting boards, electrical fittings and places where pipes go through external walls.
The gaskets are really easy to apply: just clean the surface, and stick on the self-adhesive tape! You will enjoy the comfort instantly! They come in several shapes to cover all kinds of gaps, and in different colors, so they can suit the color of your windows or doors perfectly. You can get it in transparent, brown and white colors.