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Does The Energy Efficiency Of Your Home Need Improving?
Summer is flying by! We’re already into August, and although September is normally a good month for nice weather, it will soon be over.
Who knows what the autumn and winter will be like – your guess is as good as ours!
It’s best to be prepared for the worst and ensure your home is well-insulated in advance of their arrival so that you’re guaranteed warmth indoors if it gets really cold.
It helps to know how energy efficient your home currently is. Your Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) will tell you this, rating it from A (very efficient) to G (very inefficient).
You cannot sell or rent out a property without an EPC. Anyone who doesn’t have one should click here to arrange for an accredited Domestic Energy Assessor to perform an energy audit of their home so that an EPC can be issued for it.
If your home’s current energy efficiency rating is unimpressive, steps can and should be taken to improve it:
The installation of double or triple glazed windows and doors
Heat passes through old single glazed windows and doors very easily. As much as 25% of heat can be lost through uninsulated windows and doors.
Replacing them for double or triple glazed windows and doors can dramatically reduce that heat loss percentage. There will be virtually no heat lost through our UPVC Extreme windows as they are A+ energy rated as standard, one of the main reasons why they are endorsed by the Energy Saving Trust. They’re also Secured by Design, meeting Police-approved standards.
They’ll make you an average yearly saving of £170 on your energy bills.
Fitting an eco-friendly boiler
Modern boilers are labelled with an ErP (Energy related Products Directive) rating so that you know how energy efficient each of them are – most carry an A-rating.
If your boiler is particularly old, it’s unlikely to have an impressive ErP rating, and there’s a much stronger chance of it breaking down than a much newer model.
The Energy Saving Trust will tell you that upgrading your existing boiler for an A-rated boiler can help you save £340 a year. It’s not cheap buying a new boiler, but well worth the money for the long-term savings made.
Adding in loft insulation
You could be losing a lot of heat through your roof if it is poorly insulated. To solve this problem, add loft insulation to your loft, attic or roof space.
It doesn’t cost much at all (as little as £150), and you might be able fit it yourself. If unsure how to properly install loft insulation, organise for an approved insulation installer to sort it. To find a local approved insulation installer, visit the National Insulation Association website.
High-quality loft insulation can work effectively for 40 years or more, so you get a lot out of it.
You can get a fantastic price for new energy efficient windows and doors from TradeMark as our Summer Sale is now on.
