Energy Saving Week Diary - Warmer homes day
Day Two - Insulation
Half of a typical home's heat loss is through the walls and loft, so it's worth checking whether yours are properly insulated.
If everyone in the UK installed loft insulation it would save nearly three million tonnes of CO2 per year - the equivalent saving of taking nearly one million UK cars off the road.
Similarly, if everyone in the UK that could fill their cavity walls did so, they'd shave around ã700m off the nation's annual domestic energy bills - that would pay to heat 900,000 homes for a year.
Our loft is already well insulated but the three biggest places we lose heat from in our house are the windows, the doors and chimney breast.
Windows
We use heavy curtains to keep the heat in, but the windows are old fashioned, gappy, sash windows.
There is an annual argument, right about this time of year, where I am accused of sacrilege for wanting to rip them out and install energy efficient double glazing.
Lack of funds wins the day and my husband trots off to B&Q to buy 'Easiglaze', that awful Clingfilm which he then hairdryers on.
I know it works, but I can't stand it and look forward to that spring day when I can rip it all down again.
This year however (we still don't have any double glazing funds!) we have seen Sue from Balham's video on the Energy Saving Trust's website and were impressed with her 'magnetic glazing'. Therefore we'll be looking at quotes for this.
Doors
The main breeze comes through the cat flap and I am still searching for ideas on how to combat this. (Also see my earlier blog on Junk Mail and letter boxes)
Chimney Breast
No it's not some sort of weird looking contraceptive; it is in fact a chimney balloon.
It goes up the Chimney breast and keeps the cold air out and the warm air in.
Depending on which size you need, it costs around ã20 and is available from the Good Energy Shop.
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Look at your home situation as a 3-tiered project. First, I would check the windows and walls for any air that's seeping away. Once that issue is resolved, I would make sure that to purchase the correct-sized, high quality heating unit that will be on for shorter periods of time and heat the area up sufficiently. I would finish things off by making sure that your faucets and sinks are saving you money by using less water to get the same tasks done (like flushing a toilet using 3 gallons of water compared to traditional toilets that use up to 7 gallons) or using half the amount of water to wash dishes after a good home-cooked meal. In the short term, you will be investing: In the long term, you will save a bundle and be nice and cozy during this coming winter season.
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