How can I keep my house warm this Autumn?

The schools are back and there is a definite chill in the air – Autumn is just around the corner and we will all want a cosy house to come home to. At this time of year, it is tempting to just turn up the thermostat but here are some other ideas that can help, and hopefully save you a few euros in the process.

Read on for our top six practical tips to make your home warmer this year. 

1. Fight the draft

Keep heat from escaping by sealing up gaps or leaks around your home. Caulk windows and apply weather strips to doors, you can get weatherstrips from most high-street DIY stores. At its most basic, draught-proofing is filling the gaps in a building, where heat escapes and cold air enters. 

Some people turn up the heating to counteract cold draughts; this warms your home but escaped heating costs you and emits CO2 emission unnecessarily. A properly draught-proofed and insulated house helps reduce your energy demands and CO2 emissions as well as saving on bills. 

 

2. Insulate your home

There are many benefits to investing now in insulating your home. The most obvious is it helps you save on your electric, oil and gas bills, some evidence even suggests it helps increase the value of your property but above all it helps you by reducing your carbon footprint.

The start of the cooler months is a good time to add insulation to your home. If your home uses less than 12 inches of insulation, chances are your home is losing heat. It is well known that heat rises, which is why we recommend working from the top down when installing insulation. First and foremost we recommend you insulate your attic to prevent heat from escaping through your roof.

Attic insulation is a very cost-effective way of warming your house and saving money on your energy bills. Once you have completed the attic you can move on to other areas like internal walls, external walls and checking on your double-glazing windows. 

3. Get yourself a heating supplier you can count on

Now is the time when you will want to ensure that your oil tank is topped up and you are prepared for the cold weather. As well as being uncomfortable, a cold home can also lead to various problems like damp and mould, condensation on the windows and even potential health problems. It is also much cheaper to buy now – we previously talked about when the best time to buy oil was. Get yourself a heating supplier you can count on and who will come out and fill your tank regularly. It is better to plan ahead then let your tank run low.  

4. Invest in a portable electric heater if working from home

Under normal circumstances – many people have their heating off during the day when they are busy at school or work. However, with many people still working from home because of the pandemic, it is important not to have your heat running all day if you don’t need it. If there’s only one of you at home, a portable electric heater pointed at your chair for a few hours through the day while you’re working might be enough, as opposed to heating the whole house.

You could also try turning the thermostat down to find a comfortable temperature – each degree can save you money! 

5. Protect your pipes

Insulating your hot water pipes is a quick and easy way to save energy. As well as reducing heat loss from your system, pipe lagging will also prevent pipes from getting too cold in winter, and therefore prevents pipes freezing and bursting.

Pipe insulation is an easy DIY install – you can buy foam insulation tubes online or from a DIY store and slip them over your pipes. Foam insulation is very affordable and will reduce the possibility of an expensive repair bill from burst pipes. Don’t forget any pipes in your garage if you keep your washing machine there. 

6. Wrap up your water tank

Nearly every household will have some insulation on their hot water tank, but it is worth checking how thick yours is. If it is under 25mm thick, then it could benefit from an extra layer. A hot water cylinder jacket costs around €15 but estimates suggest that you could get your money back in the first year.

We hope that these suggestions will help to keep the heat in this autumn and winter, don’t forget to check your heating oil levels, if you need a top-up you can get a quote using our handy quote calculator or to place your order, contact us. 

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