subject: Making Your Home Energy Efficient [print this page] We are all being persuaded to be more energy efficient in all walks of life whether it is in our homes with saving energy, in our cars by emitting less CO2 and in the office by being more green and using less paper.
Some of us may be trying to take on too much but in reality there are simple things you can do to be more energy efficient. Lets start by looking at home and how we can save energy and money. We are all recommended to carry out an energy audit on our homes that will eventually lead to us putting the money in our back pockets instead of those of the energy companies. The best thing to do is to start from the top and work your way around the house. It is important to look at all rooms especially if you have a cheap conservatory recently built.
The loft is the first place to look at. EU guidelines state that there should be 270mm, which is about 11 inches, of insulation. If you have an older house there may be little or no insulation there, at the same time even if you have a modern house, the insulation may not meet EU guidelines. If you do live in a modern house then you may only need a few inches to meet the guidelines and as you can simply place new insulation over the old one, it is really easy and cost effective.
Next are the walls, according to government figures that have been recently released around 50% of heat loss in homes is through the walls. Filling all cavity walls with insulation means homeowners can save around 120 a year so having walls insulated is very cost effective and something that all homeowners should give considerable thought to.
Draughts are both a nuisance and accounts for around 15% of heat loss from a house. Most common areas where draughts form are doors and poorly fitted uPVC windows. Double glazing will help here and will eliminate draughts. Other areas where draughts come from are holes that have been made for wiring, cables and pipes so try and fill these areas where possible. Making our homes energy efficient helps us save money and helps improve the state of the environment.
