To mark Energy Efficiency Week, B&Q has some simple tips for DIY installation to help you reduce the amount of energy wasted and make your home more energy efficient this winter.
By now you will know that the way you use energy in your home can contribute to global warming and can threaten the environment.
The trouble is we're using more and more energy in our everyday lives because it makes life more comfortable and entertaining. But some of it is being wasted and that's where we can all help.
Every year, a quarter of the UK's carbon dioxide emissions originate from the energy we use to heat and light our homes. By being more energy efficient we can reduce the need for generated energy and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
With a few easy steps you can be green and save money on energy bills too.
The average house loses about 35pc of its heat through the walls, 25pc through the roof, 25pc through draughty doors and windows, and 15pc through the floor.
Insulating all these areas will save you money on your fuel bills in the long term. The initial cost can be fairly high, however, so the best way is to set your priorities.
Start with a few relatively inexpensive measures, such as insulating your hot-water cylinder and draught-proofing windows and doors, then do the more expensive things bit by bit - for example insulating the floor, roof and walls.
It is well worth lagging your hot-water cylinder by fitting it with a jacket made from mineral-fibre insulation.
If you are buying a new cylinder, choose one with foam insulation already fitted. Lag cold water pipes in the loft and any exposed hot-water pipes running through unheated areas of the house with split foam tubes.
You should also insulate the cold-water cistern and the small feed-and -expansion tank (if you have one.)
The cistern can be wrapped in a purpose-made jacket or a glass fibre blanket. But don't insulate the area underneath it - any heat rising from the room below will help to prevent the tank from freezing.
Fitting draught excluders to all gaps around doors and windows will keep your home warmer and reduce bills.
Self-adhesive foam strips of draught excluder are inexpensive and easy to fix and suitable for casement windows and interior doors.
For doors, there are many draught excluders to choose from. The simplest is a self-adhesive foam strip - polyurethane foam for interior doors or vinyl-coated polyurethane, rubber or PVC foams for exterior doors.
If you have access to the loft space, laying blanket or loose insulation between the joists will reduce heat loss by about a quarter.
Insulating walls to reduce heat loss is a bigger, more expensive job than insulating the roof. Cavity walls can be insulated but this is a job for a professional.
You can insulate solid walls by dry-lining them.