If Britain's weather was described in one word, it would have to be changeable. With this year's long winter and miserable temperatures stretching into the middle of May, heating bills will be understandably higher than usual. But is your house really as energy efficient as it could be? Properly insulating your home can make a huge difference to your energy bill as well as being environmentally friendly. Here are some ideas for making your house more energy efficient.
Double or triple glazed windows?
Poorly fitted windows can be potentially harmful not just to the environment, but to your wallet as well. Major heat loss can mean your rooms are very difficult to warm, no matter how hard you push the thermostat. This vastly increases your fuel bills and the carbon footprint of your home.
When choosing a new home or replacing the windows in your current home, it can be difficult to know exactly what will have the best effect for the best price. In reality, the two things that need to be paid most attention are the type of glass used and the type of material used to make the window frame.
When it comes to choosing which glazing your windows will have, triple glazing may seem like a natural choice for energy efficiency. However, the emissions created when triple glazing windows are manufactured may give your house a larger carbon footprint than double or single glazing. The amount of time and effort required to make the window is coupled with the increase in use of artificial light due to the light lost through the layers, making it less efficient than it may first seem.
Double glazed windows coupled with Argon or Krypton gas can help improve thermal conductivity and energy efficiency. The "intelligent glass" option that some companies offer gives better insulation and cooling during the summer by converting solar energy into infrared radiation and filtering it out again.
Choosing the right frames
Wooden windows were once thought of as being not-so-environmentally friendly, but now many companies offer timber sourced from FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) suppliers. This means the supplier operates under strict guidelines to ensure the timber they offer is sustainable, using environmentally friendly methods.
The timber waste that accumulates when manufacturing wooden window frames is also much easier to recycle than the waste from aluminum or uPVC frames.
Other ways to make your home more energy efficient
Of course, changing your windows isn't the only thing you can do to save energy and money. Installing cavity wall insulation inhibits heat transfer through cavity walls, reducing the costs that can arise from heating the space which you do not use. Filling the space is simple and affordable, especially when considering the amount of money that can be saved in the long term.
Covering your wooden floorboards with carpets is another way of keeping your house warm and energy efficient. With drafts coming into the house through ventilation systems, they can easily escape through gaps in the floorboards making rooms cold and drafty. Carpeting your floors will reduce drafts and unnecessary heat loss, cutting down on fuel bills and reducing your carbon footprint.
Plenty of options
Whether you are moving house or looking to improve your existing home, there are plenty of options to consider when it comes to making your home more energy efficient. Pay close attention to the efficiency of materials rather than just considering the aesthetic value. Getting yourself double glazed bespoke windows ensures that heat loss can be kept to a minimum, and wall insulation coupled with carpets will drastically lower your carbon footprint as well as your energy bills.