Make Your Central Heating More Energy Efficient

There is a huge buzz around global warming and energy efficiency and how important it is for future generations. It is vital that we all make a small effort in our everyday lives to reduce our impact on the environment. We can do this by changing the way we heat our homes in terms of central heating, insulation and furnishings.

Many people take their central heating for granted, leaving it on all day and throughout the night without thinking about the impact it has on their heating bills and the CO2 emissions. There are several small changes that we can all make that will significantly reduce how much we pay for our central heating and how damaging our impact on the environment is.

• Turning the thermostat down by one degree Celsius will not make your home feel colder but will use much less energy in terms of heating the water and radiators.
• Installing an insulation jacket on your hot water cylinder will considerably reduce the amount of heat that is lost through the system that does not benefit your house.
• Like the hot water cylinder, the pipes which transport the hot water should also be insulated.
• Your hot water temperature can also be changed. Instead of setting the thermostat to boiling temperatures, limit the thermostat to 60 degrees Celsius as this will be hot enough to heat your home and water without creating scalding temperatures coming out of the taps.
• At dusk you should close your curtains as this will reduce the amount of heat that escapes through the window fittings. It is remarkable how much heat is lost through the windows.
• When it comes to when your central heating is actually in use, you can time it well so that there is no unnecessary energy expenditure. Your house will stay warm for a long time once the heating is switched off, so turn the system off before you get into bed and you will not be wasting energy as you are asleep.
• Likewise, if you know that you will be out for several hours during the day at work, turn the central heating off so that it is not heating an empty house.

These small changes will save you a significant amount of money off your annual gas bills and will also reduce your environmental impact. It does not take a lot of effort to make serious energy efficient moves.