One of the top ways to try to save money on your energy bills is to make your home more energy efficient. There are several ways this can be done, such as turning the heating down or remembering to switch off lights and electrical appliances when they’re not in use. You can also do this by making improvements that keep your home warmer for longer.
Energy prices are volatile right now, which makes precise cost savings difficult to predict going into 2023. Nevertheless, here are some of the improvements that CR Smith can help you with, discussing how effective they are at saving energy – and ultimately money.
The average home loses about 18% of heat through its windows
This alone is a good enough reason to view windows as one of the key ways you can improve your home’s energy efficiency. Single-glazed, faulty, or worn windows can all make your home lose more heat.
Single glazing loses heat 2x as fast as double glazing
Homes with single-glazed windows are uncommon these days, but if you live in a listed building or conservation area, there’s a higher chance your home will only have single-glazed windows. Since there is only one pane of glass, heat can pass through much more easily, and your home will feel cooler as a result.
Installing secondary glazing could save you £75 a year
Secondary glazing is a window fitted alongside your existing windows, creating an extra layer of insulation. It is the recommended solution for homes that are listed or in a conservation area where having new windows installed is restricted under planning laws.
At CR Smith, we can also fit secondary glazing with low emissivity glass (sometimes known as Low-E glass). Low-E glass is designed to deflect heat back into the home, limiting the amount of heat that leaves through the windows.
Lorimer windows have a U-value of 1.4
When we talk about energy efficient windows, you’ll often hear about the U-value, which is a measurement of how much heat can pass through any given material. The lower the number, the less heat can pass through. This works both for keeping the heat in and keeping the cold out, thus, making your home more energy efficient.
All of our Lorimer windows are ‘A’ energy rated, which equates to a U-value of 1.4. They are available in a range of styles so there will be one to suit your property, and they’re expertly fitted with a choice of internal timber sills and surrounds, helping to keep your home looking good and feeling warm.
15% of your home’s heat is lost through doors
The doors in your home can also be contributors to heat loss, especially if they’re getting older or weren’t properly installed or sealed.
Doors with high thermal efficiency will be much better at blocking out draughts and reducing the potential for cold spots around your home. Taking steps to draught-proof your windows and doors can save you about £45 a year (based on a typical gas-fuelled semi-detached home) so it’s well worth the investment.
At CR Smith, we offer a wide range of doors, including uPVC doors and engineered timber composite doors. Our uPVC doors are made using two uPVC skins which are pressure bonded to a core that maximises their thermal efficiency. Meanwhile, our composite door contains a specially formulated 44mm engineered timber core and a 5-chamber profile to help keep the warmth in.
Making energy-efficient changes could knock 20% off your bills
Different factors will come into play when working out how much money you could save on your bills. The age and size of your home can affect its efficiency as well as the windows and doors you have fitted.
Overall, according to the UK Government, improving the efficiency of your home could save you up to 20% off your heating bills in 2022.
Energy efficiency is also more eco-friendly
Apart from saving money, making your home more energy efficient has the added bonus of lowering its carbon footprint. For example, converting a semi-detached home from single-glazing to double-glazing windows can save up to 335kg of carbon dioxide a year, according to the Energy Saving Trust.
Making your home more energy efficient requires an upfront investment, but they are changes that will last – saving you money and helping to make your home more sustainable in the years to come.
All cost savings in this article were correct as of August 2022.
Sources
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-62494406
https://www.homebuilding.co.uk/advice/triple-glazed-windows-do-they-make-sense
https://warmerinside.co.uk/low-e-glass
https://www.ovoenergy.com/guides/energy-guides/energy-efficient-doors
