The cost of living crisis and the rapidly escalating cost of energy have been hard to escape this year. Thankfully, the government’s Energy Bills Support Scheme, Alternative Fuel Payment and Winter Fuel Payment have helped millions of people to remain financially afloat through what has been a very challenging period.

Now that summer is finally here, it is time to consider ways in which to improve the energy efficiency of our homes to guard against future price increases which may not be so well compensated for by the government.

1. Increase your home insulation.

Installing wall, floor and loft insulation can dramatically reduce heat loss from your home, making it one of the most cost-effective methods of reducing your heating costs and making your home more energy efficient.

Many grants, such as the ECO4 scheme, are available to help with the cost of installing insulation, and at Next Energy, we would be delighted to discuss your options with you and to support you in progressing your application. We can help you to assess which upgrades would make the biggest difference to your home and perform the installation on your behalf once your grant application has been approved.

2. Install photovoltaic solar panels.

Solar panels capture renewable energy from the sun and convert this to electricity to power your home. Many homes are capable of housing up to 15 solar panels on their roofs and this can generate over 18kW per day, which is a significant percentage of the average 39kW used by the average home.

Homes that produce more electricity than they require can sell the excess back to the National Grid, thus earning a small income from their panels, in addition to benefiting from free energy. Again, there are grants of up to £5,000 available to encourage homeowners to install solar panels on their properties, and we would be very pleased to explain how these work and to support you in applying for the appropriate grant for your size and style of property.

As well as this we are also able to provide quotations for solar panel battery storage. Solar panel battery storage can greatly reduce the price of your energy bills as no energy captured by the sun is wasted. Find out if you qualify for our solar panel battery storage by filling out our application form.

3. Upgrade windows and doors.

Upgrading inefficient windows and doors to new double or triple glazed ones can make a significant difference to the comfort levels that you will experience within your home. By reducing heat loss and draughts, the internal temperature of the home can be more easily regulated for occupant comfort and, as a secondary benefit, external noise will also be reduced.

If you live in a rental property or cannot afford to upgrade your windows and doors, it is worth considering installing secondary glazing, which is a non-permanent method of creating a layer of insulation to improve the draught-proofing and reduce heat loss in your home. If secondary glazing is not a suitable option, then using draught excluders can help improve the seal around the door or window to reduce heat loss and improve comfort.

4. Upgrade your boiler.

The ECO4 scheme enables homeowners to make savings of up to £340 by replacing their old, inefficient electric storage heaters or their gas or LPG boiler with a new, more energy efficient gas boiler.

We can help you to determine your eligibility for this scheme and recommend and install a more appropriate boiler for your property.

5. Make small everyday changes.

Finally, there are a number of small, everyday changes make your home more energy efficient and that reduce your energy bills. Start by making sure that all electrical appliances are switched off properly, rather than being left on standby.

Turn off lights when you are no longer in the room, or when it is bright enough with just the curtains open.

You could consider swapping your light bulbs for more efficient LED bulbs, either immediately or when they next need to be replaced. This small measure can help homeowners to achieve cost savings of up to £3 per bulb, per year.

The final simple change that we recommend is turning down your thermostat by 1 degree celsius. This move should not make a significant difference to the temperature in your home, but could save you up to £100 a year].

Summary

There are a number of changes that you can make to your home over the summer months to prepare for next winter. If you wish to have work done under a government energy efficiency scheme, please apply now and discover if you’re eligible for upgrades to your home.