How To Save Money and Reduce Energy Consumption at Home

For over 16 years Vital has specialised in helping commercial landlords improve the quality of their assets across the UK. We are experts in assessing buildings using the EPC national measurement system. We provide advisory services on how to improve EPC Grades to make a commercial rental building MEES compliant and how to upgrade to create an All-electric Decarbonised asset for a Net Zero Carbon future.

At the CPD events that we deliver to clients we are often asked for our advice on how to upgrade domestic homes to reduce winter energy bills and improve comfort.

Below we have put together 12 actionable suggestions for reducing energy consumption in your own family home or indeed in a Buy-to-Let investment that you may own.

1. Digital room thermometer: Know what the actual temperature is in all the rooms in your home. The HTC-1 is an excellent digital room thermometer that you can buy from Amazon or eBay. Put one on the wall in your living room, kitchen and bedrooms. They run off 2x AA batteries and are wonderfully low-tech. Position them on a wall using a picture hook nail or small screw. If you want something fancier and connected to your smart phone the Govee Wi-Fi room thermometers are good value. They are perfect if you want to monitor the temperature in an elderly relative’s home or a holiday home. A simple digital room thermometer can also reduce family arguments over the level of the central heating!
2. Loft insulation: – For commercial buildings the normal hierarchy of solutions is ‘Building Services First’ – (lighting, heating and cooling) but for domestic houses and flats ‘Fabric First’ is the way to go. Heat rises so to stop your expensive central heating pouring out of the top of your house cap it off with two layers of brand-new Rockwool in your loft. The second layer should be laid at right-angles to the first to create a mesh that very little heat can escape through. A very well insulated loft will also keep bedrooms cooler in the hot summer months. If your loft is full of old school books, Christmas decorations etc treat yourself to a new garden shed and store the gear from your loft on simple plastic racking in your shiny new shed. If you want to keep loft boarding above your two layers of Rockwool, clever metal extension brackets are available from B&Q. If you don’t fancy doing the job yourself hire a local handyman with a van to collect the Rockwool from the builders’ merchant.
3. Cavity insulation: If you’ve got a conventional cavity wall, investigate cavity wall insulation. This form of insulation is usually a very good idea unless you are one of the few people who live in a very exposed location, with driving wind and rain, and have poorly maintained external brickwork. 
4. Internal wall and ceiling insulation: A great way to boost the insulation of external facing walls is to get a local plasterer to install sheets of solid Celotex insulation board (say 75mm thick) to the INSIDE of the room and skim plaster whilst you are redecorating a single room. It’s a great idea if you are installing a new kitchen or bathroom and when everything is out of the room. Insulate the inside of the external facing wall while that room is a ‘building site’. Adding a sheet of Celotex (with a skim of plaster) to the ceiling of a room will make a significant improvement to thermal comfort and lower your heating bills.
5. Google Nest smart thermostat: Controlling your existing gas central heating is a great way to save on your energy bill. The Google Nest smart thermostat is brilliant – it is professionally fitted into your home, is highly accurate and means you can turn on and off your heating remotely using your phone.
6. Plug-in fan heaters: Localised on-demand electric heating is perfect in rooms that are not in constant use or that need just some boost heating on the coldest days. We like the Dreo Atom fan heater from Amazon. It’s got 1500 watts of power, sits on a desk, shelf or kitchen worktop and has a simple 1 to 12 hour countdown timer so it’s impossible to accidently leave it running all day. And it looks smart – just like a large Amazon Echo!
7. LED lighting: LED lamps in all light fittings is a must. There are many poor-quality LED lightbulbs sold on the web and even fake Philips lightbulbs. Vital recommends Philips LED lightbulbs be bought from reputable retailers like Waitrose or Tesco
8. Meter readings: You can’t manage what you don’t measure. Reading and recording your electricity and gas meters on the last day of the month is a great habit. If you are not on a smart meter, make sure you send these readings over to your energy supplier every month. They all have Apps for you phone to make the process quick and easy. If you like spreadsheets record the meter readings, turn the energy consumption into a money number and blue-tac the spreadsheet on the front of your family fridge every month. Most family members have no idea how much money the bill payer is spending every 30 days to heat and light their home. If you don’t like spreadsheets just write the meter readings on a sheet of paper every month and keep the paper in the meter cupboard. Having this consumption information under your direct control is so helpful if you want to switch energy suppliers because they always ask tricky energy consumption questions when you want to sign-up with them.
9. Draught-proofing: Draught-proofing is a great investment, especially in older houses with poorly fitting windows and doors. We are big fans of a British company called WindowSkins who manufacture custom fitted, totally clear Perspex covers that fit over the inside of windows. When fitted during the winter months this secondary glazing system totally stops draughts. In a domestic property it’s the draughts that make you feel cold and force you to turn up the expensive central heating. During the summer months, when you want to open windows, the WindowSkin is simply removed from the window frame and stored under a double bed. If you are good at DIY, you can make your own version of this system. There are online companies that will custom cut Perspex to size and you can make up your own fixing system that works in your house or flat.
10. Swap your old gas boiler for a new heat pump: The Government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme goes from strength to strength. You can get a grant of £7,500 towards replacing your old gas or oil boiler with a brand-new electric heat pump. Modern heat pumps now produce very hot water which means that existing radiators can still be used with the new heat pump. Lots of different companies now offer an installation package with the Government grant. It is one of the only Government grants that is not means tested so it is very popular with wealthier people. Check out the offer from Octopus Energy who have even designed an attractive, curvy external heat pump box that would look good on any patio. Always remember that all central heating systems, and especially electric heat pumps, work best in homes with a reasonable level of insulation. At the very least you should have a well-insulated loft or roof or ceilings for a heat pump to work correctly. If your existing gas boiler is getting on in age and the manufacturer’s warranty has expired, investigate this very generous Government grant scheme before the money runs out.
11. Mechanical ventilation. One of the best investments I’ve made to my own home is to install a Nuaire PIV ventilation unit. Nuaire is a large British ventilation company and they make a simple electrical fan unit that sits in your ventilated loft space and pushes fresh, filtered air into your home. They also make a slimline version for flats. This fresh air forces out the moisture laden air from your house or flat. The result is that running condensation on the inside of windows is a thing of the past, and stuff dries! Towels in bathrooms actually dry, clothes taken out of a washing machine dry without the expense of tumble driers and electric heated drying racks. Even walking boots and dogs dry out quickly. The net result is that you don’t need to crank the central heating up to dry things and keep moisture and damp at bay. I bought the ‘Heat’ version of the Nuaire PIV unit which slightly warms the incoming fresh air during the winter months. The only maintenance is to make a calendar note to replace the filter once every 3 years.
12. Work on your home’s EPC: Securing a good EPC Grade for your own family home can help to secure your family’s finances. Some UK mortgage companies are offering discounted mortgages for houses and flats that are EPC Grade B and A. They clearly wish to invest their money in homes that are energy efficient and fit for the future. Having a good EPC on your largest investment is a big help if you want to sell your house to someone who needs a mortgage, or if you may want to rent your house out or remortgage over the next 10 years. Getting a draft EPC for your home and discussing the draft Grade with the energy assessor who comes to your house is a very good idea. Please call Vital and we can point you in the right direction. Retrofit Assessors are well qualified professionals who can help you upgrade your home in the most cost-effective way.

The above is general advice for domestic houses and flats – as with any alteration to a building you should seek professional advice before embarking to ensure you comply with Building Regulations, Fire Regulations and the like.