Homeowners are increasingly interested in making their homes more energy efficient, but many don’t know where to begin.
Making your home more energy efficient can cut your energy bills and make your home a more comfortable place to live. Improved energy efficiency can help keep your home warm during the winter and cool during the summer.
Not only will making your home more energy efficient cut your energy bills by reducing your energy consumption, it can also cut your carbon footprint.
Read on to find out ways you can make your home more energy efficient.
Renewable Energy
Renewable energy sources such as solar panels can help make your home more energy efficient.
Solar power is a clean, green way to power your home as it is a low-carbon, renewable energy source. It can help reduce your energy bills by generating your electricity and reducing your reliance on the national grid.
Solar panels work by absorbing solar energy through the photovoltaic (PV) cells in the panels. This is then converted into usable electricity.
When solar panels are paired with a solar battery your home won’t need to rely on the national grid for power. This is even when your solar panels aren’t generating power.
Solar batteries, or solar power storage, allow the energy generated from your solar panels to be stored. The stored electricity can then be used at a later time such as through the night.
Double Glazing
Upgrading your windows to modern double glazed windows from single glazed or old double glazed windows can increase your home’s energy efficiency.
Single glazed windows lose heat around twice as fast as double glazed windows. Even old double glazing could be costing you more on your energy bills due to not being as efficient anymore. This is why you may want to look into upgrading them.
This is because single glazed or old double glazed windows let more heat escape from the home. This means you will spend more heating your home to keep it warm.
When getting new windows, it is also important to check their energy efficiency rating. Windows are rated based on their energy efficiency. They are given a letter between A and E, A being the most energy efficient and E being the least.
Choosing a window with a higher energy efficiency rating may cost more up front, but in the long run it could quite well save you money.
Heat Pumps
Heat pumps are one of the most effective and cost-efficient heating sources to date. They are a great way to not only reduce your energy bills, but also your carbon footprint.
They work by taking heat from the ground or the air surrounding a building and increasing its temperature to heat homes. This makes them more efficient than a typical boiler which relies on more energy to heat your home.
Heat pumps are more efficient than other heating systems, producing about three times more energy than they take in. To put it in comparison, your typical modern gas boiler runs at around 90% efficiency while heat pumps run at 300% efficiency.
Energy Efficient Grants
Many homeowners don’t know they could be eligible for government grants to help make their home more energy efficient.
At Homeshield Scotland, we have been providing our customers with ways to make their homes more energy efficient.
We have been successful in helping our customers apply for free funding from Home Energy Scotland, who are funded by the Scottish Government.
Customers could be eligible for up to £9,000 in free funding. This can help towards the installation of clean heating systems such as heat pumps and other energy efficient improvements.
Check your eligibility and find out more about the funding here to start your journey to a cheaper, warmer and greener future today.
