There are a number of ways in which you can warm your home. But if you aren’t careful, you could end up spending quite a lot of money on this. At the same point of time, you wouldn’t want to suffer in the cold either right? Here are a few tips to help you get out of this sticky situation:
Keeping the heat in
Using electricity for heating can be really expensive, especially if all of the heat you produce goes straight out of your home. Do anything you can to keep heat inside. Insulate your home efficiently against the loss of heat.
Houses built after the 30’s will have cavity wall constructions. This means they have a double skin with a gap in the middle between to keep dampness from penetrating the walls. You can easily fill the gap using beads or foam. This will ensure heat from your electric radiator stays inside.
You should also ensure your loft is properly insulated. You need at least 270 mm of insulation up there. If you don’t have enough, simply top it up till it’s enough.
Control electric radiators
If you are using a night storage heater or some other economical electric heater, you need to be able to regulate the heat in order to ensure you don’t waste money. Familiarize yourself with the heating controls and use thermostats and timers to prevent the room from becoming too hot.
With night storage heaters, set the output to the lowest possible setting when you sleep. This will store heat in the unit at night and then use it during the day. You can open the output gradually in the day if you want additional warmth.
Economical heaters usually have a thermostat too. This shuts off the heater when it reaches the required temperature. Do not be tempted to set the thermostat to the maximum when it’s cold. This won’t heat your room any faster.
Upgrade radiators
Heating technology is improving all the time. As insulation materials improve, the controls are getting more accurate and the heating is getting more efficient. If you are using storage heaters which are more than 10 years old, they are probably outdated and due an upgrade.
When choosing new heaters for your home, take the size of the space which needs to be heated into account. Speak with the salesperson or manufacturer so that you choose the appropriate size. Find out everything you can about the settings and controls of the appliance and look at all your options before buying a new unit.
Using electricity for heating is never going to be cheap, but with some effort and research, you should be able to save on heating expenses.
