As temperatures drop, finding warmth and comfort indoors becomes a top priority. While concerns about gas and electricity costs linger, there are numerous practical tips to ensure energy efficiency.
Renowned organizer and television personality, Dilly Carter, shares insights on quick tasks to prepare your home for the colder season. “Starting with a smart meter is a simple step,” suggests Dilly. “Monitoring your energy usage helps identify areas where you can reduce consumption.”
Smart meters, provided by energy suppliers at no extra charge, offer real-time displays of spending in pounds and pence. When focusing on the living room, Dilly emphasizes the importance of retaining heat to reduce energy expenses.
To prevent heat loss, Dilly recommends using draft excluders on doors, letterboxes, chimneys, and window seals. Additionally, investing in thicker curtains or curtain liners can help insulate windows, while rugs aid in insulating cold floors, particularly with older, draughty floorboards. Ensuring proper heat circulation, such as moving furniture away from radiators, is also crucial.
For homes with central heating, Dilly advises optimizing its use. Setting heating timers efficiently and understanding the warm-up time required can help manage energy consumption effectively. Regarding lighting, Dilly suggests using lamps for a cozier ambiance and switching to LED bulbs to reduce lighting costs significantly.
Dilly stresses the importance of simple, cost-effective ways to keep homes warmer during winter. By identifying and addressing areas with potential heat loss, such as draughts and radiator efficiency, households can enhance comfort without major investments in energy-efficient technology.
Remember, individual eligibility may vary, and the smart meter display and figures are provided for illustrative purposes only.