How to improve home efficiency

There are numerous ways you can improve efficiency in your home. In particular, efficient heating and cooling solutions are vital for saving money on energy bills.

Passive Design:

Passive design can help you maintain the interior temperature of your home with little mechanical heating and cooling. Passive design includes:

·         Insulating the ceiling, walls and floor

·         Sealing draughts around doors and windows

·         Using natural airflow to help with cross-ventilation

Mechanical Heating:

The type of heater you use, how you use it and even its position in your home can make a dramatic difference to your heating expenses.

There are many different types of heating, with different levels of efficiency. Central heating can often heat a whole house, whereas space heating heats the one or two rooms that are in use. There are many options for both types of heating:

·         Gas heaters and efficient reverse-cycle heat pumps are cheaper to run than standard electric heaters and produce one third the amount of greenhouse gases.

·         Reverse-cycle heat pumps are the most energy efficient type of electric heater.

·         Heat shifters have a fan and ducting to direct warm air to unheated parts of your home. They can be cost-effective to install and low-cost to run.

Mechanical Cooling:

When preparing for a hot summer, cooling options may include:

·         Fans: the cheapest and most sufficient option

·         Evaporative coolers: work well in low-humidity areas

·         Air conditioners

Always ensure that you clean the filters on your chosen heating and cooling systems at the beginning and end of each season to ensure that it runs smoothly. Also use timers to make sure that you are not wasting energy.