Top Tips for Making Your Home More Energy Efficient

Making energy efficient improvements to your home can help to reduce your energy bills both now and for years to come. For example, upgrading from a G-rated boiler to an A-rated boiler can save around £260 per year. There are also lots of lower cost improvements you can make that can help reduce bills and minimise your carbon footprint.

Energy efficient improvements can also deliver other benefits such as improving comfort in the home and increasing the value of a property. Adding a skylight or several skylights can enhance the aesthetics in your home, while improving energy efficiency and potentially boosting the value if you sell your property in the future.

Here are some top tips for how to make your home more energy efficient:

Maximise natural light with skylights

Installing skylights will bring a significant amount of natural light into your room, reducing the requirement for artificial lighting that runs up energy bills. If you are wondering - are skylights energy efficient?, the answer is yes. By choosing high-quality double or triple glazed rooflights, you will minimise heat loss in winter and avoid overheating in summer.

Skylights are easy to install and the cost of a roof window starts from just £165 plus VAT. See our full range of skylights to see the prices for different sizes and specifications.

Improve insulation

In most homes, the majority of heat loss is through the roof, so adding insulation or improving the existing insulation in your loft can be a very effective way to improve energy efficiency. You can also upgrade your wall and floor insulation, with cost effective solutions like fibreglass and some homes qualify for free or cheaper insulation under the Great British Insulation Scheme.

Upgrading windows from single pane to double or triple glazing will also have a big impact on energy savings and can add to the value of your property. Sealing any gaps around windows and doors is another way to prevent costly heat loss.

Upgrade to energy-efficient heating and appliances

When it is time to replace your appliances, always choose the highest energy efficiency ratings. The scale runs from A to G, with A being the most energy efficient option. Prior to 2021, the scale ran from A+++ to D, so if you have an old appliance with A or B rating, it will be considerably less energy efficient compared to today’s A rating.

If you haven't already switched to a smart thermostat, this is another good way to improve energy efficiency and monitor your energy usage more closely.

Adopt energy-saving habits

Making simple changes to your daily habits can also make a big difference over time. For example, switching to LED bulbs will reduce energy consumption, as will making sure you always turn lights off in rooms you are not using.

Don’t leave devices in standby mode, always unplug them when they are not in use or use smart plugs to reduce the amount of energy they are using.

Try washing clothes at a lower temperature or use the eco-mode on washing machines and dishwashers. Tumble dryers are a huge drain on energy, so wherever possible, air dry your clothes to keep tumble drying to a minimum.

Reducing the length of time of your showers will not only reduce water usage, it will also decrease the energy usage in heating your water. Changing your cooking habits can also have a big impact on your energy consumption, as slow cookers and air fryers will consume less energy than traditional ovens.

Conclusion

As energy costs have been rising rapidly, improving the energy efficiency of your home will no doubt have become a big priority. Adopting some of these changes will help you to reduce your energy bills, with big savings possible over time.

Adding a skylight could be a more cost-effective home improvement than you think and there are many additional benefits on top of improving energy efficiency. Rooflight installation can make a room seem bigger, boost wellbeing and modernise your property.

At Rooflights and Skylights UK, we have a huge range of high-quality, energy efficient skylights that will increase the natural light in your home.