Energy Saving Ideas for your Home | Glaze & Save

Energy saving doesn’t have to be costly or inconvenient. There are many “soft options” that save you money with the minimum of hassle and fuss. In fact, we’d highly recommend that you tackle your energy efficiency woes with these simple solutions before investing in expensive energy saving measures. Sometimes a little really does go a long way!

At Glaze & Save, we’re passionate about helping households and businesses save money on their energy bills. Our CEO Tanya Ewing has worked tirelessly over the last ten years, sharing her knowledge of energy efficiency with as many people as possible.

Draughts

Tackling draughty areas of your home is a sure fire way to make it more energy efficient, and more comfortable to live in too! Undertake these simple steps and you’ll be saving money and feeling the heat in no time at all.

External Doors

Draught-proofing your external doors is a no-brainer: and using superior products that last not only saves you money in the long run, but are better for the environment. Glaze & Save’s draught-proofing product InvisiSeal™ goes on like liquid but dries like rubber: patented technology that is as discrete as it is effective.

A good quality door bar with brush or rubber surround and letterbox cover will also lock in the warm air without breaking the bank.

Pipes

An effective and speedy fix for any pipe coming up from the subfloor is to put some removable draught-proofing down these holes. This five minute hack is great for kitchens and bathrooms and holes, and can creature a five degree temperature rise!

Invest in high quality insulation underlay under any carpets on the ground floor of your property. You can now buy extremely effective underlays that promote the U-Value.

And don’t forget your chimney! During the summer, or for chimneys that are rarely used, invest in a chimney pillow to eradicate draughts and stop all of your lovely heat going straight up the flue! Chimney pillows are cost effective and easy to install: they can also be easily removed when you want to use your chimney.

Windows

This area really should be one of your main priorities in tackling the energy efficiency of your home. If you’re dead against curtains and shutters then Glaze & Save InvisiTherm™can significantly reduce heat loss through your glaze by up to 63% without compromising the look of your windows.

Insulating walls, floors and ceilings

Did you know that you could insulate your walls by introducing a paint additive to your paint? Use the additive in your first coat, before smoothing things out with a second coat of additive-free paint. If you prefer paper to paint, then insulating wallpaper has you covered too. You can also stop heat escaping through your walls with products designed for underneath your décor; insulating plasterboard comes in a variety of thicknesses, helping to retain the heat in a room while being completely invisible.

Heating system

Get to know your heating system intimately by installing heating controls with remote access from smart devices, such as Hive www.hivehome.comor Nest www.nest.com. Our CEO Tanya knows this area inside and out, and highly recommends monitoring your energy usage for maximum efficiency.

The most well-monitored heating system can still be let down by inefficient heaters. Over time, our central heating systems can become clogged with dirt and debris, making them less efficient. A power flush of your central heating system can unclog with gunk and make your system work more efficiently.

Radiators

Using radiator reflectors or radiator foils will help stop radiator heat from being soaked up by your walls. There are many options on the market; however, Tanya’s favourite is www.warmroom.co.uk/how-to-fit-it/. Start with all of your radiators on external walls and feel the difference almost immediately.

Radiator boosters are an excellent innovation which stops heat rising from your radiator to the roof, instead pushing the heat out at waist level and towards your sofa!

Other Areas

As well as the main energy guzzlers listed above, there are a few extra steps you can take to ensure the optimal energy efficiency of your home. Adding one, two, or even a few of these extra innovations will really give your energy saving steps some extra oomph.

Wood-Burning Stove

An Eco-Fan will make a huge difference in circulating the heat of your wood-burning stove to the areas of the room where you need it most.

Fans

Energy saving fans help improves the efficiency of your heaters and radiators by keeping warm air down at working level, reducing the heat losses through ceilings and roofs.

LED Lighting

An average of 18% of a buildings energy usage can come from lighting. Using energy efficient LED lighting combined with occupancy sensors can save you over 30% on the cost of you lighting. By replacing all halogen downlighters in your home with LED alternatives, you could save about £35 a year on your electricity bills.

Grants & Government Funding

There are schemes available from the Scottish Government to give your energy tips and advice, as well as help with energy efficiency measures.

You could get help to cut your bills and make your home warmer. You could even qualify for extra income, discounted energy rates, free or subsidised insulation or a new boiler. You can obtain information about available support and eligibility from the Energy Saving Trust.