Use your energy to keep heating bills down
Heating bills are often the largest household expense after the mortgage or rent. Heating your home uses more energy and costs more than any other system in your home.
Using natural gas is the most popular way of heating homes in the UK with 49% having gas heating and 34% electric heaters, according to the Department of Energy.
But there are savings to be had. The DoE advises that you can save money by maintaining or upgrading your equipment including insulation and regulating the thermostat settings. The department reckons you can save about 30% on your bill by taking these steps.
Tips for saving money include keeping the thermostat as low as you can during the winter months without feeling cold and to ‘bleed’ the radiators every couple of months to get rid of trapped air. In colder months, make sure you are wearing something warm before deciding to turn up the heating.
Check appliances every year
You should have all gas appliances including the boiler, cooker and fires checked every year to make sure they are working properly and that ventilation is good, otherwise you may be at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
It is also worth fitting a carbon monoxide alarm to alert you to this deadly gas. The problem with carbon monoxide is you cannot see or smell it, so you may not realise your appliances are leaking.
If your gas appliances are quite old, then it may be time to get a new model. If so, you should look for energy-efficient models.
Get quotes from companies you can trust
According to the Gas Safe Register, you need to contact your local authority if you have a new gas appliance fitted. If it is a flueless cooker, there is no need to register. Your engineer should do this for you.
If you want they could examine your radiators at the same time, if it looks like there a tad worse for wear or you fancy an upgrade or even a few more there are lots of specialist radiator suppliers out there who can offer a whole array of designs and types. For example http://apolloradiators.co.uk/ offer towel radiators, there great for keeping both the towels warm and the bathroom, after all theres nothing better than jumping out of the shower and not being a shivering wreck
You can look online to compare models and prices while also seeing pictures to look at dimensions and styles which will suit your home. It is worth checking the credentials of installers and ask if they can supply references from customers.
