As you may know from recent articles following the rise in energy prices, making a few small changes to your home can significantly improve its efficiency, keeping you warmer for longer.
Although you may have looked at the energy efficiency of your windows, boiler, appliances, and insulation, have you considered how your home is laid out?
By moving your furniture, you could find that this can be just as efficient as turning off lights, limiting the use of your tumble dryer, lowering your thermostat by a few degrees or having showers instead of baths.
By moving your furniture away from radiators, you’ll ensure that the heat moves around the home more effectively, keeping you warm and cosy without turning up the temperature. Although you won’t be able to live comfortably without central heating, it’s essential that you use it as little as possible. By having your furniture in front of a radiator, the items will soak up the majority of the heat rather than it warming up your rooms.
The worst culprits are sofas and armchairs, as we tend to move these to the outer edges of the room, stopping you from feeling toasty in your living room. A similar rule applies to curtains and blinds. Make sure to put your curtains behind your radiator rather than in front of them, and choose curtains that stop below the windowsill but above the radiator so that they don’t block the heat. It’s essential to ensure curtains are placed behind radiators rather than in front of them, which could also block out much-needed heat. Otherwise, heat is directed towards the windows, and if you don’t have well-insulated windows or double glazing, you’ll be throwing money out of the window.
Although this isn’t a complete fix for the ongoing energy crisis, it will help to keep your home warmer for longer.
