by Tim Harry

Created on: August 15, 2010   Last Updated: January 04, 2011

The winter months will normally see an increase in energy usage throughout the home. Longer nights will mean that household lights are left on for longer, whilst the colder days will see the home heating turned on and up. It is possible though to save energy through the winter months, something that will help to save money, as well as helping to preserve the earth’s natural resources.

There are numerous ways to save energy during the winter, although as with other times of the year, the basic principle all comes down to preventing energy wastage.

Most of the energy used throughout the winter goes on heating the home. In many homes though much of this heat escapes, and all that happens is that the air outside of the home is warmed up. Insulation is essential to saving energy during the winter. Rolled loft insulation, when laid to an appropriate thickness, could save twenty percent off of heating bills, whilst the presence of cavity wall insulation could save even more money and energy. 

Further insulating can also be done on the home’s pipe work. This will help to keep hot water hot, and will also have an added benefit of helping prevent pipes from freezing.

Insulation will reduce the amount of energy needed to keep the home at a constant temperature during the winter months. With a further few simple steps though, far more energy can be saved.  

Simply turning down the thermostat by 1C can save as much as ten percent on energy usage. Greater savings of course can be made with further reductions in the thermostat, although of course nobody wants to be cold in their own home. A decision though can be made on whether putting on thicker clothing is better than using the home’s energy supplies.

Many homeowners do often end up heating unnecessary areas of the home. If a room is rarely or never used, then it is likely to require less heating than the main living room. The majority of traditional radiators will have radiator valves, these allow for the radiator to be turned on and off. Additionally new thermostatic radiator valves and room thermostats are an option, as they can ensure that individual rooms are heated to a desired temperature, rather than a room being just fully heated or not heated.

It is also a good idea to consider lining the wall behind a radiator with tin foil. This basic step, when used on outside walls, can help reduce the amount of heat wasted trying to heat a cold wall.

If it is time to replace an existing boiler then it is a good idea to seek out the most efficient one that can be afforded. Condensing boilers are particularly efficient, and could save a huge amount compared to a boiler that is just a few years old. A change of boilers could lead to savings in the region of twenty to thirty percent.

Aside from heating, lighting is the biggest consumer of energy during the winter months. Dark evenings, longer nights, and dark mornings all mean that home lights are on for a greater amount of time. This though doesn’t mean that it is necessary to light up the whole home continually. Lights only really need to be on in rooms that have someone in them. Turning lights off when the room is going to be left empty can save huge amounts of energy, and it doesn’t matter that someone is going to be using the room in ten or fifteen minutes time, it remains more energy efficient to turn off and turn on again. Energy used in lighting an empty room is in essence wasted energy.

Energy wastage is not something limited to the winter months, although the amount of energy used does go up in the winter. Recognising where heat and light is being wasted is essential for ensuring that energy can be saved throughout the whole year.

Learn more about this author, Tim Harry.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.