Save money on your heating bills

With a fairly hefty gas increase coming down the lines this Autumn, there are things you can do to reduce the pain, these are just a few simple tips.

• Reduce the number of rooms that are heated...turn the rads off in that dining room that's only used at Christmas!
• Use your timer effectively, no need to have it on for hours before you come home from work, it should be sufficient to set it to come on 30 minutes before you arrive.
• Turn the heat off an hour before bed, the rads will continue to warm your room for a while.
• Turning your thermostat down by 1 degree can save up to 10% on your bills.
• How warm are your rooms? Living rooms should be about 20 degrees and bedrooms are most comfortable at 18 c.
• Close doors in the house, it will help keep the warmth in and prevent heat loss from unheated parts of your home.
• Make sure windows and doors are shut and sealed properly, check for drafts and remedy.
• Close your curtains, this will help retain heat in a room.
• Don't let curtains overhang rads as that will block the heat output.
• If your cold, pop a jumper on!

If your in a a older house you may look at making more drastic changes with insulation which could save you a lot of money over time. Grants are available for insulation, look at Sustainable Energy Ireland for Details: http://www.seai.ie/

PS. Every home that is put up for sale/rent must now have a BER cert (Building Energy Rating). The cert will provide a grade of energy efficiency from A(Best) to G(Worst). Energy efficient homes will be more attractive to potential buyers. This is another reason to look at adequately insulating your home.

FS