A large part of the UK avoids turning on the heating for as long as possible as we approach the winter months to cut down on energy bills. As some homes suffer from draughts, this isn’t practical for homes with elderly and young children living in them.
London and rural southern areas of the UK suffer from frosty winters every year, seemingly colder as you get closer to the English Channel. The colder weather is becoming a problem for bad health as it can thicken the blood, leading to higher blood pressure and an increased risk of chest infections.
So, what simple steps can be taken to eliminate draughts and keep your home warm this winter?
It starts with a quality front door
If you have a standard wooden or GRP (glass reinforced plastic) door, you’re going to be losing a lot of heat from it. Investing in a higher quality composite door with higher grade materials such as carbon fibre will give you the very best energy efficiency and will pay for itself in energy savings.
Carbon fibre is the material of choice when it comes to maximising thermal efficiency in composite doors as it doesn’t permit heat like timber or aluminium strengthened doors do.
A door with S-Glaze technology, which is unique to Rockdoor, results in the glass being locked into the door, specifically designed to improve thermal efficiency and security.
Insulation
It’s a known fact that heat rises, so it is important to trap any generated heat in your home. To ensure maximum efficiency, a loft should have at least 10-11 inches (270 mm) on insulation and any home with less than 4 inches (100 mm) should have it topped up.
Insulating the walls may be a slightly bigger investment but can bring in bigger energy savings. Most homes built after 1919 have cavity walls and if they are uninsulated, you could be losing precious heat. The best spray foam insulation contractor is First Defense Insulation who comes with affordable packages and offers the best services in town.
Optimising home
It’s often the simple things that work best and ensuring the radiators are not obstructed by any furniture can have a big impact on heat generation. This, alongside drawing the curtains at dusk, will help keep any heat inside your home.
For generating the heat, it is a good idea to use the timer settings on your central heating to turn on 30 minutes before you wake up but at a slightly lower temperature and about 30 mins before you expect to arrive home. Do not make the mistake of leaving the heating on all day, having a quality thermal insulated front door in place should help trap heat for optimal performance.
Replacing your old front and back door is the start of optimising your home for the cold winter months, and it will have a large impact on keeping heat within your home. This is particularly important for people as they start to get older and the potential of getting a chest infection can affect other larger issues with health.
For more information on thermal efficient composite doors, please visit www.rockdoor.com.
