10 Bright Home Upgrade Ideas
energy efficiency
With winter upon us and energy efficiency becoming increasingly more important for saving money and the environment, here are ten possible home upgrade ideas for you to think about.
Cavity Walls - Add 50-100mm cavity fill blow fibre insulation into the cavity wall.
Upper Floors - Add 200mm acoustic quilt insulation between your first floor joists.
Pitched Roofs - Add 100mm quilt insulation between existing ceiling joists and 200mm above ceiling joists, maintain a continuous ventilation path to avoid the build up of condensation (for insulation at ceiling level on cold roofs).
Windows and Doors - Replace with energy efficient, double or triple glazed ‘A’ rated windows and doors.
Windows and Doors - For older homes with single pane glazing consider internal secondary glazing or thermal blinds.
Ventilation - Add intermittent mechanical extractor fans to Kitchens, Bathrooms, Utility Rooms and Wc’s.
Heating & Hot Water System - Add 80mm insulated jacket to hot water cylinder and add TRVs to all radiators. Add insulation to all primary exposed pipe work.
Heating & Hot Water System - Replace old boiler with a new energy efficient gas condensing boiler. Replace old hot water cylinder with new energy efficient hot water cylinder/thermal store. Consider upgrading your heating controls and thermostats.
Secondary Heating - Replace open wood/coal burning fires with new wood burning stove, flue and ventilation.
Lighting - Replace all tungsten light bulbs for energy efficient compact fluorescent or LED light bulbs (this is the easy win!).
If you would like any more information on this subject, or would like to discuss any of the above improvements in more detail, please feel free to drop me an email to: trevor@trevorsmith.design
Did you know about the green Homes energy grant?
Homeowners and Landlords in England can apply for a voucher towards the cost of installing energy efficient and low-carbon heating improvements to homes which could help save up to £600 a year on energy bills. The government will provide a voucher that covers up to two thirds of the cost of qualifying improvements to your home. The maximum value of the voucher is £5,000. Find out if you can claim here: Green Homes Energy Grant.