There is nothing more exciting than preparing a cosy warm home for autumn. This year is slightly different, however. With rocketing energy prices and the impending October price cap increase, people are understandably concerned about warming their homes. You can take action and save money with these simple steps.
Why are energy prices rising?
The rising energy prices are a result of a perfect storm, unfortunately. As the world started to recover from the pandemic, the demand for gas started to increase again, and demand could not be met. This caused prices to rise. The situation was made worse by renewables like solar and wind producing less power than anticipated. The increase in gas prices forced a number of energy suppliers out of business. Most recently, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia has threatened supplies and increased prices furthermore. Russia is one of the world’s largest producers of oil and gas. Due to various sanctions imposed on Russia, they have decided to now also shut down the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, which runs from Russia to Germany.
Wood Burning Stoves:
Wood burning stoves have rapidly increased in demand this year. Part of this is due to people wanting to control their heating costs and move away from gas and electricity. While a stove (unless it’s set up to heat a central heating boiler) is not designed to heat an entire house, it is a great way to heat a room. You have control over how much wood you burn – which, if you source yourself, is free heat. If you need to buy wood, it’s not currently subject to the frightening price increases due to things happening in different parts of the world, unlike gas and electricity.
View our range of wood-burning stoves.
Preparing your home for this autumn and the subsequent winter will help you save money and be prepared.
Tips to prepare your home for autumn:
Clean and service your stove or fire. Having a chimney cleaned by a professional sweep is very wise, as is having it serviced – especially if you are planning on using it more this season due to gas and electricity prices. This reduces the chances of chimney fires, carbon monoxide poisoning and other potentially very dangerous things happening when you’re heating your home. Having the work done in the autumn will also mean come the very cold weather, you should have a well-serviced, safe and efficient stove.
Energy Saving Bulbs. As the days become shorter, your lights will be on more. Save around £40+ a year with LED/Energy Saving Bulbs. Although they cost more to buy they use less energy and last a great deal longer than regular bulbs. With electricity prices the way they are this is a very smart move.
Turn Your Thermostat on – (then lower it). You can save 2-4% on your heating for each degree you drop on your thermostat. An easy way to save here is when it’s time to switch the heating on, drop the temperature 1 degree at a time, and keep doing this over several days until you arrive at a temperature that you find comfortable. It could easily save 10% or more off your heating costs.
Cover Bare Floors – A rug is a great way to cover a bare floor and reduce heat loss. Some people do like the look and feel of a bare floor. However, it is not that energy efficient. So unless you can’t live without a bare floor, we would suggest covering it either totally with carpet or even just a rug.
Reduce Your Water Temperature – Many households have their water far too hot, which is a waste, especially with the energy costs the way they are. A quick and easy tip here is to reduce the water temperature in small intervals until you reach a level you are happy with (i.e the lowest temperature, which is still comfortable to use).
Taking a few sensible steps this autumn and winter will save money and help you lower your carbon footprint. Energy prices are rocketing. You can take control by taking the time to plan.