It is getting more expensive to run your own home every year, and with the last year being so difficult for many, it may be time to look at whereabouts you can save a little money within your home while improving it at the same time.
Most jobs around the house can be done by yourself. However, some, such as sorting your boiler, will require the skills of a corgi registered person.
When looking into the running costs of your home, it is wise to check out the prices and deals which your utility suppliers are offering and see if any other companies are offering their services for less. This may sometimes seem to be time-consuming, but there are savings to be made, and you could always have a look at a comparison site to see what is on offer there.
There are other ways to improve your home’s running costs, which will not cost you the earth or that you could, with a little help, do yourself. These are such things as changing your light bulbs from the traditional to the eco-friendly long-life ones. These may cost a little more to start with, but with a much longer life span than the traditional ones, they work out far, far cheaper.
If you find that your central heating is a bit sluggish to come on or your radiators are not getting hot all the way up, you may find it beneficial to bleed your radiators yourself before spending money and getting a qualified plumber in to have a look.
However, the main ways to cut the costs of running your own home can be a little expensive up front, but the savings in the long term are highly justifiable, and even more so if you decide that you would like to sell your home as they could add value and make your home more desirable to buyers.
Saving money on heating your home
Windows and doors
There are many ways to help save money when it comes to heating your home, such as making sure that your home is fully insulated, having double glazing throughout, or, if you live in a particularly cold part of the world, triple glazing.
Replacing your front and back doors with good quality double glazed doors from a reputable firm. Ensuring that your conservatory is double glazed, without any warping or damage to seals and that the roof is a multiwall polycarbonate sheet of 35mm. These sheets are incredibly lightweight and strong and offer thermal efficiency up to 200 times stronger than that of glass, and are UV protected on one side.
Make sure that your letterbox flap has a storm guard or draft excluder so that it does not flap in the wind and let the cold air in.
Boiler and radiator issues
As stated previously, check that your radiators do not require any easy maintenance such as bleeding, which you can carry out yourself before you phone a plumber.
Sign up for a boiler service scheme and have your boiler serviced every year to ensure that it stays in peak condition and any problems are quickly sorted out by professionals who are corgi registered.
Install new flooring
Install good quality flooring with the thickest underlay recommended for the type of flooring you have.
Different types of flooring have different types of underlay, be sure to fully research the best types for what you need before buying. All flooring can be laid by yourself. However, if it has cost a lot of money to buy, you will probably do better to have a carpet fitter come and put it down for you or a carpenter if you have paid out for top-quality wood flooring.
Ensure that you have a fully insulated loft
Make sure that you have a fully insulated loft. You can tell those that have not, as they are the ones without snow on their roofs after it has snowed heavily. This is because all of their heat is escaping through their roofs, melting the snow.
One of the main areas which often gets missed when loft installation is done is the loft hatch itself. Double-check that yours has its insulation.
Making the switch from baths to showers
Making the switch from baths to showers can save you a lot of money in water bills. On average, a bath can use more than double the amount of water than that of a shower and, in some cases, can be as much as triple the amount
Switch to using a dishwasher rather than washing up by hand. There are several reasons why a dishwasher is better than washing up by hand, and one of them is that if you always make sure that the dishwasher is fully loaded before switching it on, it will actually be cheaper on the water than if you were to wash up by hand.
Another more important reason is that of hygiene. To kill most germs, you need to have water around 60 degrees C or greater. This temperature can be easily reached in a dishwasher, whereas it is nearly impossible to reach this temperature when washing dishes by hand.
