You may think that you’ve tried every trick in the book to keep your energy bills down and your home nice and warm as the temperature outside drops.
But even if you’ve already insulated the loft and stopped every draught, there are still things you can do to make your home more energy efficient.
Money Mail talks to the hands-on experts, from gas engineers to builders, for their practical tips that you may not have considered.
Check your boiler’s pressure gauge
Dom Roque, managing director of Dom’s Heating and Plumbing, recommends a few basic checks that you can do on your heating system to make sure it is in good shape.
And an annual service from a professional, typically costing around £100, will be money well spent.
‘An annual check helps spot problems – such as leaks and parts wearing out – before the boiler breaks down on Christmas Eve and you need an emergency call-out costing hundreds of pounds,’ he says.
If you want to carry out a few simple checks yourself, the first step is to look at the pressure gauge on your boiler, says Dom.
A modern pressurised boiler heating system typically reads between one and two bars when the boiler is on. If it’s any lower there may be a leak.
The gauge is normally fitted on the outside of the boiler on the front of the unit – a circular dial the size of a small stopwatch.
Look at this gauge, and if it is between zero and one put your ear to the boiler without touching anything and see if you can hear a slight hissing sound – indicating steam or water escaping the system.
If you can hear that, then there may be a fault with a relief valve on the unit that needs to be replaced by a gas engineer.
Also listen for a hissing sound coming from your radiators to check whether water or steam is escaping from them.
If there is, you may be able to fix this yourself. At the top of each radiator should be a small valve with a square-shaped tap that can be tightened or loosened with a radiator key. These can be bought for around £2 from a hardware store. If there is a hiss you might turn it clockwise until it stops – and is closed.
Don’t forget the hot water tank
If you have a separate hot water tank in the airing cupboard, check if there’s an expansion vessel connected to it that needs repressurising.
This is a metal cylinder about the size of a balloon that usually sits above, or to the side of, the hot water tank.
It also acts as a relief valve. Containing both air and water, it takes in extra water when the tank and central heating system heats up and water expands – and releases it back again when it cools down.
If it is not working properly then it might be full of water, and the only way the excess can escape is through an overflow pipe linked from the boiler to the outside of the house. You can identify the pipe outside your home to see if it is dripping.
Details of the pressure required for the expansion vessel should be clearly marked on the side of the unit. If you have a modern bicycle pump that includes a pressure measurement gauge you might be able to pump the vessel back up to the required pressure level – but in most cases it is best left to the professionals.
Do the radiators have cold spots?
If your radiators are not warming up as usual and perhaps have cold spots near the bottom of them, this indicates they may contain sludge. Once fixed, your heating bill could be halved.
It can be a messy job if you try sorting it out yourself, so it is best left to a qualified boiler expert who should have the equipment needed to clean out the radiators with a power flush. The equipment can sit outside the house.
Dom says: ‘If your radiators are full of sludge, it makes them half as efficient – like boiling a pan of fresh water compared to one of mud. The latter can double heating bills.’
An occasional ‘power flush’ to your radiator system by a plumber costs around £300 – but Dom says it should pay for itself in a year.
He adds that air in radiators can cause rust, so bleed them every year. You may be able to do this yourself. If you are not confident you can find practical guidance on YouTube.
Is there too much loft insulation?
Builder Mike Edwards, 68, who began as a bricklaying apprentice more than half a century ago, fears too many homes fill any gap in their loft with insulation – which is a costly mistake.
The co-founder of the website DIY Doctor says: ‘There is a misguided conception that a loft packed with insulation keeps bills down, when the opposite could be true.
The roof space should be cool and draughty. Otherwise, hot air hitting the cold roof creates condensation that rots wooden joists and insulation gets damp.’
Mike suggests insulation should be 270mm thick – but not tightly packed down. If it is placed under boards in the attic there should also be a 50mm air space between the insulation and boards.
You should leave a gap of at least 25mm between the insulation and eaves – the part of the roof that overhangs the wall of a house. Around 25 per cent of heat is lost through an uninsulated roof, so if done properly, it will save you at least £300 a year.
Put a jacket on an immersion heater
This cylinder in the airing cupboard is rarely understood or used efficiently to keep energy bills down, believes Dom.
He says: ‘Look at it as a giant kettle – with an electric heating element inside.’
There is no need to leave the immersion heater on all the time if you do not need hot water all day – as this can cost more money.
Putting it on for just an hour before you need the hot water is enough time to warm it up.
Dom says the cylinder must be well insulated – wrap it in a £20 jacket and ensure all connected pipework is also covered.
This costs from £1 per metre of insulation, and should knock at least £50 a year off your heating bill.
Dig out the instruction manual and make sure that the settings are providing warmth for the times that you need it.
There is no need to leave it on when you are away for the day – perhaps at work – or on holiday.
