Average Brit has spent £3k making their home more energy efficient

SWNS

The average Brit has spent almost £3,000 making their home more energy efficient to date - with new windows, thicker curtains, and insulated walls the most popular methods.  Other much favoured bill-reducing home improvements include new roof insulation, draught excluders, and new doors.  But there are also smaller steps to take, with some making their property more sustainable more cheaply by bleeding radiators and sealing gaps around doorframes and windows.  The survey of 2,000 adults found less than half (42 per cent) think their home is energy efficient - with a whopping 74 per cent saying they found it difficult to tell just how much energy they’re wasting in their home.  Phil Clamp, from Greenwich, said, “We’ve recently moved from a flat to a three-bed terrace house which seems to lose heat really quickly.  "With a young child, we’re more conscious than ever to ensure the house remains warm, but it can be hard to understand if we’re heating our home as effectively as we should be and don’t really know where we can go to turn for advice.”    New builds - between 0 and five-years-old - were considered the most efficient home.  And more than half (51 per cent) of those who live in detached houses think their home are the most energy - efficient despite ONS data show that they are in fact amongst the least efficient in the UK.  Gail Parker, Low Carbon Homes Director at British Gas, which offers the Home Health Check [https://www.britishgas.co.uk/smart-home/greener-homes/home-health-check.html], said: "Our homes are as unique as the people that live in them, which is why it’s important to receive personalised advice that will make a worthwhile difference.  “Energy efficiency home improvements come in a whole range of sizes, from things like insulation, heat pumps and solar panels, to ensuring radiators aren’t covered and are bled, and gaps are sealed around doorframes and windows.”  Many believe heat escapes most from around the door frame (31 per cent), through the roof (31 per cent) and via the vent in the bathroom (17 per cent), which are all common areas seen by experts.  When it comes to rooms, the kitchen was voted as the least efficient room, closely followed by the lounge and the hallway.  Saving money on heating (76 per cent), keeping the home warm in the winter months (66 per cent) and being comfortable in their property (56 per cent) are the main factors people want to make sure their home is energy efficient.  With the UK having one of the oldest housing stocks in Europe, it’s fitting that homeowners are looking for ways to improve their energy efficiency while saving money and reducing their bills.  The survey revealed 65 per cent would find it useful to have a professional take a look around to tell them how to improve its efficiency, according to the stats by OnePoll.  Gail Parker, for British Gas, added: “It’s understandable that now winter is here that people want to take steps to conserve heat in their home - no matter the age of the house or flat.  “However, it can be hard to tell the efficiency of your home and it’s heating system without professional advice.  "With our Home Health Check, surveyors will give you a personalised plan on how to make it more efficient, to help you save money on your winter energy bills."  TOP 10 MOST POPULAR ENERGY SAVING METHODS:   1.    Replaced windows 2.    Bought thick curtains 3.    Insulated the walls 4.    Replaced the insulation in the roof 5.    Bled radiators 6.    Sealed gaps around doorframes and windows 7.    Purchased draught excluders 8.    Replaced doors 9.    Made sure the floor is insulated 10.   Filled holes in the wall where heat can escape from

Transcript

00:00 It's official, the nation's homes are severely lacking in energy efficiency.

00:07 As the winter cold is coming, British Gas, who recently launched the Home Health Check,

00:11 are going to showcase the simple hacks that can be done to increase efficiency and save

00:15 money.

00:16 So the things that we've tried are closing the curtains and closing the doors to keep

00:23 the heat compartmentalised, but sometimes what we have to do, because we've got a three-year-old

00:27 daughter, so we put a small heater in her room just to make sure that when she's going

00:32 to sleep it isn't too cold.

00:34 Are we actually really efficient or really inefficient?

00:37 Is there money that we're just throwing away?

00:38 So really keen to learn and to understand what we can do better.

00:45 The common heat loss areas in a property are the walls, the floors, the roof and the windows

00:51 and doors.

00:54 People tend to focus on the smaller things, but focusing on the efficiency of the heating

00:59 system is really important and that's one of the reasons I'm here today.

01:03 So I would say for quick tips, remove the radiator covers, put some reflective foil

01:09 behind the radiator in the living room and fill in some cracks between the skirting boards

01:14 and the floor because you might be losing some heat through those gaps.

01:19 The boiler flow temperature, setting that at 60 to 65 is really important because otherwise

01:25 if it's higher you can lose money and it can cost you some energy as well.

01:32 So if you want to understand more about the efficiency of your home, I would recommend

01:37 getting a home health check because it is a personalised check for your property rather

01:42 than a generalised thing because every property is different.

01:46 It's been enlightening, there's so many things that we can do and so many things that we

01:51 are now going to go and try so that hopefully we can bring our bills down and live in a

01:57 nice warm, not freezing cold house.

01:58 [Music]

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