Use the tips on these pages to guide heat saving in the shower to save money and reduce CO2 emissions. For more information on these tips check out the heat saving section.
| Curtains & Blinds |
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Close the curtains or blinds at night |
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Even if you are not using the room, this helps to reduce heat loss through the window |
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Make sure curtains and blinds are not hanging over radiators |
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This will help ensure the maximum heat goes into heating the room. |
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Make sure curtains are against the wall and window sill |
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This will help reduce draughts and heat loss by providing as good a seal as possible. |
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Use thick lined curtains where ever possible |
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This helps to reduce heat loss through windows.
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| Extractor Fan |
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Keep the extractor fan vent flaps clean and check they open and close properly |
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This minimises the draughts and heat loss. |
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Fit external sealing flaps to fans without them |
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This reduces draughts and heat loss.
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| Holes |
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Make there are no holes |
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Especially around any cables and pipes coming into the room. Check both inside and outside walls plus floors and ceilings.
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| Radiators |
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Keep furniture away from radiators |
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To improve air circulation. |
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Don't leave towels hanging over radiators |
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They just block air circulation. |
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Make sure the space below radiators is completely empty |
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This allows the air to circulate properly around the radiator |
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Make sure radiators don't need bleeding |
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A radiator which is cold at the top needs the trapped air bleeding out of it to improve efficiency, this also helps the efficiency of the whole heating system. |
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Make sure thermostatic valves are set correctly and not fully open |
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In rooms that are not used reduce the room temperature by turning down the valve |
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Clean the vents of thermostatic valves regularly |
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At least monthly vacuum the valve vents to ensure they are clean and clear of dirt and dust |
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Make sure thermostatic radiator valves are not in a draught |
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Draughts cause the valves to behave erratically and the draught is causing heat loss |
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Fit a shelf above radiators |
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This improves heat circulation. A shelf mounted about 50mm above the radiator help force heat into the room rather than straight up the wall, a depth of150mm works well |
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Reduce heat loss through outside walls |
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Fit Insulated reflective foil behind radiators on outside
walls. |
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Reduce heat loss through outside walls |
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Mount radiators on insulating boards (this moves the radiator further away from the wall) with a reflective foil surface. |
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Remove excessive paint from radiators |
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Where radiators have been painted, perhaps many times, the build up of paint acts as an insulator lowering their efficiency. Strip them back to bare metal, prime and paint with proper radiator paint. It does mean removing the radiator and can be messy.
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| Taps |
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Run the hot tap until the water runs hot rather than turning on the cold tap at the same time |
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There isn't much point cooling down water that isn't hat enough yet and it saves on water heating.
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| Windows |
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Don't leave windows open unnecessarily |
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How often have you gone out and forgotten to shut the window? |
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Reduce draughts |
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Fit sealing strips to windows edges that don't fit properly. |
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Make sure outer frame of window is sealed both inside and out |
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Make sure window frame is sealed both inside and out |
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Check beneath window sill for gaps that need sealing both inside and out |
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Fit double glazed windows |
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The expenses can be well worth it but it will have a long pay back time. Alternatively fit secondary double glazing. |
