How to improve energy efficiency in your home

Posted under environment by Nicole G. Farrell

There are no shortage of reasons for making your home more eco-friendly. There is overwhelming evidence supporting the fact that man-made climate change is a real phenomenon, and ultimately it could make our planet uninhabitable. If you care about your children, grandchildren and future generations, this should be a pretty good reason to do whatever you can to help protect the environment. If that’s not enough to persuade you, however, then the potential cost-savings you could make should be particularly compelling in the current financial climate.

One of the most effective things you can do is lower your electricity usage. You can do that in a number of simple ways. Never leave things on standby, don’t leave lights on unnecessarily (and always use energy-saving lightbulbs), don’t use more water than you need when you boil the kettle, and wash your laundry at a lower temperature. If you have some money to invest, you could also look into having solar panels installed.

To reduce your heating bill, you should knock your thermostat down a few degrees, ensure curtains are closed after dark, upgrade your boiler if necessary, install better insulation, use draught excluders etc. One trick that’s less well-known is to place aluminium foil behind any radiators which are fitted to outer walls, thereby reflecting heat back into the room. If you have the money available, you can also reduce heat loss by replacing old wooden-framed windows with modern double-glazed UPVC windows.

Your choice of flooring can also make a difference to energy efficiency. One recent study investigated the ecological and economic footprint of various kinds of flooring, looking at factors such as the resources and materials consumed during the manufacturing process, ease of recycling etc.

Laminate flooring performed well in the study, scoring highly in 3 out 4 of the areas being examined. Its affordability also makes it a great choice for anyone looking to update their home with energy-efficiency in mind.

For cheap laminate flooring, look no further.