Rising energy bills are a concern for many people in Ireland today, and the costs are inevitably higher over the winter when the temperature drops. Whether your home is heated using home heating oil, central heating or a wood-burning stove, you’ll be using a lot more fuel to keep your home warm in the colder seasons.
The good news is that there are many other things you can do to keep your home cosy before you turn up the thermostat on your boiler. Using our simple tips will help to save you money and keep you warm all winter, and you can share these ideas with your family and friends to reduce your carbon footprint further. Read on for our favourite energy-saving tips.
Our Top Energy Saving Tips For Your Home
If your mission is to reduce your heating bills and save yourself money this winter, you’re in the right place! We’re committed to helping our customers to reduce their energy bills and stay warm all year round, and our top tips include:
- Layer up. You can reduce the pressure on the thermostat in your home by heating each person individually rather than increasing the temperature in the building as a whole, and this is a great way to make substantial savings on your energy bills. Layering up your clothing, with several long-sleeved options and a collection of warm sweaters, will give you the options you need to adapt to the climate all year round. You can extend this idea to have a selection of blankets and throws in your home, perhaps in a decorative basket, so that your family and visitors can reach for another layer and cosy up without spending more on your heating bills.
- Use draft excluders. It may sound old school, but draft excluders and thick curtains can help to reduce lost heat energy in your home and keep you feeling cosy for longer. Draft excluders under doors can prevent heat from being lost in this way, and you can check for any other gaps around your windows and doors and take care to block these to keep the warmth in. You can invest in stylish options that complement your home decor or simply use a rolled-up blanket to fill the gaps and preserve the cosy atmosphere you want in your home throughout the winter.
- Check your insulation. The insulation in your home is one of the biggest factors in preserving heat energy and staying cosy through the winter. Checking your insulation and adding more where you can will save you a great deal of money on your energy bills and help to lower your carbon footprint, and there are many ways to do this. You should consider the insulation in your roof, walls and floor, and find out about your options for improving this. Older homes are sometimes more difficult to insulate than new homes, and you can find out about any grants that may apply in your unique situation. You can also insulate your hot water cylinder to keep the hot water inside it warm for longer, and this can represent a saving of around €50-60 on your energy bills.
- Service your boiler. A boiler that is working optimally will heat your home much more effectively and save you money on heating your home. You should have your boiler serviced every year, and it is a good idea to do this before the winter so that you have time to get any repairs or essential maintenance completed before the cold sets in. A newer boiler will be much more energy efficient than an older boiler, and upgrading your heating system may be one of the best investments you can make in your home. We can help you to compare modern, efficient boilers that make the most of the latest heating oils, and these will be able to handle the transition to greener heating oils as they become more widely available.
- Manage hot water usage. The hot water you use for washing, showering and cleaning is all heated by your boiler, and this incurs a high cost that many people don’t think about. Try limiting yourself and your family to shorter showers; around 3-4 minutes is ideal, and try turning off the shower while you are applying your shower gel or shampoo. Showering uses less water than having a bath, and you can save on water and heating costs when you turn taps off as soon as you have the water you need for washing up or cleaning instead of leaving the tap running. Using a washing up bowl for your washing up is much more energy efficient than using your whole sink or leaving the hot tap on to wash up, and you might be surprised to know that using a dishwasher is usually more efficient than washing up by hand.
- Use your appliances effectively. There are several ways to optimise your use of appliances, including upgrading existing appliances with more energy-efficient models when they break down. The tumble dryer is the most expensive appliance to use, and drying your clothes outdoors or on a heated rack is much more energy efficient. You can run your dishwasher and washing machine on eco cycles, which usually operate at a lower temperature and use less water, and always ensure that the machine is full before running it. Using your kettle effectively means only boiling the amount of water you need, while many people find that using an air fryer or slow cooker can save them a great deal of energy compared with using the oven and hob. It’s worth turning all appliances off at the plug rather than allowing them to be in standby mode, as this still uses power.
- Turn your thermostat down. Turning your thermostat down by one degree will help you to save a significant amount on your energy bills, and most people will not notice this small temperature change. You can also turn down the temperature on your hot water so that your boiler is not working overtime to heat your water to very high temperatures, which you rarely need. If your boiler has a pre-heat function, you can turn this off to optimise savings as well, as many people do not make use of this, especially if they are at work all day. You can also optimise the heat energy in your home by using reflective panels behind your radiators and drawing curtains to stop heat energy from escaping through your windows.
There are many energy-saving devices such as energy-efficient lightbulbs and water-saving shower heads that can help to reduce the amount of energy you use. You can try using an energy monitor to find out how different appliances in your home use energy, and this can help you to make decisions about your usage.
Ordering Your Home Heating Oil
If your home uses home heating oil, you’ll be aware that the costs of oil vary throughout the year, and we can help you to make the most of your money by purchasing your oil at the most cost-effective times. Understanding your heating oil usage can help you to keep your costs down without compromising on feeling warm and cosy at home.
Oil prices can be affected by global events and disruptions to the supply chain, as well as international exchange rates. As prices fluctuate, demand is affected, and this also puts pressure on the price point. We recommend ordering your home heating oil at times of lower demand wherever possible, since prices will usually be highest when demand is high. This may mean ordering your heating oil for the year in the summer months, and you may also be able to take advantage of payment plans that allow you to spread the cost of your oil throughout the year.
Quality Home Heating Oil in Ireland
At East Cork Oil, we have an excellent range of fuel solutions for your home, your business and your vehicles, as well as the latest greener fuel options. Our friendly team will be happy to help you find the best options for your lifestyle and your budget, and we can set you up with a payment plan that enables you to spread the cost of your fuel throughout the year.
Following our simple tips and planning can save you money on your energy bills and help to keep your home cosy all year round, and we can also help you explore the options if you are thinking of upgrading your boiler or home heating system to make the most of new technology.
Contact us at East Cork Oil to find out more about our home heating oil, business fuel and agricultural diesel. We have supply networks across the Southern Counties of Ireland, and we will help you to find the fuel solutions you need.