Green Heating

With autumn approaching, Sara Whatley has a few tips to help keep our homes warm and draught free, from the cost-effective end of the spectrum through to modern alternative greener heating options 

It may still be warm and sunny outside, but now is the perfect time to think about heating options for your home this coming winter. We all want to feel warm and cosy in our homes as the temperature drops, and to snuggle down on the sofa with a good book or gripping drama on television. 

However, there are two very pertinent things we need to be considering: the rising cost of energy and the climate. With energy bills skyrocketing we need to look at more affordable ways to heat our spaces, and our water. And with our climate in crisis, it is imperative we consider the greenest heating options we can. One of the best places to start is making sure our homes are as efficient and well-insulated as they can be.

DRAUGHT EXCLUDING 

Use self-adhesive foam strips or plastic strips on windows and doors as well as a brush draught excluder at the bottom of the door. Select a sealed letterbox and keyhole cover. Make sure you have well fitting curtains made of material heavy enough to stop draughts leaking through. 

Fill gaps around the edges of floors and skirting, and also where pipe work enters the building, with silicon or expanding polyurethane foam. Seal loft hatches with foam strips. 

INSULATION

Loft insulation can reduce around a quarter of heat loss. This can be a DIY job. Cavity wall insulation - filling in the cavity between two layers of brick – on houses built after 1920. This is a professional undertaking where small holes will be drilled into the outer wall and insulation injected into the cavity, then the holes filled. 

Solid wall insulation can be done professionally either outside or inside the walls. Or for a DIY option you can install internal thin wall insulation. Underfloor insulation is another professional job, unless you are a skilled DIYer. 

UPGRADING 

Replace old doors and windows to instantly reduce heat loss and increase noise reduction. This is a more costly option, but the effects will be felt immediately. 

BE EFFICIENT 

Use your boiler efficiently – don’t heat the water for any longer than is necessary. Adjust your thermostat; turning it down by only one degreewill reduce energy use by around 10%. Start with setting your thermostat at 18°C and see if that works for your family and home. 

Adopting smart technology can help bills and emissions; smart thermostats learn our heating requirements, take the weather into consideration and can be controlled remotely. 

Now your home is as energy efficient as it can be, lets look at some different heating options available, stepping away from the traditionalgas boiler. It is a costly undertaking to upgrade a heating system but by looking to the alternatives you will not only be reducing your carbon footprint and saving on your energy bills in the long run, you will be future proofing your house and adding value to it too. 

HEAT PUMPS 

Heat pumps are basically fridges in reverse: they work by absorbing the natural heat from a cold space (the air or ground) and releasing it into a warmer one (our homes). 

They are extremely efficient and reliable heating systems, and although the initial outlay is costly (funding help may be available), the savings on your energy bills in the long run just makes sense. It is also a very planet friendly option with no greenhouse gasses being emitted. 

To make your heat pump even more efficient you could also invest in a heat battery. These store the heat produced by the heat pump for later use, or can be heated up by electricity, taking advantage of cheaper overnight tariffs. 

INFRARED HEATING PANELS 

Imagine a sunny winter day when the sun warms your face but the air around you is crisp. That is what infrared heating panels do; they warm objects rather than empty spaces. The idea is they heat the thermal mass (the walls, floor and ceiling) of a room, which then radiate the heat out. You never get the stuffy hot air feeling, just comfortable heat. 

The panels can be attached to ceilings and walls and are ultraslim and non invasive. They run off electricity and can be easily fitted yourself at home. There is some initial outlay, but it is small in comparison to some of the other alternative heating methods. 

BIOMASS BOILERS AND STOVES 

A renewable and sustainable heat solution, biomass boilers burn natural materials such as wood chips, pellets or logs to provide heating for the whole house and to power hot water boilers too. A stove, on the other hand, can be used to heat just a single room, using 

the same fuel.

Biomass is considered a carbon neutral heating solution, as the C02 released during burning is the same as was absorbed by the growing tree. Just remember to source your sustainable fuel locally. The installation and upkeep can be costly and a bit time consuming, and will require professionals to do the job, but the initial outlay is more than justified by the returns they offer.