Winter is upon us and temperatures are dropping. With soaring energy prices, people are looking for ways to keep their homes warm without resorting to turning the thermostat up. Energy suppliers have a duty of care to support their customers and provide advice on how to help them save energy and reduce their bills. The good news is, there are plenty of ways to keep homes warm that don’t involve putting the heating on or turning up the thermostat. Here are some suggestions…
Draught-proof windows and doors
With the exception of new build homes, houses and apartments are likely to lose some heat through draughts around windows, doors and chimneys, and even gaps in the floorboards and skirting boards. According to the Energy Saving Trust, draught-proofing windows and doors and blocking cracks in floors and skirting can save up to £125 a year on energy bills.
Insulate walls and under floors
Just as energy bills are going through the roof – around 25% of heat can also be lost through the roof if it is not properly insulated. If homeowners install 25cm of insulation throughout their loft, a significant proportion of heat will be retained. Uninsulated walls can also cause around a third of heat to be lost and by insulating under the floorboards customers could save around £40 a year.
Insulate water tanks
For customers that have hot water tanks, insulating their tank will help keep the water warmer for longer, which reduces heating costs. According to the Energy Saving Trust, increasing the insulation to a British Standard Jacket that is 80mm thick will save around £70 a year.
Insulate pipes
Customers can also keep water hotter by insulating their pipes. Exposed pipes between the hot water tank and the boiler can be insulated with a foam tube that can be purchased from any DIY store.
Turn the thermostat down
The average household sets their thermostat to 20°C or higher. In fact, according to USwitch, 2.7 million UK households set their thermostat to 25°C1. Just by turning the thermostat down by a single degree, customers could reduce their energy bill by 10%.
Don’t block off heat from radiators
As tempting as it is to keep towels and clothes toasty on radiators, by doing so, these items are absorbing precious heat. If customers remove all items off radiators and keep spaces in front of radiators free of furniture, they’ll vastly improve the circulation of heat around their home. If you need to dry wet clothes, invest in a rack that won’t block the radiator, but benefit from its heat.
How are you helping your customers to keep their homes warm and conserve energy this winter?
Step up your customer engagement
Advizzo’s behavioral science based customer engagement programs are proven to help energy and water company’s customers save energy and water. Our programs are based on nudging customers towards changing behaviors by providing personalized advice and recommendations based on clever data processing of information gathered about households, habits and usage.
Results of our 2021 survey
Customers involved in our engagement campaigns have revealed that Advizzo’s programs achieve significant results.
- Up to 90% of customers took steps to reduce energy and water consumption
- 75% said they changed their behavior in how they use electricity and water
- 60%+ realized a reduction in energy and water consumption in their next bill
- Up to 90% completed our Virtual Home Audit survey to tell us more about their homes and habits in order to receive more personalized communications and tips
Would your business like to achieve similar results? Read more about some of our customer engagement programs designed to save energy and water.
We’d love to help you help your customers conserve energy, keep homes warm and reduce the impact of rising prices. Get in touch to book a free demo or assessment of your business.
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1https://www.hip-magazine.co.uk/turning-thermostats-down-by-1c-uk-could-save-uk-households-1-4-billion/