Heating costs can be a major drain on some household budgets over winter. Here are some tips that can help you to save money on heating.

1. Invest in Insulation

Over the long term, the best way to reduce the cost of heating your home is to decrease the rate at which your home loses heat to the environment. Insulating your entire home can be quite expensive, but you can spread the cost by insulating one part of the home at a time.

A good place to start is with the attic or roof space. Hot air rises, which means that your home can lose a lot of heat through the roof if there is no insulation in the attic. Fitting this kind of insulation is quite straightforward if your attic space is unused — you can simply purchase a roll of insulating material and lay it over the floor of the attic. If you have a converted attic, then a better option is to look into fitting insulation to the roof instead.

After you have insulated the attic, other options include cavity wall insulation and double-glazing. These home alterations can be pricey, but they can also increase the value of your home.

2. Draught-Proof the Home

In addition to adding insulation to the roof, walls and windows, it is also beneficial to draught-proof your home. This means sealing up gaps around the windows and doors where hot air can escape and cold air can sneak in. Draught-proofing can make a big difference to how warm your home feels, particularly on windy winter days.

3. Use a Programmable Thermostat

Turning the thermostat up or down every time you feel too chilly or too warm is not the most efficient way to use it. A better method is to decide what temperature you want the home to be at different times of day and use a programmable thermostat to control the heating system so that it brings the home to that temperature. Remember that turning the thermostat up high does not make a home heat up any faster, although it can result in energy being wasted if you forget to turn it back down again.

4. Schedule a Heating Tune-Up

All heating systems need occasional maintenance. If your heating system is gobbling up energy but producing very little heat in return, it is likely that it has developed a fault. Schedule a maintenance check with a local heating maintenance and repair service. Reach out to a heating contractor for more information.