When planning your home renovation it is important to plan for the future and invest a bit of money in improving the energy efficiency of the overall house in order to be more sustainable and save money while increasing your comfort levels.
If you need inspiration, here is a list of energy saving renovation ideas you can easily implement.
Picture #1: Loft Conversion Project done while a project architect at EMR Architecture
Install Underfloor Heating
Underfloor heating heats a room uniformly from the floor up without overheating any areas. You will get rid of cold spots in your house and save about 15% on the average annual heating bill compare to traditional radiators.
Separate Heating Zones With Smart Thermostats.
Houses have different orientations and levels of glazing or exposure to the cold but also heat go up and upper floors will always tend to be hotter. Therefore, having all the house in one single thermostat doesn't allow you to control any room temperature. You should have one thermostat at least per floor, but ideally one for the front rooms and another for the rear rooms on each floor. Nowadays, thermostats can be smart resulting in a greater control of the temperature and being able to do it remotely from your phone which increases your home comfort even more.
Energy Efficient Lighting
Replace all your lighting with energy efficient LEDs. This reduces your carbon footprint and considering lighting is about 11% of the average household electricity consumption this will save you money too.
Insulate External Walls
About a third of all heat is lost through non insulated walls. Most UK houses have cavity walls but not insulation. There are two easy ways of adding insulation, we can do it internally by adding one more layer while keeping the cavity or by filling the cavity with insulation.
Insulate Your Loft
Unless you live in a flat, heat will be lost through the roof. Even if your house has loft insulation it might not be the best performant one. Changing your existing insulation and increasing the thickness of it will improve the situation.
Install Solar Panels
If your home renovation is a bit more substantial you might want to consider adding solar panels to your property. It's the most common renewable source installed in homes in the UK and although it might take on average 15 years to pay off the cost of installation it is a good long term way to reduce your energy consumption but more importantly it makes you a bit more independent energy wise.
Draught proofing
Professionally reducing draught of windows, doors, floors and skirting boards will reduce your heat loss substantially. Adding thermal curtains to windows will also help further.
Replace Windows and Doors.
Once doing works to your house, replacing windows and doors is easy and will make a big difference. Cost will depend on the choice of materials and amount of glazing. Double glazing is the most popular choice and quite affordable.
Updating Your Heating System
Whether your decide to keep a boiler, change it for a newer one or implement a new heat pump, updating your heating system will save you money and be more effective.
New Appliances
When replacing your appliances, choose the best rating in its energy label. This rating is A to G based on a typical use, A being the most efficient and G being the least efficient. Fridge and freezers are usually the appliances that consume the most in our houses due to the fact they are in use 24/7. therefore choosing a higher rated one can have a significant impact. Same applies to any other appliance you know you use a lot. for example if you are a big family and use the washer-dryer everyday you might want to put special attention to its rating as well, or to the dishwasher if you run two a day for instance.
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