If you are thinking of buying a new home, looking at getting a replacement kitchen or just pondering how to insulate your home better then you are going to have to consider several factors when it comes to choices. The current thinking on environmental matters is that UK homes are too drafty. As a result heat loss is a big concern. If the home is subject to heat loss it means that the need for heating units and energy consumption is greatly increased. What measures can be taken to stop this?
Keeping the heat in is the main concern. It means that the boiler is not being used. One of the smaller, but no less important, measures is to use Downlight Covers like those from Thermahood Direct. Themahoods are designed to cover the gaps where an LED light or regular bulb has been fitted. LED lights are a high power, low energy bulb but for their installation holes must be drilled into the ceiling. This creates a draft. A themahood keeps the heat in that the light produces and keeps out the draft.
This, combined with the traditional insulation ideas of loft, cavity wall and double glazing all make a vital contribution in our battle to save the environment from ourselves. These small changes in every Uk home will greatly help to reduce the Governments targets and pledges of carbon reduction and fossil fuel use.
Draughty windows and temporary fixes
Old windows are one of the main ways a home loses heat. Sitting beside a draughty window in winter is unpleasant, and the heat escaping outdoors pushes heating bills up. Windows have become much better at keeping warmth in, so if yours are quite old, they are probably letting a lot of it out.
Summer is a good time to deal with this, while keeping warm is not yet a pressing concern. A professional glazier can advise on the best replacement for your home, and replacing the windows is the only proper way to stop the problem.
Until then, a few temporary measures can help. A draught excluder, the long cushion that sits on the windowsill, blocks some of the cold air. Plastic window wrap fitted over the frame makes the window less draughty too, but it is a short-term measure and should not be relied on for good.