Top Tips for conserving Home Heating Oil
Home heating oil has always been a precious commodity. It is a household expense that cannot be avoided as families need to keep warm during the colder months. Here at Enviroleak, we know just how vital it is to conserve any kerosene left in the tank following an accidental leak. The price of heating oil has always fluctuated, for many reasons but now the cost of home heating oil along with other fuels has taken an unprecedented rise. Geopolitical factors, the Russian invasion of Ukraine have seen gas, diesel, petrol, and home heating oil rise in price. Here are some tips to help you make the best of the oil you have and to conserve your usage, without having to sit with icicles dropping from your nose.
Turn down the thermostat
It is wasteful and counterproductive to blast the house with heat and then turn it off when everyone is too hot. A far more practical way of heating is low and steady. The recommend temperature for a family home is 19 to 20 degrees. Reducing the heating temperature in your home by a degree could save you as much as 10% on the bill.
Time that heat
Program your heating to come on when you need it most. No need to heat the house for the goldfish if everyone is at school and work. There are snazzy Wi-Fi Thermostats which will allow you remotely access the system and have the house warmed up before you get home.
Insulation
Yes, this is still a top tip for saving energy in the home. The attic is the big culprit in many older homes and a roll or two of insulation will make a dramatic difference to keeping the heat in.
Turn off radiators in rooms you are not using.
Close the doors!
If you want a child’s bedroom or your sitting room to be a haven of heat, then shut the door. Particularly if you have unoccupied spaces in the house, that you are not heating.
Seal Draughts from windows and doors.
Weather strips are an economical way of plugging any immediate gaps. PVC windows need to be serviced every few years to ensure that there is no heat loss. Fancy draught excluders and door curtains will reduce the loss of heat through older doors.
Bleed your radiators
Ensure Radiators are not obstructed.
Long curtains, heavy furniture and even some of those fancy radiator covers can restrict the amount of heat that is being radiated into the room. Drying clothes on radiators means that the warm air cannot circulate and you are not getting the best from your heating oil.
Dress in layers
An extra jumper and a pair of fluffy warm slippers can help. If your feet are warm you may not even need the heating.
Let the sun in
Even on cold winter days sunshine streaming through open blinds can contribute to warming the house. Shut them well once the evening comes.
Get your boiler serviced at least once a year
This is so important that it has become one of Enviroleak’s mantras. You could be losing as much as 30% of generated heat with a boiler that is not working well.
