Now is the perfect time to make sure that your home is as energy efficient as possible, as winter is just around the corner. Not only will this save you plenty of money, but it will also reduce your carbon footprint. Energy costs are increasingly expensive, so try a few of these different things with options for every budget to get your home ready in time for the colder weather. 

Defrost Your Freezer 

The first thing you can do to make your home more energy-efficient this year is to defrost your freezer. When you allow your freezer to get frosted up, it has to work harder to keep everything cold, which uses more electricity. Additionally, when a freezer is really frosty, the internal components may be blocked by the frost, restricting airflow and again, making the fan work harder. 

So, now is the best time to defrost your freezer. The safest and easiest way to defrost your freezer is to let it defrost naturally by turning it off completely. Simply take all of the food out and keep it in temporary storage (e.g. a friend or family’s house), or you could also plan your freezer defrosting a couple of weeks in advance and try to clear out all your frozen food in time. 

Then, turn your freezer off completely and allow it to defrost overnight. Place a few towels down with the door open to let any water safely leave the freezer. Once it is fully defrosted, clean the freezer with antibacterial spray and give the drawers a good clean while you’re there. When everything is clean and dry, turn your freezer back on and leave it for at least 5 hours to make sure it is cold enough to store your food. This is a simple and effective way to cut down your energy bill this winter! 

Have Custom Blinds Fitted

Another thing that you can do to make your home more energy-efficient this winter is to have custom blinds fitted. When you have blinds fitted that are made to measure, a layer of air can be trapped between the blinds and the glass on your windows, helping to prevent as much cold from entering your home. Blinds can also help to prevent heat loss, so it will take far less energy to heat your home and to keep it warm. 

During the summer months, blinds can also help with light control and keeping your house cool, making them an effective choice all year round! The best choices are window shutters, as they are excellent insulators. Whilst blinds are an investment, they last for years and years. Plus, you will save a significant amount of money over time thanks to their insulating properties. 

Turn Down Your Thermostat

For a simple way to make your home more energy-efficient this winter, simply turn down your thermostat. This might be difficult at times, as homes can get very cold in the winter, but the lower the thermostat, the lower your energy bill. Try turning your thermostat down by even a couple of degrees and you won’t notice much of a difference in terms of temperature, but it can actually save you quite a bit of money over time. 

In the evenings, make sure to keep all your curtains closed and invest in draft stoppers to keep the heat in the main rooms in your home. Around 18 degrees is the optimum temperature to make sure that you are keeping your house warm whilst also saving a good amount of energy. 

Looking into a smart thermostat is also a good idea, as it can save hundreds of pounds each year. With this green home technology, you can control the heating in your home through your phone, as well as creating automatic heating programmes based on the weather and your personal schedules. So, you don’t need to leave the heating on constant all day and can still come back to a warm house! You could also control which rooms you want the heating on in, so if you have two rooms that you know you won’t need to use, then you can simply shut those doors and prevent heating from being wasted.

Make Sure Your Loft Is Well Insulated

Up to a quarter of the heat in your home can be lost through an uninsulated roof, meaning insulating your loft roof is an extremely effective way to save money on energy bills and keep your home warmer by preventing as much heat loss from occurring. As with blinds, this is an investment, but it will almost certainly pay for itself over and over again during the duration of its lifetime! It is best to seek professional help when looking to insulate your loft, as it can be dangerous and you want to make sure that it is done correctly the first time. 

Final Thoughts

There is no better time than now to invest some money into making your home more energy-efficient this winter. Not only will you save money in the long run, but you will also be reducing the carbon footprint of you and your family. So, take a leap and make that home more energy-efficient!