10 ways to improve the energy efficiency of your home

Keep the warmth in and the cold out by installing cavity wall insulation.

This is a simple fix with long-lasting effects. You essentially fill in the gap between the outside and inside walls of your home with dense, insulating material.

Is it right for you? If your home was built after the 1920s, it will probably have cavity walls, meaning there will be a gap between the bricks on the outside and the plasterboard on the inside. Cavity walls are good at preventing damp but bad at retaining heat when they’re not properly insulated.

Cavity wall insulation is inexpensive and lasts a long time, so it pays itself back quickly. Which? estimates you could save up to £250 a year by insulating your cavity walls.

You may also be able to claim a grant for the insulation through your energy supplier under the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme.

Heat rises – so as well as lining your walls, you may also want to look at how much heat is escaping through your roof.

According to the Energy Saving Trust, you could be losing up to a quarter of your home’s heat if you haven’t insulated your loft. Which? estimates you could save up to £215 a year by installing loft insulation.

There are different kinds of loft insulation available depending on your home. You can also choose to install it yourself to save a little extra.

As with wall insulation, you may be able to help pay for your loft insulation through schemes such as ECO.

Here’s an idea you may not have considered: generating energy from the ground under your home.

Ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) are buried in your garden and absorb heat from the ground.

They work by using fluid-filled loops that get warmed up by thermal energy underground. The fluid in the loops is pushed through a compressor that increases its temperature, while the earth keeps the pipes insulated.

This type of heating can lower your fuel bills, reduce your carbon footprint, and you could make money back for the energy you produce under the government’s Renewable Heat Incentive.

A great first step, and you’ll notice how much cosier your home feels right away.

If you’ve felt draughts in your home, you may already know exactly where you need insulating. Not only will it help to keep warmth in, it will protect against damp and condensation too – so it’s good for your health as well as your heating bills.

You can install draught proofing yourself or get a professional to do it. Remember, even simple things like putting draught excluders under doors or blocking up old chimneys can have a big impact.

Depending on how old your boiler is, it may be worth upgrading to a newer model that’s more efficient and reliable.

This could prove expensive, but a new boiler should make you significant savings in the long-term. Which? estimates you could save £652 a year on your energy bill by swapping your old-style boiler for a newer model.