We understand many people are worried about home energy costs. When it comes to keeping heat in your house people automatically think of expensive initiatives such as double glazing. While it can be a sensible investment if you can afford it, there are a number of smaller steps you can take that when added together can help you to retain heat in your home thereby cutting fuel bills.
Homes lose heat through the roof, external walls, windows and doors.
Let’s start with your windows. Do you use shutters, blinds or curtains? 
Using shutters or heavy curtains with thermal lining will help reduce heat loss through glass. If you don’t want to buy new curtains find someone to add a thermal lining to your current ones.
Does your house have radiators? A surprising amount of heat from radiators gets lots immediately through walls, especially external ones. Specialist heat reflective aluminium is cheap to buy and can be placed behind radiators to help reflect heat in. Good quality kitchen foil can also be used but is generally not thought to be as effective as specialist foil. In either case it’s cheap relative to more expensive measures.
Do you still have fireplaces in your home? You’ve probably noticed how much noise they can make when it’s windy but they are also responsible for a significant amount of heat loss. While some folk stuff their chimney with newspaper to keep heat in you can actually buy a chimney balloon which will inflate to fill the chimney void, keeping you cosier.
Many homes suffer from numerous small drafts. If you still have traditional wooden windows think about having them draft proofed – its costs about £100 per window, far cheaper than changing windows. Also think about using traditional “sausage dog” draft excluders for doors. If you have dog or cat flaps that are permanently open think about changing them for a more hi tech version that can be completely closed.
Some types of flooring lose more heat than others. Properties that have exposed wooden floor boards are often cooler than they would be if they were carpeted. You can think about carpeting some key rooms or buying large rugs.
Finally, think about replacing a PVC or wooden door with one of our composite doors. These have superior heat retention properties – one of the reasons they are specified for many new homes. A wide range of colours are available and you can design your own door using our online door designer. We offer free delivery and fitting throughout the UK.