Energy efficiency advice for old homes

Are you the owner of a traditional or historic house, of an old cottage or Victorian construction, or live in a grade II listed building ? Well then you can certainly render your living spaces more comfortable by making sure with time that it is in a good state of repair, which will ultimately result in a better heritage value, improved energy efficiency and preserve its historical character.

So don't let your old faithful home fall into decay and start preparing it for the winter period, as leaking energy and increased energy bills are the last thing you need. In order to prevent useful energy going to waste, we advise you to keep track of our recommended energy saving upgrades so you don't beat your brains with overdue maintenance issues.

Make your house more efficient by using less energy and thus lowering your energy bills. Act moderate about what you're using, switch off what you can when and where necessary and improve your home's energy performance.

Make it through the cold season gloriously with largely reduced energy bills by following these helpful moves that will have an immediate and long-term payback.

Before going to work, the right thing to do would be to consult an expert, so you know which of these options will really benefit you and will not cause any nasty problems in the future. An important idea to bear in mind is that you need to embrace your home as a whole system and think about what the overall impact of your measures would be. For example, if you add insulation to the wrong parts of the house, this could block air circulation and lead to moisture accumulation, mould and rot. Older homes have a different behaviour compared to more modern properties.

Don't rush into having some extreme and expensive changes done, like external wall insulation, first consider of applying some cheap and basic measures, that will not put a strain on the building's fabric and structure.

Use draught proof strips or weather-stripping kits if you have got gaps at the bottom or edges of doors and windows, creating a draught. Get floor coverings or carpets too keep the floors warm and block air infiltration. Caulk over cracks around windows or doors and clear out gutters and drains so that walls don't get damp and cold.

Because the window area is responsible for almost 30% of heat transfer between the inside and the outside occuring in a typical household, hanging a pair of thick and heavy curtains or mounting energy saving blinds, will function as a barrier and hold warmth inside the room. Whether you go for roller, vertical, blackout or pleated thermal blinds, they all have insulation properties. It's amazing what difference these can make to an interior, making your comfort levels go up significantly. Leaving the blinds opened or drawn during sunny days will let the sunlight flood and warm up the room.

Heating rooms one at a time rather than heating all of them at once is specific to old households and is more efficient. A programmable thermostat will do the trick. By controlling the thermostat valves down a degree, you will save you over £100 a year on your energy bill. You just need to know when your home needs to be warmer or cooler.

Window maintenance plays a big part in your insulation and energy saving plan, so you should be thinking of getting some window repairing done. Here is where the more expensive part comes in. Replace wooden beads and glass where needed, seal air leaks, remove broken glass and paint, put an extra layer of glazing in windows to reduce heat transfer and keep your home warmer in the winter. All of these operations can transform your windows into some pretty energy efficient windows.

In terms of insulation, roof and wall insulation proves to be an efficient way of dealing with heat loss. It is more cost-effective to do the roof than a solid wall insulation as you can use fiberglass or blown-in foam insulation, covering up any gaps that might let heat escape.

And last but not least, try to replace incandescent and halogen bulbs with LED ones, which are mercury-free and may last three to five times as long as CFLs, compact fluorescent lamps.

Take our energy efficiency tips as windows of opportunity and put them in practice to revive your traditional house and turn it into a low energy consumer.