Draught proofing
The easiest way to conserve heat and save energy as the weather gets colder is by blocking out the cold. Covering gaps that let cold air creep in under doors and through floorboards can make a huge difference to the temperature of your rooms. Keeping doors and windows closed whenever possible can prevent warm air escaping and in the long term you can save on your energy usage.
Service your boiler
Having your boiler serviced every year is a worthwhile investment to ensure it will be in good condition for the colder months. For a standard efficiency boiler service, the price is between £50 – £80 and for a high efficiency boiler service, the cost is between £80 – £160. It is extremely beneficial for businesses that rely on heat to run during winter to make this small investment. Regular services allow any minor issues to be picked up quickly before they become expensive, time-consuming problems.
Make the most of the heat you have
Traditional radiators work by convection heating, meaning that they heat up the air surrounding it that then spreads around the room. This is not very efficient as radiators do not allow you to control the direction of the heat, so a large amount of heat energy that is produced is lost from the back, warming up the wall behind it. Radiator reflectors can dramatically reduce this energy loss, as they reflect 95% of the lost heat back into the room. This will make your radiators more efficient and you will therefore not need them on as high or for as long.
Use the sun to your advantage
If you have south facing windows you can rely on the sun’s heat to warm up the room. On a cold day you should open the blinds early to let in the heat and use the natural light rather than lightbulbs.
Set your temperatures realistically
In cold weather, most of your employees will dress to reflect this so the temperature in your premises doesn’t need to be too high. It is recommended to have the room at 19°C to avoid your employees and customers becoming uncomfortably warm. Reducing the temperature of your heating system by 1% can reduce your energy consumption by 8%.
Make sure your business hours and heating hours are in sync
For your business to be using its energy effectively, your heating should only be on when it needs to be. Setting your heating to come on half an hour before opening and turning it off an hour before closing will mean that it is warm enough throughout the day and will not be heated when there is nobody there.
