6 Energy Saving Tips to Prepare Your Home for Ireland’s Winter Months

The stretch in the evening has said farewell, the kids are wrapped in hats and scarves and the heating is humming back to life. It’s time to get your house winter ready.
Here are 6 energy saving tips to make an Irish home more energy efficient:

1. Sort out the letterbox

Heat is making a break for it through your letterbox so measure it up and pick up a letterbox flap for less than a tenner. 

2. Go shopping for a quirky draft excluder

The gap under your door is an escape route for heat. Seal it up with a €10 adhesive strip of brush from the DIY shop. Or, use this as an excuse to go shopping and browse the endless prints and patterns of fabric cushioned draught excluders.

3. Bleed the radiators

Those with DIY allergies might not realise that a radiator can actually ‘bleed’. It sounds like something involving a toolbox and overalls but, fear not, it’s actually an easy job. All you need is a radiator key (from a DIY store) and this tutorial. 

4. Stop chimney drafts

If your fireplace is not being used, pick up one of the many gadgets used to block the chimney, such as a chimney balloon or chimney snug. Remove it if you decide to light a fire.

5. Replace window seals

Not a lot of people know this, but around your window frames there is a sealant (known as caulk) and/or a strip of foam or plastic (known as weatherstripping). Over time, gaps appear in these seals causing heat to escape, so check if yours need replacing.

6. Eliminate the worry of impending heating bills

If you want to completely avoid the worry of an impending heating bill, consider switching to pay as you go electricity. You can track your usage and control exactly how much you are spending. Electric Ireland’s pay as you go electricity plan, called  Smarter Pay As You Go, offers the cheapest pay as you go electricity in Ireland.

 Now that's Smarter Living - Simple Ideas That Make Life Better.

 What else can you do to make your home winter ready? Share your tips below.