If your home has poor thermal efficiency, it could be costing you money. There are steps you can take to improve the thermal efficiency of your home that will hopefully ensure that your house is more energy efficient, meaning it will be less harmful to the environment and also save you money in fuel bills.

Insulation

Around half of the heat loss in a typical home is through the loft and walls, so it is important to ensure your home is properly insulated.

Insulation repels heat in the summer when it is hot, and retains heat in the winter when you need it. Insulating your home's attic and exterior walls will provide the best thermal efficiency, as these areas are where the Sun has the most impact.

Insulating your home is a quick and simple job, but must be done properly to ensure maximum cost and energy savings. Installation can be done by a qualified installer or a competent DIYer.

NB. After insulating your home properly, ensure that you have also installed a working carbon monoxide alarm.

Replace or upgrade your windows

If you have old windows, there is a large chance that a percentage of your home's heat is being lost through your windows.

If your current windows are single glazed, upgrading them to double glazed could help retain heat and as such, reduce heating bills.

You can even buy energy efficient windows that not only retain heat, but allow the Sun's energy to heat the home.

Plant trees and shrubs around your house to provide shade

If you do not wish to spend a great deal of money on improving the thermal efficiency of your home, there are still ways that you can save money and reduce energy losses.

Good landscaping (deciduous trees in particular) can save energy, especially if the trees are planted on the west side of your home.

This method works well for older houses with relatively poor insulation. The trees and their foliage block the Sun's infrared rays in summer, stopping your home from getting too hot, and in winter the bare branches allow the radiation to come through and warm your house.

Replace your heating system with a high efficiency energy solution

The age and efficiency of your heating system will play a large part in the overall thermal efficiency of your home. Boilers that are over ten years old will be less efficient that new heating systems, meaning that a large percentage of your heat will be wasted as you are using it.

Newer, more energy efficient heating systems are designed to utilise much more of the heat they produce, meaning less energy is wasted and your fuel bills could be vastly reduced.

Replacing older heating systems with newer, renewable technologies such as solar panels, combined heat and power and biomass could also improve the thermal efficiency of your home and reduce your annual energy costs.