10 DIY Activities to do Over the Christmas Break

There are several ways to preserve energy, regardless of how old or modern your home is. The benefits? A home with lower environmental effects and lower bills. Making modest improvements can have a huge impact, especially because 40% of the UK’s carbon emissions come from our homes. The two absolute necessities are insulation and draught-proofing. Even if DIY is not your thing, these straightforward suggestions can improve your home’s efficiency and cut your energy costs.

#1 – Install a hot water tank jacket

Your hot water cylinder may lose up to three-quarters of its heat if you don’t have one. Our hot water tank insulation kit works in two ways, the first is that it slows down the heat transfer due to its multi-layered make-up, and then our Multi-foil will help to repel away the cold.

#2 – Wrap all of your pipes with lagging.

Your pipes can be kept from freezing in the winter by insulating them, preventing heat from escaping. The majority of DIY stores have foam lagging. Which you can easily slip over your pipes after cutting them to size, then secure them in place with insulating tape.

#3 – Stop losing money through your roof

Our Under Rafter Insulation Kit is highly efficient and simple to install. It prevents heat loss when installed on your loft ceiling (also known as under rafters in the trade), which lowers your heating costs. By installing this, you will see a return on your investment every single year because 25% of the heat you are paying for escapes through your roof. If your loft is not insulated, you are effectively using 25% more energy than is required to achieve the same level of results as someone who is.

#4 – Hang thick curtains

Curtains are more than simply a decorative element in your home; if you use them properly, you could reduce your energy bills. By just hanging curtains, you can cut your energy consumption by up to 15%!  The most heat will be retained if you hang thick-material curtains or even thermal-lined curtains.  Keep your curtains closed, especially at night, and to go the additional mile, tape your curtains to the wall for a tiny bit of additional insulation. And make sure the curtains overlap in the middle when they are tightly shut.

#5 – Remove draughts from the front door

Your home’s letterbox and keyhole will be letting in cold air. Keyhole covers and letterbox brush strips are inexpensive, quick, and simple to install.

#6 – Check your floorboards

One of the best energy-saving suggestions for owners of older homes is to fill the spaces between the flooring. Old floorboards give a room character, but it’s amazing how much heat can escape via the spaces between them; when added together, this can be the equivalent of leaving a small window open all the time.

#7 – Insulate your loft floor

Our Multifoil Direct Insulation’s Loft Floor Insulation Kit is an ideal solution for insulating your loft floor without the use of any nasty, itchy fiberglass and without raising the floor height, keeping your loft storage boards in place. At 6mm thick when compressed EcoQuilt Expert is equivalent to around 100mm of Fibre Glass. This also helps retain heat by reflecting into your home. You can also use a double layer to reflect even more heat!

#8 – Invest in a chimney balloon

When the chimney is not in use, it can be sealed with an inflatable chimney balloon to prevent warm air from escaping. It may be placed up the chimney while the fireplace isn’t in use. It’s also easily removed when you wish to kindle a fire.

#9 – Don’t neglect your floors

Try our EcoTec Floor-Foam Insulation Kit, it is designed to increase Insulation below Carpet Underlay, Wood, Laminate, and Vinyl Floors to Prevent Cold from below the floor.

#10 – Maximise radiator efficiency

Clean and clear radiators will expel more warmth into your home. So make sure to add your radiators to your weekly cleaning regime. Dust buildup in your radiator can make it difficult for heat to escape. Which makes your radiators work harder to warm your room.

As you can see insulation is key to a warm home and lower energy bills, so why not take a look at our range of home DIY insulation kits HERE: DIY Insulation Kits • Multifoils Direct (multifoilsdirect.co.uk) and get in touch if you need some professional insulation assistance from the experts.