Five home heat loss hotspots adding £1,000’s to energy bills and the cheap tools to fix them

HOUSEHOLDS are well and truly in the throes of winter and that can only mean one thing – cranking up the thermostat.

But did you know that some areas of your home are more prone to losing heat than others?

To make matters worse leaving them untouched could add thousands to your electricity bill.

The Sun crunched the numbers and found not addressing the draught in these areas of your home could add a whopping £1,074 to your bills.

This comes as energy bills have risen from £1,717 a year to £1,738 following Ofgem‘s latest price cap – meaning households are feeling the strain more than ever.

Here are the five biggest draught hotspots to look out for in your home – and how to block them up.

Boilers – £16 wasted per year

You might be losing heat right from the source if your boiler is running inefficiently.

The Sun spoke to Nicholas Auckland, heating and energy expert at Trade Radiators who said this is a common problem in houses with older boilers.

He explained: “Older boilers also release heat from the boiler casing instead of using it all to heat the water inside the boiler.

“While this might warm up the area in very close proximity to the boiler, it’ll mainly just heat up the casing and mean that you need to spend more on energy to get the desired temperature you want.”

Another big issue could be that the area where you store your boiler is not as well insulated as other parts of your home.

Nicholas said heat loss caused by uninsulated pipes and walls around a boiler could waste around 2% of energy, which works out at around £16 wasted per year.

Any easy way to fix this is to pick up some pipe-lagging at your nearest hardware store.

The wrap is made out of many different materials including polyethene foam, wool or fibreglass.

The Sun found one metre of pipe-lagging wrap for £1.97 on the B&Q website.

Chimneys – £78 loss per year

Chimneys are a source of ventilation in that they let cold air in and warm air out. 

Nicholas said this can account for up to 10% of heat loss per year, which works out at roughly £78 lost per year.

If you don’t use the fireplace in your home, blocking the chimney permanently is likely the best option to stop heat loss.

However, this can be a costly process so a cheaper alternative may be to buy a chimney cap or a balloon.

A chimney cap sits on the top of a chimney, while the balloon sits inside it.

Nicholas said the balloon keeps the warm air from your home further inside your home, while a cap will “still let the warm air travel up the chimney”.

Chimney balloons are roughly £20, while chimney caps are usually a bit more at around £30.

However, Nicholas said they can save you roughly £50 a year thanks to their ability to keep heat inside the home.

Doors and windows – £195 loss per year

Rooms with poorly insulated doors and windows, or doors and windows that are open frequently, can allow up to 25% of heat to escape from within the home. 

According to Nicholas, if a household uses 12,000 kWh of gas annually, and loses 25% through windows and doors, this would equal roughly £195 per year lost.

To prevent this much energy loss, the energy expert recommends draught excluders, which are weighted devices you can place along your door or window to keep heat out.

Dunelm is currently selling a Chenille Draught Excluder for £5.60 and is also available for home delivery or click-and-collect in-store.

Nicholas also said to help with window draught households should invest in thermal curtains or blinds.

These are designed to act as an insulating barrier between cold outside air and warm inside air. 

Dunelm is also selling a pair of Thermal Eyelet Curtain Linings for £27.50 marked down from £34.

Lofts – £745 loss per year

Lofts are great for extra storage but if yours is poorly insulated it can cost you hundreds in heating costs.

Figures from Trade Radiators say that if a loft is very poorly insulated, it can cause 25% of total heat loss in a home, which works out at roughly £195 a year in gas heating costs.

This rises to £745 per year for electrically heated homes.

Draughts can occur in lofts if there are gaps in the hatch as well as poorly sealed loft access points.

Nicholas said these errors can also allow draughts to “enter the loft and cool air from the loft to escape into the rest of the house”.

“This can encourage heating systems to work harder, which will increase energy bills,” he added.

One way of fixing this is by getting loft insulation installed, which can cost up to £400.

Nicholas added: “Proper loft insulation can cut heat loss by up to 80%, which is a saving of up to £200 per year.

“However, it can be expensive to remove and restore effective loft insulation, but worth it in the long run.”

But did you know there are certain government grants which can cover insulation costs worth up to £50,000?

Low-income and vulnerable families can get help improving the energy-efficiency of their homes through the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme.

Under the ECO scheme, suppliers have a legal obligation to implement energy-saving measures in your home if you’re experiencing fuel poverty.

The Sun recently shared details about how households can apply, which you can read here.

Airing cupboard – £40 loss per year

Airing cupboards are a great place to store towels or even your heating tank, but they can be a common heat loss area within your home.

Nicholas said these cupboards tend to lose heat due to uninsulated or poorly insulated components such as a water tank.

“These can cause 5% heat loss, which is roughly £40 per year,” he shared.

Again, the expert recommended pipe lagging and tank insulation in order to prevent this.