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How to Winter-proof Your Home With Wiser
How to Winter proof your home with Wiser
Winter is on its way which means you will be spending more time in your home. To keep energy costs down during the cold months ahead we’ve created 6 top tips on how you can improve the efficiency of your home to help you save money. Tips include simple features on the Wiser app you may not be aware of, and quick checks you can do around the house to make your home more energy efficient.
Turn on Eco mode and Comfort mode
Eco Mode
Eco Mode learns about your home's thermal properties, external weather data and how long your home retains heat. Eco Mode then turns the boiler off sooner to save energy, while still keeping your home at the desired temperature, until the scheduled time, so you'll never waste energy over-heating your home in winter. Enable Eco Mode in the Settings menu by tapping the toggle and Wiser will do the rest.
Comfort Mode
Traditionally, your heating comes on at the time you schedule, but it takes a while to reach the temperature you set. Comfort Mode learns how long it takes your home to heat up, ensuring your rooms reach your set temperature at the scheduled time. This ensures that you are not heating your home unnecessarily before you wake up during winter. You can turn on Comfort Mode in the setting tab of your Wiser Heat app.
Test radiators are working efficiently
To test the radiators are working efficiently, firstly, boost the heating in every room turning all radiators on. Next, walk around your home and check that all radiators are heating up at the same time and evenly, you can do this by placing your hand close to each radiator (be careful not to burn yourself). If you notice that some radiators are heating up faster than others, then you may need to consider balancing your heating system. If you notice any cold patches on the surface of your radiator then that could be a sign of air trapped in your system and you may need to bleed the radiators of air with a bleed key. You can also use this time to test that all radiator thermostats and TRV’s are working correctly.
Check loft insulation
With winter on its way be sure to check that your loft insulation is packed down tightly and neatly in between joists. Over the summer months trips into the loft space to take down suitcases and other items may have dislodged some of the insulation, so be sure to check that the whole ceiling is covered to prevent any unwanted drafts. If you find that you don’t currently have any insulation in your loft, then make sure you add it in as it can save you hundreds of pounds a year in heating bills.
Shut doors and lower the temperature in the rooms you don’t use
The Wiser Heat app allows you to turn down Smart Radiator Thermostats in individual rooms that are not in use. This will save you save energy by not heating the rooms you don’t use. You can also turn down manual TRVs within your system to the frost setting. To stop the unwanted drafts from the rooms you aren’t heating, shut the doors to any room you are not using.
Insulate hot water tanks and pipes
If you have a conventional boiler then you should think about insulating your hot water tank if you haven’t done already. Insulating your hot water tank will keep your hot water warmer for longer because it prevents heat escaping. You can purchase an insulation jacket for your tank for around £10-£15 and they will save you energy year on year.
Amend your heating schedule to incorporate any lifestyle changes
As we move through the seasons our work patterns, hobbies and our children’s term dates change, so should your heating schedule. Tap the Wiser Heat app and within a few minutes you can change the schedule of your heating to bring it up to speed with the changes in your life. Set schedules of individual rooms from anywhere in the world.
Are you getting the most out of IFTTT with your Wiser thermostat? Read our blog to find out more.
Alternatively, for more Winter-related content, check out our article on Why Winters are Better with Smart Radiators Here.