Turning up the heat - staying warm comes at a price

Households across the Portsmouth area estimate that they spend more than £870 per year on heating bills, yet nearly three quarters of adults still feel cold at home according to new research from Barratt Homes.

Spending patterns on heating vary significantly across the country, the Scots are the biggest, spending paying £167 more than those in the South East.

According to research, the biggest influence on heating bills is the age of the property. Typical new-build home-owners save on average £600 per year when it comes to heating bills.* And the gap between old and new is growing – a recent calculation from Government suggested that new build homes are 30% more efficient than even five years ago.

Rather than reaching for the thermostat, the research said other ways to keep warm in winter months include putting on extra clothes (68%), having a hot drink (54%) or cuddling up with their partner, children or pets (28%). An active 6% resort to exercising indoors to help boost their temperature.

The research also showed that, far from being the heart of the home, the kitchen emerged as the coldest room in the house for one in five home-owners (20%), with the hall a close second (18%).

Barratt Homes which is building energy efficient homes in Havant and Lee-on-the-Solent conducted thermal imaging of both a pre-owned and new build home, highlighting the significant differences in heat loss.

Home-owners shouldn’t pay over the odds to stay warm at home, especially as there are many things that can be done to prevent heat leakage. Simple measures such as insulating your home or keeping furniture away from radiators all help to maximise heating use.

Barratt use smart techniques, such as airtight doors, high quality insulation in the roof space, double glazing and high efficiency boilers to make sure draughts won’t cause the winter chills. They’ve also launched an energy saving calculator on their website, so customers can see the savings.”

Estimated heating costs across the UK depend on a variety of factors such as property type and geographic location – with colder temperature in the north reflected in higher bills.

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