Home Maintenance in 2024: A Guide to Efficiency and Savings

As we make strides into the new year, maintaining a comfortable and efficient home is essential for both your peace of mind and your bank balance. With the rising costs of energy and unexpected repair bills, it helps to adopt a proactive approach to home maintenance. Many expensive home issues are easier to prevent than to fix. Here’s a handy checklist to keep your home in good, energy-efficient, working order, ensuring you stay ahead of potential issues and save on expensive bills.

Regular Boiler Servicing: The Heart of Your Home

Your boiler is the heart of your home’s heating system. Regular servicing not only ensures it operates efficiently but also extends its lifespan. An efficient boiler not only keeps you warm but can also contribute to energy savings. Hometree’s boiler and home cover plans all include an Annual Service Visit or ASV, where a qualified boiler and heating specialist will check your boiler for any issues and keep it in good working order.

Seal the Gaps: Windows and Doors Matter

According to the Energy Savings Trust, draught proofing-windows and doors can save around £45 a year. This is one of the easiest cost and energy-saving measures a homeowner can take. To identify the draughtiest spots, remove any curtains and carefully pass a lit t-light candle around door or window frames. When the flame flickers, that’s likely to be the point where cold air is getting in and warm air is escaping. Window draughts can be quickly and easily addressed with Window Film or Tape Kits while doors can be sealed with a foam draught excluder. 

Plumbing Checks: Fix Leaks Promptly

When UK water companies are wasting vast quantities of water, your dripping tap may seem insignificant. Maybe from a water waste point of view, it is, but those little drops are money literally going down the drain. Some estimates calculate that a dripping tap could waste as much as £300 a year, even more, if it’s a hot water tap using both gas and water. To ensure you aren’t throwing money away, take the time to check for leaks in pipes and taps and fix any issues yourself, or if you aren’t sure, use a trusted local plumber.

Electrical Efficiency: Upgrade to LED Lighting

Let’s dive into the lightbulb story! The notorious lightbulb conspiracy, dating back to 1925, involved the Phoebus cartel intentionally engineering shorter-lived bulbs, introducing the concept of ‘planned obsolescence.’ Fast forward to 2024, and most people are aware that old-style light bulbs only last about a year and waste significant power. Modern Halogen incandescent lights save 30%, but the real winners are compact fluorescents (75% savings) and LED bulbs (85% savings). Better still, LED bulbs can last up to 25 years – Take that Phoebus cartel! If you haven’t already upgraded your bulbs for energy and cost efficiency as well as longevity, now’s the time.

Pest Control: Prevention is Key

Hometree’s Your Home Plus cover plan includes a host of pest control services to manage rats, mice, wasps and hornets – But preventing an infestation in the first place is always better.

Unwanted pests can wreak havoc on your home, causing damage that can be expensive and inconvenient to repair. In the UK the most common nuisance pests include mice, rats, pigeons, ants, bed bugs, cockroaches, hornets, wasps, flies, silverfish, moths and fleas. With Local Authorities increasingly less likely to offer assistance, measures should be taken to prevent these pests from taking hold in the first place. These simple steps include sealing cracks, cleaning regularly, storing food properly and keeping the property dry and damp-free.

Investing time and effort into maintaining your home pays off in the long run. By adopting a proactive approach to home improvement, you can better manage your energy efficiency and mitigate costly repairs.