Energy Efficiency is Snow Joke

The first snowfall of 2008 has already hit some parts of the UK and is just around the corner for others. While cold snaps can often cause a few problems, the extreme weather can actually be a useful tool to help establish how energy efficient your home and other local buildings are.

According to B&Q, if there is no snow on your roof, it means your home is not as energy efficient as it could be. The rate the snow on your property melts is affected by how much heat your house is emitting. If the snow on your roof is disappearing quicker than your neighbour's, it's likely you are wasting both energy and money.

UK homes account for nearly one third of the country's carbon emissions, with the average household creating six tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. Understanding the efficiency of your home is an important first step to help you reduce your carbon footprint.

Installing insulation is one of the most effective ways to reduce your home's carbon emissions, and lower your energy bill. Without proper insulation, as much as 50% of your heating could be disappearing through your walls and roof. If every UK household fitted loft insulation to a thickness of 270mm, it would save enough energy to heat 1.2 million homes.

B&Q spokesperson, Paul Ellis, advises: ‘The snow test is an easy way of measuring how well-insulated your home is; something which can normally be quite tricky to do. The basic principle is simple, the more heat that escapes from a building, the quicker the snow melts.

‘At B&Q, we have a wide range of insulation products which are cost effective and easy to install, but will have a huge impact on your home's energy efficiency - and if you don't want to install it yourself, B&Q can do it for you.'

With the Met Office predicting that this winter is likely to be less mild than last and with the prospect of more cold snaps, avoid turning up the heat inside your home and wasting both energy and money - the most efficient way to warm up your home is to invest in additional insulation.