Home safety and efficiency for vulnerable people

At Harris Heating we work with vulnerable people on a regular basis. 

We want to share our knowledge on how to keep vulnerable people safe in their homes, so we can work with you to keep you or your family and friends safe. And also how you can help them with economy, as energy bills rise vulnerable people are at higher risk of energy debt. 

Heating your home accounts for a large part of your energy bills, and vulnerable customers usually require their homes to be at a higher temperature for longer periods. 

This can become expensive, and also can have an extra impact on safety within the home. 

Safety

If gas appliances aren’t regularly checked and maintained they can become unsafe and leave people at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. 

Have smoke alarms and CO2 alarms installed 

These can be a life saver, and adapted versions for disabilities are on the market. 

If you are in West Yorkshire you can arrange a safe and well visit from the fire service who also install smoke alarms free of charge. 

https://www.westyorksfire.gov.uk/your-safety/home/safe-well-visits/

Have your gas appliances serviced annually. Having your appliances serviced annually, not only ensures they are safe but can help to maintain efficiency and keep bills from rising unnecessarily.

Update gas appliances that don’t have safety features. Older appliances such as your cooker, hob and fire place may not have the gas safety cut off feature. Meaning unless the flame is lit the gas will continue to leak out. 

If you have a duel fuel cooker there are ranges available to install to shut off electric devices. 

On gas appliances learn to do visual checks to know when you need a professional.

•There is a lazy yellow flame instead of a crisp blue flame.

•Soot or staining around the appliance 

•Excess condensation around the room 

Reducing your energy bills 

Energy bills are on the rise. Here are our top tips to help vulnerable people stay on top of their bills. 

Installing a room thermostat, a programmer and thermostatic radiator valves and using these controls efficiently could save you around £75 a year. Our engineers are always happy to help you set up your days, times and temperatures after installation. 

If you already have a full set of controls, turning down your room thermostat by just one degree can save around £80 a year, if you need help changing your controls just ask during your next boiler service. 

Smart room thermostats can be a great way to help remotely, if the person you are looking after has access to WiFi, by installing a smart thermostat you can track their consumption and ensure the heating is at the correct temperature at the right times.

Have smart meters installed. Most energy companies do not charge to upgrade to smart meters. The in home display will allow you to track your consumption, and bills.

Home insulation is another great way to cut back the gas bill. Having your home well insulated will prevent heat loss and subsequently lower your bills. 

There are many aspects to insulating your home, we can help with insulating tanks and pipework. You can also insulate cavity walls, roofs and lofts, floors, solid walls and draught-proof your home. The government also offers grants to help vulnerable people insulate their homes.

There's a lot of financial support advice available at https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/home-energy-efficiency/financial-support

For more information on safety use the contact us page