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Energy-Efficient Heating in Care Homes

Why is it Important and How Can it be Achieved?

The Pressures Facing Care Homes

There are almost half a million vulnerable people living in care homes across the UK. With energy prices soaring, finding ways to provide sufficient heating at a reasonable cost is more important than ever.

More and more care home owners are struggling to make money stretch as far as it needs to, forcing them to make tough choices when it comes to investing their budgets.

Rising energy bills are a major cause for concern. To maintain a comfortable temperature, many care homes need to have their heating on permanently, 24 hours a day – especially in winter – which can really add up. This forces managing teams to balance the welfare of residents alongside the financial running of the business.

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Why Proper Heating Is So Important

According to a report by Public Health England, interior temperatures need to be maintained at a minimum of 18°c, if not slightly warmer, to help prevent a variety of health-related problems. Among other issues, cold-related mortality, morbidity and high-blood pressure are all associated with living in cold homes.

In particular, it has been shown that older people (over the age of 60) find it hard to maintain their core temperature, leaving them susceptible to cold-related health conditions. Recovery is also slowed in these individuals, inhibiting how quickly they can regain regular blood pressure, cholesterol and skin temperature after exposure to colder temperatures.

The importance of keeping residential homes at an appropriate temperature is clear, but of course does not ease the financial strain felt in doing so.

The Cost Of Heating Care Homes

In 2022, a care home in Lincolnshire estimated that their gas costs could skyrocket from £9,000 to £105,263 across a period of two years – a crippling rise in the current financial climate.

Care homes across the sector are grappling with similarly turbulent conditions, continuously battling the challenge of offering quality care whilst fighting an ever-tightening budget.

For many care providers, the question will be how to best face this struggle. Some may even be considering the difficult decision of cutting the amount spent on energy and heating. Of course, the risk of this decision is the potential cost that it will pose to the welfare of residents.

At Asbury, we believe the answer lies not in cutting corners, but in providing more efficient heating – lowering energy costs by reducing waste, without lowering the quality afforded to residents in care homes.

The answer is energy-efficient heating.

Ways Energy Efficient Heating Can Help

By preventing the amount of heat escaping from buildings, as well as limiting energy wasted through using inefficient systems, it’s possible to reduce the amount it costs to maintain comfortable indoor temperatures.

According to government reports, improving energy efficiency can reduce energy bills by up to 20%, a sizeable amount that could ease the strain felt by care home budgets. In turn, this money would be available for re-investment by residential homes into other areas of care.

Improving the insulation of walls, roofs and windows reduces the amount of wasted heat escaping from buildings. Additionally, a well-maintained, energy-efficient boiler can improve efficiency at the source.

Staying On Top Of Maintenance

As well as ensuring a care home is well insulated, keeping on top of boiler maintenance is an important step when it comes to efficient heating. Particularly when it comes to the care of elderly people, there’s no room for error when it comes to boiler breakdowns.

A well-maintained boiler will also run at its most efficient.

For this reason, it’s important for care homes to find a company that will reliably provide regular boiler maintenance and emergency callouts, ensuring residents won’t be left without heating.

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How Asbury’s Local Teams Can Help

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Asbury are committed to designing and installing reliable, energy-efficient boiler systems in care homes across the South – systems that will be economical to run whilst helping maintain suitable temperatures throughout your building.

We also offer regular maintenance checks, giving peace of mind that your boiler is working smoothly and efficiently throughout the year. On top of this, our friendly, experienced engineers are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for your convenience, whether you need a call out or simply some advice.

We provide services to a wide range of care facilities throughout the South, such as:

  • Nursing Homes
  • Private Care Homes
  • Social Care Homes
  • Sheltered Housing
  • Local Authority Health Homes

For more information about the services we offer to residential homes, why not take a look at the work we’ve done with Colten Care care homes?

If you’d like to find out more about how we can help supply energy efficient heating to your care home or business, or for any other queries, please get in touch.