Saving Energy at Home

Changing Energy Provider

Switching energy provider is often the quickest way to save a good deal of money. There are plenty of options available and it is always worth looking at the market to see if you are getting the best deal. If you have never changed provider you could save £100 pounds a year, on average . Price comparison sites are often good places to look if you are searching for a better deal and there are various ways to lower the price of your quote.

• Choosing a dual fuel plan (gas and electricity from the same provider) will often be cheaper.
• Discounts are often available if you pay by direct debit.
• Some suppliers offer electricity that comes from renewable sources, like wind farms, or will contribute part of your cost towards a green project.
• You can also choose fixed or capped plans. Fixed means that you set the price with the supplier which will not change for the duration of the contract. Capped plans set an upper limit of price which you will never pay more than.

Heat Loss

Around 60% of energy use in homes is taken up by heating. This is therefore the largest area to tackle when looking to cut down on your energy bills. There are plenty of government grants for loft and cavity wall insulation to help with the initial investment. Go to http://www.warmfront.co.uk/do-i-qualify.htm to find out what grants are available to you.

Loft Insulation

Around a third of the heat you use to keep your house warm is lost through the roof. Having correct insulation in the loft, which is best installed by a trained professional, will make your house naturally warmer and cut down on energy bills.

• If you currently have no loft insulation and you install the recommended 270mm depth, you could save between £180-220 a year
• Loft insulation costs in the region of £250 to install
• You would also save 1.5 tonnes of CO2 every year

Cavity Wall Insulation

If your house was built between the 1930’s and 1980’s it is likely to have unfilled cavity walls. Most homes lose the largest proportion of their energy through the walls, due to their large surface area in comparison to the roof, and insulating these walls is therefore a simple way to cut down on bills. The process ofinvolves inserting a foam-like material between the two cavity walls, which retains heat better than air alone.

• Cavity wall insulation saves around £160 per year
• It will cost about £260 to install

Windows

As shown in this thermal imaging picture, windows are a key area of heat loss, especially in winter. There are some straightforward ways to cut down the amount of energy escaping.

• Open curtains during a hot day. This will let the natural warmth into the house
• On a cold day closing the curtains will slow heat loss
• Double glazing will cut heat loss through windows by 50% and could save you £60 from your heating bill each year
• Make sure your windows have low-emissive glass, which helps reflect heat back into your room rather than let it escape

Draughts

When you feel a draught at home it means that your house is losing energy. Walk around your house on a windy day and work out where the leaks are occurring. Typically, they will come from cracks, badly fitted windows, gaps around doors, letterboxes without draught excluding brunes or gaps in the floorboards. Simply filling and weatherstripping doors and windows will save a good deal of money.

• There are various types of draught proofing material available – brushes, foams, sealants, shaped rubber and plastic
• Most are available in DIY shops. Remember to check that the products conform to the British standard BS 7386

Heating/Water

According to DEFRA, a quarter of energy in Britain is used through water heating. Not only is it a huge drain on energy, but is an area in which a high proportion of energy waste occurs. It is also, therefore, a particularly simple area in which to make changes.

Heating

Turning down the temperature by only 1ºc can lower energy bills by 10%. Just wearing a jumper around the home can therefore save you a good deal of money.

Incorporating energy saving measures will also help the environment because around 60% of CO2 emissions from your home are released from your boiler.

• Set your heating to your routine. Use the programmer on the central heating system to set it to switch off during the night and while you are away during the day
• Place foil along the back of your radiator. This will reflect the heat away from the wall and back into your room.
• Check that your radiator is not being blocked by furniture. This will disrupt the heating process
• Replacing an old boiler with a newer, energy efficient version can drastically alter your energy bills. If your boiler is 10-15 years old it is probably not energy efficient and can be wasting up to half the gas you buy. Upgrading can improve efficiency by 30% and could save you up to £200 a year. For more information on boiler efficiency visit http://www.boilers.org.uk
• Bleed your radiators. This costs nothing, and will improve performance
• Thermostatic radiator valves sense the air temperature around them and regulate the radiators to ensure the room stays to a set temperature

Water

• Set your water cylinder thermostat at 60ºc/140ºF, which is hot enough for washing and cleaning
• Have showers, rather than baths
• Fix leaky taps. These can waste 1,000 litres of water a month

Lighting

Lighting uses up 1/8th of Britain’s energy.

• Using energy saving lightbulbs will save you an average of £9 a year in heating bills per bulb
• They also last up to 12 times longer and use quarter of the energy of inefficient lightbulbs

Appliances

Energy Efficiency Ratings

You can find out exactly how energy efficient an appliance is by checking its EU energy label. A product rated ‘A’ in energy efficiency and performance will save you the most money as well as being the best for the environment.

The Energy Saving Trust has also developed a scheme called Energy Saving Recommended which helps to identify the most energy efficient products quickly and easily. If you see a product with the Energy Efficiency Recommended logo then you know it has met the strict energy saving criteria that the scheme demands. Over 2,500 products are now covered. To find products covered, follow this link to the Energy Saving Trust’s database: http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Compare-and-buy-products.

Day-to-Day appliances

Any appliances are vulnerable to overusing energy, whether through machines being left on standby or inefficient models draining power. Items left on standby in Britain account for enough wasted energy to power 2.7 million homes each year.

Washing Machines

• Will work just as well on a lower heat as a higher one
• Always make sure you have a full load. Washing one t-shirt at a time will waste energy
• If you need to put a smaller load, set the washing machine to a half setting
• An Energy Saving Recommended model uses a third less energy than others

Fridges and Freezers

• Check doors are tightly shut
• Defrost regularly to keep it running efficiently and cheaply. If this doesn’t work then check the door seal
• Do not leave the door open for longer than necessary
• An Energy Saving Recommended model uses over 60% less energy than an old one, saving £45 a year on a fridge freezer and £20 for a fridge
• Choose a fridge with a freezer on top

Ovens

• Try to cook all items at the same time
• Opening the oven door to check if food is cooked reduces its temperature by 25%
• With an electrical oven, turn it off 10 minutes before you finish cooking. It will retain its temperature for this long

Other Tips

• Only boil what is needed in the kettle
• Check that air fresheners are environmentally friendly
• Use the outdoors, when weather allows, to freshen your home naturally
• Wash in the sink rather than use the dishwasher when you can
• Always try to make sure the dishwasher is filled completely