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Ways to save on heating bill
Consider fitting thermostatic Radiator valves to most radiators. Re-set the central heating boiler thermostat to a lower temperature during the summer months ....more
Insulate Your Home
Did you know that a major source of the 'Greenhouse' gas, carbon dioxide (CO2), which contributes to global warming and climate change, is a result of wasted energy in the home? ....more
Every little helps
Every little helps when making your home greener
Can't afford solar panels? There are cheaper ways to a greener home ....more
NEA welcomes British Gas price cut and social tariff
National Energy Action (NEA), the leading national fuel poverty charity, has welcomed British Gas’s announcement today that they will reduce their gas and electricity prices ...more
NETWORK CODE MODIFICATION: A REGULATORY REFINEMENT WITH NEGLIGIBLE BENEFIT, SAY PRODUCERS
The UK Offshore Operators Association (UKOOA), the representative body for UK oil and gas producers, is extremely disappointed by the Gas and Electricity Markets Authoritys decision ....more
Ways to save on heating bill
Consider fitting thermostatic Radiator valves to most radiators.
Re-set the central heating boiler thermostat to a lower temperature during the summer months.
Turn the room thermostat down if you’re too warm - a 1% reduction can reduce your annual fuel bills by around 10% Use your timer or programmer so that you only use heating when you need it.
Set hot water cylinder thermostats to 60%C.
If you have an all electric storage heater, make sure you know how to use the input and output controls properly.
Replacing an old central heating boiler can save 10 -15% on fuel bills every year. You may qualify for help towards the cost.
Always close fridge and freezer doors immediately after you remove food.
Using a 40%C washing cycle in your washing machine instead of 60%C will save you a third of the cost.
A lower temperature dishwasher programme for lighter-soiled dishes will help save energy.
Use energy efficient light bulbs as they use only a quarter of the electricity of normal bulbs and will last ten times longer.
More heat can be lost through the walls of a property than through any other part of the home.
When buying a new electrical appliance look out for one with an ‘A’ rated energy label - they’re the most efficient and can save the cost of the machine.
Save with Insulation
Cavity wall insulation can help reduce this heat loss by around 35%, saving you in the region of £75 on annual fuel bills.
The roof space is another potential source of heat loss, and good loft insulation can help cut your heating bills by around 20%. The recommended level of loft insulation is now 300mm.
Ill fitting doors and windows can be another source of heat loss. Draughtproofing to doors and windows will reduce the heat loss and therefore save you money.
Insulate Your Home
Did you know that a major source of the 'Greenhouse' gas, carbon dioxide (CO2), which contributes to global warming and climate change, is a result of wasted energy in the home?
In the UK, one quarter of all carbon dioxide emissions come from the energy we use to heat and light our homes, and power our household appliances. By saving energy in the home you are reducing the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere and so helping to reduce the threat of global climate change.
Warmer Homes, Lower Bills
By reducing the amount of wasted energy from your home, you are not only 'doing your bit' for the environment, but you'll also start to see significant improvements in the warmth and comfort of your property, as well as lower fuel bills.
Two of the most popular ways to dramatically reduce heat loss are cavity wall and loft insulation. And the good news is that thanks to various Government and Utility initiatives the cost of having the work carried out won't burn a hole in your pocket! You may even qualify for a grant (see Grants & Discounts).
There are also many simple 'no cost' things that you can do around the home to save energy and reduce your annual fuel bills by 10-15%.
Energy Tips
Your Heating - Turning down room thermostats by 1°C could save 10% on your fuel bill! (remember to be sensible - don't risk the health of the old or vulnerable). Only switch on heating and water when needed. By fitting a timer programmer you can pre-set your heating and water to come on and go off to suit your needs.
Fit aluminium foil or reflective panels behind radiators to reflect heat back into the room. Reflective radiator panels are available from the Environment Centre (See Products & Prices).
Shelves above radiators direct heat into the centre of a room.
Your Door - 25% of all heat can be lost through draughty, ill-fitting doors and windows. Fixing draught strips to exterior doors will save both heat and money (See under Products & Prices and Grants & Discounts). To stop unwanted draughts through the letterbox fit a nylon brush seal or spring flap.
Your Windows - Up to 10% of all heat lost from your home is through the windows. Fitting double-glazing can reduce this dramatically.
Reduce draughts through old windows by fitting secondary double-glazing, something as simple as cling film will stop draughts.
Your Lighting - Using just one low energy light bulb could save you up to £50 on bills over its lifetime. Plus you save on not having to replace ordinary bulbs (See Products & Prices).
Your Water - Don't waste heat and money. Keep the hot water thermostat set at 60°C.
When washing hands or dishes put the plug in!
Never leaving taps running.
Take a shower instead of a bath, it only uses two-fifths of the amount of hot water.
Fix leaky taps.
An insulating jacket for your hot water cylinder only cost a few pounds and could save you around £10 per year.
Your Kitchen - Don't leave the door of your fridge or freezer open or ajar as the cold air escapes and it costs more to get back to the right temperature.
Never put warm or hot food straight into the fridge or freezer.
Regular defrosting keeps fridges/freezers running well, reducing running costs. Don't site fridges/freezers next to cooker or boilers.
When cooking, choose the right size pan and use lids that retain heat and reduce condensation.
Cut food up into smaller pieces - it cooks quicker and loses less energy.
Don't keep opening the oven door when cooking.
Try and use a pressure cooker to speed up cooking time.
When boiling the kettle, only use the amount of water that you need, but be sure to cover the elements.
In General - Close curtains at dusk to prevent heat escaping through windows.
Don't let your curtains drape in front of radiators.
Reduce draughts through floorboards by filling gaps with newspaper, papier-mache, mastic or plastic wood.
Us the 40°C programme on your washer and always fill it with a full load.
When ironing, sort your laundry first so that you iron delicates on a low setting first, and work your way through to fabrics that need the highest setting, such as linen.
Only use heat and light appliances when you really need them - don't leave TV's or videos on standby. Also switch off your PC screen when it's not being used!
Every little helps
Every little helps when making your home greener
Can't afford solar panels? There are cheaper ways to a greener home. Hester Lacey learns how a bit of DIY can make a big difference.
Start out with the laudable aim of making your house greener and, after a few weeks of research, you could well be forgiven for drawing the conclusion that it would be easier (and cheaper) to knock the whole place down and start again. This is particularly true if you live in an older property, and more than a quarter of British homes date from before 1919, which officially classifies them as "historic buildings". There is a wealth of eco-information available, but attempting to sift through it is confusing, and green options may be light on the environment but depressingly heavy on the pocket.
However, the new Sustainable Building Resource Centre, in Dorset, points the way towards a simpler solution. The centre is the country's first one-stop green building shop and offers information, resources, advice and design. It is aimed at homeowners as well as at builders, planners, architects and surveyors.
The centre, which opened last year, practices what it preaches: it is housed in an environmentally friendly straw-bale building, plastered with lime, alongside the Dorset Centre for Rural Skills near Blandford Forum. Among the services it offers are displays of building techniques such as timber-frame construction and earth structure; displays of energy-efficient technology; registers of builders, architects and surveyors, and design and planning application advice.
"We receive lots of calls from homeowners," says centre manager Anne Humphries. "Some people want to improve an existing building, others are turning up with architectural drawings and ideas. We get a lot of inquiries about water; rainwater recycling is very popular."
Tradespeople and building professionals are also taking note of increased interest in environmental issues, and an open day for architects was oversubscribed. "We had to turn people away," recalls centre director Rob Buckley.
These two know what they are talking about; Rob has more than 30 years' experience in the building trade, while Anne's background is in sustainable energy. Rob and Anne will visit individual homes to make suggestions for eco-improvement - bearing in mind the style of the house and the owner's budget.
"Sustainability is linked to finance," points out Rob. "You can't always ask people to do things that cost a fortune. There's no point telling people to replace their windows if they can't afford it. We can recommend simple solutions and try to be practical and specific. We don't just audit the house, we look at the whole situation."
When I first moved to Dorset six years ago, I enthusiastically looked into various green possibilities for my new home: and eventually gave up in despair. Installing solar panels was quoted at about £16,000. So I invited Rob and Anne to come and make some suggestions for greening on a budget, for a draughty old building with no cavity walls or double glazing.
Rob homes in on my pointing. I had suspected the house was slightly damp, but Rob diagnoses simple condensation, much to my relief. "When this house was built, it would have had lime plaster inside and out, so the house could breathe. Many modern buildings are too dry; moisture is a good thing, as opposed to damp that can't escape. You still have quite a lot of original pointing, which is a good thing, but externally it would help if there was no concrete pointing at all."
Next up are the Victorian sash windows, beautiful to look at but rattly and draughty. If Rob had suggested pulling these out and replacing them with UPVC double glazing, I would have shown him the door, but he doesn't. "It's lovely to see original windows," he says. "Even if the frames were rotten, I would never suggest UPVC. To make UPVC windows requires an enormous amount of energy; they are made of petrochemical-based material and are very polluting."
My best option, he says, is to keep the windows but make them more efficient. This can be done by lifting out the panels and fitting them with little brushes that will stop the draughts. "This can turn a leaky, rattly sash window into a modern, efficient window; there are some excellent systems available," explains Rob. "There are national companies who can do this or you can find a carpenter."
I could also consider unobtrusive secondary glazing, though this would be more expensive. Rob suggests glazing with a vent top and bottom, rather than sealed units; the gap acts as a solar collector and warms the air in the room.
Using sunlight to heat the house is also a possibility at the back, where there is an extension with a slanted roof. "You could use the entrance area like a storage heater that would work with the sun, if you installed some properly oriented extra glazing to replace a section of the roof," says Rob. Sadly, this is not a cheap option, but I shall bear it in mind. The angle of the roof is also suitable for a solar hot water collector. These, says Rob, are economically viable. Photovoltaic systems, however, would not be financially sound. "The payback time on photovoltaics is up to 60 years," he warns.
I'm already thinking of changing my oil-fired boiler, whose pilot light goes out when the wind blows from the wrong direction. "There are some highly efficient condenser boilers from around £600, but I would question the sense of sticking with oil," says Rob. "You have the option of a bio-mass boiler. Wood pellet boilers are most convenient. More and more organisations are producing boilers that run on wood chips and sawdust. The most efficient option is a log-burning boiler that vaporises the logs, but they are around £2,500." Gulp. This Rolls-Royce of boilers would, however, last me years.
Anne, meanwhile, has turned her attention to my loft insulation. She suggests adding an extra layer of sheep's-wool insulation, which can be dropped on to the top of what's already there. Conventional insulation material, she explains, is tested for efficiency at zero per cent humidity, a condition you don't find in any house. "If fibreglass absorbs 1 per cent of its weight in water, it becomes 80 per cent less efficient," she says. "Sheep's wool becomes more efficient the wetter it gets. It comes on battens, so it's very easy to put in as a DIY job."
Rob and Anne also suggest only heating rooms that are in use, fitting every radiator with a thermostat, putting reflective insulation behind radiators, and making sure doors fit snugly. Rob does not recommend putting a brick in the loo cistern to reduce water wastage. "People end up flushing two or three times. It's better to install a proper two-stage flush."
The charge for advice is £45 per hour, which includes a report. After a couple of hours, I am equipped with a list that I can organise into immediate, low-cost ideas plus longer-term projects. Rob and Anne provide price estimates and can recommend products and contractors.
Rob is also an expert on regulations surrounding listed buildings. And if you are going for a new build, the sky's the limit when it comes to green measures such as geothermals, underfloor heating, roof slates made from tyres, wall insulation made from recycled paper, natural wood cladding instead of plywood, and so on. The centre can advise on all of these.
Jim Knight, the Minister for Rural Affairs, has commented enthusiastically on the centre, whose initial funding included contributions from the EC and Knight's department. "The materials are here, the skills are here, and there is the opportunity to learn more about building in a way that will produce less waste and be more efficient. It's a win-win situation," he said.
For non-locals, the team can handle phone inquiries. And there is definitely a need for their kind of advice on environmentally friendly building.
Good housekeeping
If you want to make your property greener, you might like to think about...
Lime rendering (can help old buildings breathe).
Wood cladding (renewable and sustainable, wood can be treated to be chemical-free but durable. Also lets buildings breathe).
Living sedum roof (great insulation, waterproofing layer). Insulating external walls (wood-fibre boards made from waste softwood keep the heat in). Rainwater harvesting (filtered and stored underground in tanks)
Solar thermal collectors (using the sun to heat water). Photovoltaic collectors (using the sun to generate electricity. Floor insulation (using wood-fibre board or sheep's wool under floor)
Loft insulation (sheep's wool)
Natural carpets (will last longer and are greener than the cheap synthetic alternative)
Chimney (closing flue when not in use keeps heat in; an enclosed stove is even more efficient)
Grey water collection (stores water from washing machine or bath for use in the garden, but remember to use biodegradable soaps!)
Underfloor heating (low-level, low-energy and works well with solar water heating)
Wind turbines (need to be sensitively sited but are getting smaller and much more manageable for household use).
NEA welcomes British Gas price cut and social tariff
National Energy Action (NEA), the leading national fuel poverty charity, has welcomed British Gas’s announcement today that they will reduce their gas and electricity prices next month and applauds the introduction of their new social tariff which will assist 750,000 of their most vulnerable customers.
From 12 March 2007 British Gas will cut its standard tariffs for gas by 17 per cent and for electricity by 11 per cent.
The company, owned by Centrica, has been criticised for its high tariffs, which have caused major problems for vulnerable consumers.
Many of its customers decided to switch away from British Gas last year with its market share dropping for the first time below the 50% mark.
Since 2002, British Gas has increased gas prices seven times and electricity tariffs six times, while it last cut prices in the spring of 2000.
British Gas forecasts that the price cut next month will reduce the average annual dual fuel bill by £167 to £953.
William Gillis, NEA Chief Executive, said: “We welcome this price drop. With the cold weather and snow hitting us this week many households will need to use their heating more to keep their home warm and this will be welcome news for them.”
“A new social tariff aimed at cutting gas and electricity bills for up to 750,000 of British Gas’s most vulnerable customers will see their energy bills drop by 24.6% or around £285 per annum.”
William Gillis added: “NEA has pressed the energy supply industry to introduce social tariffs that actually represent the best deals available. NEA applauds British Gas for the introduction of a social tariff which will ensure that its low-income and vulnerable customers are guaranteed the best deal in terms of the prices they pay for gas and electricity from the company”.
Centrica chief executive Sam Laidlaw said: "If wholesale prices fall further this year, then we will pass those price reductions on to our customers."
British Gas is the first UK company to announce definitive price cuts so far, after a round of increases from various suppliers.
NETWORK CODE MODIFICATION: A REGULATORY REFINEMENT WITH NEGLIGIBLE BENEFIT, SAY PRODUCERS
The UK Offshore Operators Association (UKOOA), the representative body for UK oil and gas producers, is extremely disappointed by the Gas and Electricity Markets Authoritys decision to press ahead with a modification to the network code which will allow commercially sensitive information about offshore gas production to be released to the market in real time (UNC 006). This is despite the majority of respondents voicing opposition to the proposal following Ofgems recent consultation about its impact. David Odling, UKOOAs gas issues manager, said: We think that those who lobbied for the modification, believing it would secure more competitively priced gas, will be bitterly disappointed. Last winters high gas prices were driven largely by fears of supply shortages. What the market needs above all else is more gas but UNC 006 is not the means to deliver it. Rather, it will expose commercial positions when fields run into production difficulties and therefore risks creating even greater price volatility.The modification is a regulatory refinement, with negligible benefit, which will serve to increase investment risk and do nothing to secure the maximum recovery of oil and gas reserves from the UKCS in line with government policies. It will benefit traders and probably nobody else.UNC 006 will allow real-time information about the flows of gas delivered from offshore fields into the national transmission system (NTS) to be shown for each sub terminal. The same information is currently available for the previous hour, but aggregated into two zones, north and south. The gas market balances over a 24 hour period (unlike electricity ) and trading takes place at the NBP (National Balancing Point).UKOOA argues that because of dominant flows at some sub-terminals, any major failure will expose the field in question to the market almost in real time, as a result of UNC 006. The parties to the DTIs information release scheme, which included Ofgem, had previously agreed that this should not happen, as do some users groups. Similar details about demand are not made available, only being estimated by National Grid at an aggregated, national level. Furthermore, the modification will have limited economic benefit, if any. Ofgems calculations suggest that the overall gain would be worth just £20-£59 million over some 15 years in NPV (net present value) terms, compared with the value of the gas transmitted through the national transmission system (NTS) of about £10 billion each year. However, Ofgems calculations include benefits which cannot be attributed to the UNC 006 modification. Oxera has concluded in a separate study that the NPV could be even smaller and may actually be less than the costs.UKOOA also argues that Ofgem's recent Impact Assessment does not properly consider the potential effects on the upstream sector. UKOOA's members are investing hard to sustain UKCS production which is currently declining at about 7% per year. Without current investment, it would decline at twice this rate.
UKOOA is currently reviewing the Authoritys decision and will consult its members regarding its next steps. UKOOA believes that the desire for details of producers business has to stop with UNC 006 and go no further. It calls on Ofgem to give this assurance.
"We all know that running a home can be costly
so great savings are essential and helpful
to a balanced home life".
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