Greening your home can save you energy and money as well as making it healthier and lowering its carbon footprint
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Insulation and glazing
Around half of the heat loss in a typical home is through the walls and loft so it's worth checking whether yours are insulated. Adopting the following measures can significantly reduce your energy bills:
* Cavity wall insulation
* Solid wall insulation
* Floor insulation
* Loft Insulation
* Draught proofing around doors and window frames
* Hot water tank and pipe insulation
* Double glazing for windows
For more details including cost, payback and savings see the Energy Saving Trust's guide to home insulation and glazing.
For information about where to start and what materials to use click here.
Find out about the grants and offers available to help you to make energy saving improvements to your home here.
Heating and hot water
Fitting an A-rated high efficiency condensing boiler with the correct heating controls can make a big difference to your heating bills over time. The current lifespan of a boiler is around 15 years. If your home has a G-rated or worse boiler you can register for the boiler scrappage scheme and receive a £400 cashback voucher towards the cost of upgrading to an A-rated boiler.
If you have a programmer or timer, set it so that the heating only comes on when needed. Just turning your thermostat down by 1C could save you around £55 a year.
Home appliances, home entertainment and electronics
How efficient are your home appliances? Energy Tariff Ltd
has an energy calculator website for domestic appliances, allowing you to choose the most efficient products and tariffs.
Looking to buy a new fridge, dishwasher or TV? Compare and buy products here that can help you stop wasting energy and money at home.
Greenpeace's Guide to Greener Electronics guide ranks the 18 biggest manufacturers of computers, mobile phones, TVs and games consoles according to their policies on toxic chemicals, recycling and climate change.
Energy labels
The EU energy label rates products from A (the most efficient) to G (the least efficient). For refrigeration the label goes up to A++.
Alternatively look for the Energy Saving Recommended label, a quick and easy way to identify the most energy efficient products. It includes products in categories where there isn't a statutory EU energy label such as glazing, televisions and boilers.
Green electricity
Most energy suppliers offer 'green' electricity tariffs that seek to support renewable energy. Look carefully at what suppliers are offering - few actually produce more renewable energy that they are required to be the legally-enforced Renewables Obligation. This comparison site is a good place to start.
Smart Meters
Knowing how much energy (and money) you are using at any given time is easier with a Smart Meter. Over the next 11 years every household in Britain will receive Smart Meters, one for gas and one for electricity. You'll be able to track your energy usage over set periods of time, from a day, up to a full year.
Laura Sevier
full article
Sunday 14 March 2010
Tuesday 9 March 2010
Boilers that generate electricity
Domestic gas boilers that can simultaneously generate electricity and heat will be unveiled in the UK today, providing a lower-carbon option to power homes.
The so-called micro-combined heat and power (micro CHP) units look like ordinary wall-hung gas boilers, but as well as generating heat for radiators and water, they produce electricity as a byproduct.
Traditional boilers are highly efficient at generating heat within the home, with more than 90% of the energy in the fuel converted into useful heat. But conventional electricity generation is highly inefficient, with as little as 35% of the energy in the fuel burned in the power plant becoming electricity in the home. Most of the rest is wasted as heat in the power station, with a smaller amount lost in transmission across the national grid.
But the new micro CHP devices create enough electricity for a one-bar electric fire as a byproduct of heat generation. This reduces wastage, with 92% of the total energy in the gas converted into heat or electricity. The new CHP boiler will be able to produce around 1,800–2,400 Kwh of electricity a year, more than half of the typical gas-heated home's total demand, because the electricity is generated "on site" without the need for transmission which wastes power.
Larger micro CHP devices have been sporadically available in the UK for a number of years, but the Ecogen by Baxi – which will be launched today at London's Ecobuild show and will go on sale at the start of April through British Gas – is the first to be comparable in size to a conventional boiler. The units will cost around twice as much as a large regular boiler – likely around £5,000.
Unlike solar panels and wind turbines, the Ecogen does create carbon dioxide, since it burns natural gas. But by producing electricity alongside the heat, the device can reduce the carbon footprint of a typical three-bedroom home by around one tonne a year (or significantly more if replacing an inefficient 10-year-old boiler), according to the manufacturer.
full article
The so-called micro-combined heat and power (micro CHP) units look like ordinary wall-hung gas boilers, but as well as generating heat for radiators and water, they produce electricity as a byproduct.
Traditional boilers are highly efficient at generating heat within the home, with more than 90% of the energy in the fuel converted into useful heat. But conventional electricity generation is highly inefficient, with as little as 35% of the energy in the fuel burned in the power plant becoming electricity in the home. Most of the rest is wasted as heat in the power station, with a smaller amount lost in transmission across the national grid.
But the new micro CHP devices create enough electricity for a one-bar electric fire as a byproduct of heat generation. This reduces wastage, with 92% of the total energy in the gas converted into heat or electricity. The new CHP boiler will be able to produce around 1,800–2,400 Kwh of electricity a year, more than half of the typical gas-heated home's total demand, because the electricity is generated "on site" without the need for transmission which wastes power.
Larger micro CHP devices have been sporadically available in the UK for a number of years, but the Ecogen by Baxi – which will be launched today at London's Ecobuild show and will go on sale at the start of April through British Gas – is the first to be comparable in size to a conventional boiler. The units will cost around twice as much as a large regular boiler – likely around £5,000.
Unlike solar panels and wind turbines, the Ecogen does create carbon dioxide, since it burns natural gas. But by producing electricity alongside the heat, the device can reduce the carbon footprint of a typical three-bedroom home by around one tonne a year (or significantly more if replacing an inefficient 10-year-old boiler), according to the manufacturer.
full article
Sunday 7 March 2010
First Utility sparks energy price war
First Utility, the independent energy company, has cut its prices to make it the cheapest energy supplier in the UK.
Its iSaveV3 dual fuel tariff now costs £889 per year for a typical energy user - £10 cheaper than British Gas’ WebSaver6 and more than £20 cheaper than the average of the best online deals from other energy suppliers.
To qualify for the First Utility tariff, consumers must operate their account online and pay by monthly direct debit. For those unable or reluctant to go online and use direct debits, First Utility also operates the cheapest Standard energy tariff on the market, with a price tag of £1,074 for a typical energy user.
Its latest initiative comes amid growing consumer concern at the huge profits being racked up by the big six energy companies. Mark Daeche, chief executive of First Utility, said: “We’re aiming to send out a clear message that there is a real alternative to the big six incumbent energy companies.”
full article
Its iSaveV3 dual fuel tariff now costs £889 per year for a typical energy user - £10 cheaper than British Gas’ WebSaver6 and more than £20 cheaper than the average of the best online deals from other energy suppliers.
To qualify for the First Utility tariff, consumers must operate their account online and pay by monthly direct debit. For those unable or reluctant to go online and use direct debits, First Utility also operates the cheapest Standard energy tariff on the market, with a price tag of £1,074 for a typical energy user.
Its latest initiative comes amid growing consumer concern at the huge profits being racked up by the big six energy companies. Mark Daeche, chief executive of First Utility, said: “We’re aiming to send out a clear message that there is a real alternative to the big six incumbent energy companies.”
full article
Saturday 6 March 2010
Five ways you can hit back at the greedy energy giants
1: Switch supplier
This should be straightforward and can be done over the phone or online - yet 12 million households have never bothered.
The internet has made searching for a cheaper deal easier. Our sister website, thisismoney.co.uk, can help you to make average annual savings of £263. Where a household has never switched before, the savings should be far higher.
'Allow about six weeks for the transfer to complete,' says Mark Todd, managing director at energyhelpline.com, which powers This is Money's switching facility.
2: Consider newcomers
New smaller firms, such as OVO and First Utility, are grabbing market share from the big six - British Gas, EDF, Eon, npower, Scottish and Southern and ScottishPower.
First Utility has undercut many of the big players. It is also innovative, offering customers in the Midlands smart-meter technology since last September. Smart meters attach to existing gas and electricity meters to give an exact reading of usage, which is transmitted back to First Utility.
3: Seek a dual-fuel deal
If your gas and electricity is supplied by different companies, you can probably save by moving to a dual-fuel package. All companies offer dual-fuel as a standard tariff as opposed to an online-only deal.
4: Go online and pay by direct debit
The biggest savings are to be made by people prepared to take a dual-fuel online deal and pay by direct debit. According to thisismoney.co.uk, a household paying its bill quarterly on receipt of a bill will save on average between £200 and £300 a year by switching to an online direct debit tariff. British Gas has the cheapest online deal for households with average energy consumption, while ScottishPower and EDF are among the best for high users. Npower is competitive for homes with low energy use.
There have been problems with direct debit payments being set too high and companies holding on to customers' overpaid cash.
5: Consider a fixed rate
Almost all energy companies offer fixed-rate tariffs, which can suit those households that are worried about rising costs and need to budget. Yet Todd says that if energy prices are set to fall it may be worth waiting.
Help for the vulnerable
Pensioners and households on low incomes may be eligible for help with their energy bills.
Energy companies are required by law to provide 'social tariffs' to help their most vulnerable customers. These tariffs must be at least equal to the provider's cheapest deal. There are also State-funded grants and money available from energy providers to help lower-income households make energy-saving improvements to their homes.
One of the best known is Warm Front, which provides grants of up to £3,500 to eligible households in England. Similar schemes operate in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Money is available for loft insulation, draught-proofing and cavity wall insulation. To find out more, go to warmfront.co.uk or call 0800 316 2805.
The Government's boiler scrappage scheme still has funds available. Households with a G-rated boiler (the oldest and least efficient) can get £400 towards the cost of a new, more efficient model and its installation. For more on this and other energy savings ideas, visit energysavingtrust.org.uk.
full article
This should be straightforward and can be done over the phone or online - yet 12 million households have never bothered.
The internet has made searching for a cheaper deal easier. Our sister website, thisismoney.co.uk, can help you to make average annual savings of £263. Where a household has never switched before, the savings should be far higher.
'Allow about six weeks for the transfer to complete,' says Mark Todd, managing director at energyhelpline.com, which powers This is Money's switching facility.
2: Consider newcomers
New smaller firms, such as OVO and First Utility, are grabbing market share from the big six - British Gas, EDF, Eon, npower, Scottish and Southern and ScottishPower.
First Utility has undercut many of the big players. It is also innovative, offering customers in the Midlands smart-meter technology since last September. Smart meters attach to existing gas and electricity meters to give an exact reading of usage, which is transmitted back to First Utility.
3: Seek a dual-fuel deal
If your gas and electricity is supplied by different companies, you can probably save by moving to a dual-fuel package. All companies offer dual-fuel as a standard tariff as opposed to an online-only deal.
4: Go online and pay by direct debit
The biggest savings are to be made by people prepared to take a dual-fuel online deal and pay by direct debit. According to thisismoney.co.uk, a household paying its bill quarterly on receipt of a bill will save on average between £200 and £300 a year by switching to an online direct debit tariff. British Gas has the cheapest online deal for households with average energy consumption, while ScottishPower and EDF are among the best for high users. Npower is competitive for homes with low energy use.
There have been problems with direct debit payments being set too high and companies holding on to customers' overpaid cash.
5: Consider a fixed rate
Almost all energy companies offer fixed-rate tariffs, which can suit those households that are worried about rising costs and need to budget. Yet Todd says that if energy prices are set to fall it may be worth waiting.
Help for the vulnerable
Pensioners and households on low incomes may be eligible for help with their energy bills.
Energy companies are required by law to provide 'social tariffs' to help their most vulnerable customers. These tariffs must be at least equal to the provider's cheapest deal. There are also State-funded grants and money available from energy providers to help lower-income households make energy-saving improvements to their homes.
One of the best known is Warm Front, which provides grants of up to £3,500 to eligible households in England. Similar schemes operate in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Money is available for loft insulation, draught-proofing and cavity wall insulation. To find out more, go to warmfront.co.uk or call 0800 316 2805.
The Government's boiler scrappage scheme still has funds available. Households with a G-rated boiler (the oldest and least efficient) can get £400 towards the cost of a new, more efficient model and its installation. For more on this and other energy savings ideas, visit energysavingtrust.org.uk.
full article
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