Go green to beat the energy crunch

THE sun has disappeared behind heavy clouds, summer is nearly over and, to make it all worse, some 16million Britons are facing a £250 increase in their energy bills this winter.

British Gas’s plans to raise its fuel bills by 35% – increasing its price rise by 45% already this year – will turn the average household’s dual-fuel bill into a hefty £1,322 price tag. Coupled with the credit crunch, an energy crisis just seems plain unfair.

But by taking a few simple steps in your own home, you could actually cut your yearly bills by nearly £300.

So for those families who have been wondering whether they’ll have only enough money to heat the house or feed the children come December, help is at hand – and it promises to not only be cost-effective, but eco-friendly, too.

The UK Government will fund families aiming to go green by providing up to £2,700 to households on certain benefits. For full details on how to apply for a grant, see www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/ what–can–i–do–today/ energy–saving–grants–and– offers


GET THE BASICS RIGHT

Patrick McCool, who runs his own energy-assessment company, Make My Home Green (www.makemyhome green.com), says draughty British houses are incredibly heat-inefficient.

But before recommending throwing money into expensive double-glazing and thick carpets, he says that little steps across the house can add up to a very eco-friendly whole. It’s all about getting the balance right.

“There’s a lot to do in the house before you worry about things like renewable energy – solar panels and wind turbines and the like,” McCool says.

“Nearly half of our emissions in the UK come from buildings, with 27% of that from domestic buildings, so we need to start looking at our properties differently in how we heat and cool them.

“Most houses in the UK perform really badly in terms of energy efficiency, and it’s relatively simple to make them work a lot better – you just need to know what to do.”

GIVE YOUR HOUSE A HAT

We have all heard that we lose most of our body warmth through the top of our head – but the same can be said for our homes.

About 15% of a house’s heat is lost through the roof – but by insulating your loft with 270mm of insulation materials, you could save £150 on your heating bills, according to Government agency The Energy Saving Trust.

Depending on how much you want to spend, insulation can range from cost-friendly Rockwool (made from glass fibres) to sheep’s wool, to hemp, to Warmcel (made of recycled newspapers – see www.naturalinsulations.co.uk), to Eco-wool (made from recycled plastic bottles and stocked at B&Q – see www.diy.com or www.eco-wool.co.uk).

Once you have done the loft, the next step is to take a look at your walls as homes lose nearly 50% of their heat through both the loft and walls when uninsulated.

The EST says that about 33% of that heat loss is due to warm air escaping through the walls, so insulating them will save you about £120 a year and keep you warm come autumn.

TURN THE THERMOSTAT DOWN

We have all heard that turning the thermostat down just one degree can slash 10% off our energy bills – so why aren’t more of us actually doing it?

“The average house is heated to three degrees warmer than it used to be 20 years ago,” says Edwin Lloyd, who started My Greener Home (www.mygreenerhome.co.uk), a site dedicated to lowering energy bills, in response to his escalating fuel costs a few years ago.

“We are used to going around in T-shirts and shorts in the house when really we should get used to long-sleeved shirts and jumpers.”

Lloyd recommends energy meters such as the Wattson (www.diykyoto.com, or www.mygreenerhome.co.uk/ wattson-energy-meter-54.html) to help families understand where exactly their energy is being used in the house.

“You put a transmitter into your electricity supply near your fuse box which connects wirelessly to a digital display that you can carry around room to room to see what energy is being used where,” he says.

“People don’t realise where their money is going until they see the energy meter jump up once they turn on the kettle or the hi-fi. It makes them think about what they’re doing more.”

CHANGE YOUR LIGHT BULBS

The EST reckons that lighting your house accounts for about 15% of your electricity bill. By switching to energy-saving light bulbs, you could save nearly 80% on your bills per bulb.

“There are good-quality bulbs for every type of fitting now, including the halogen spotlights that are so popular now,” says McCool.

“People frequently have sets of five or 10 in their bedroom or kitchen, which is equivalent to putting on a 500-watt security light every time they walk over to their bed. It’s not necessary, and when they’re dimmer, the room has a much nicer atmosphere.”

DRAFT-PROOF THOSE WINDOWS

Vamping up your rickety sash windows with double-glazed ones could save you about £110 a year – depending on how you vamp them up, that is.

“It can cost about £1,000 to double-glaze a window, which is quite a lot, but I got a company called Quattro Seal (www.quattroseal.com) to do mine,” says McCool.

“I had these old sash windows that they sealed with silicon gel, which has made a huge difference in terms of the draftiness in my front room and only cost about £80 per window.

“If that’s too much money for you, try investing in some heavy floor-to-ceiling curtains – you’ll be surprised at how much that helps, too.”

full article

Eco-town plans in doubt as short list delayed

A list of 16 bids to build the towns, which was drawn up in April, had already been cut to 13 after three applicants - from areas in Lincolnshire, Staffordshire and Bedfordshire - pulled out.
Now it has emerged that three more, in Norfolk, North Yorkshire and Cambridgeshire, are also suffering problems, while plans for another in South Yorkshire have been cut back from 15,000 homes to 5,000.

Developers in Selby, in North Yorkshire - have had their proposals blocked by local authorities, while a partner in the scheme at Hanley Grange, near Cambridge, has withdrawn. The Government has won permission to build a prison on the proposed site of the eco-town in Coltishall, Norfolk.

Earlier this month Caroline Flint, the Housing Minister, has disclosed in a little-noticed document that the final shortlist of locations for the towns, which was due to be published in October, will now not be released until next year.

full article

Energy bills are soaring

Energy bills are soaring, so now consumers are looking for ways to save money with their household bills. This is not surprising either, what with British Gas prices recently rising by 35%, and Electricity prices rising by 9%!

Fixed price energy tariffs are one way that consumers can save money on their bills. With these tariffs (or capped energy tariffs) guarantee the price per unit that you are charged will not raise above the agreed amount for a stated amount of time.

This period is usually 1 to 2 years. In the present climate of high energy prices , these deals are becoming more and more appealing.

Really there are two main points to consider when trying to compare fixed price energy deals.

1. Be certain you understand exactly the date that your deal ends, as you will need to be ready for the possibly hike in prices when it runs out!

2. Some suppliers of fixed price energy deals may reduce your capped Unit price if there is a drop in their standard prices, whereas other providers may not do this. -Make sure you know which is the case with your energy provider!

full article

Generate your own power

Although the initial outlay for most of these technologies is quite high, the Government is offering grants, which can pay for up to 50 per cent of the cost. To qualify, your home has to meet certain energy efficiency standards – such as having full loft and cavity-wall insulation as well as temperature controls. But if you pass these tests, you could receive as much as £2,500 for your project. For more information, and to apply for a grant, visit www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk.

Below, we look at the five main options for generating your own power.

Wind turbines

Although Tory leader David Cameron may have a wind turbine attached to the roof of his home in Notting Hill, don't be fooled into thinking that micro-wind power will be suitable for your home. For wind power to be a viable option, you need to live in an area that has an average wind speed of at least 6 metres per second (m/s), below which you won't generate nearly enough power to justify the not inconsiderable cost of installing a turbine.

Solar

A more popular option is to install solar panels on the roof of your home, from which you can replace some of your electricity, or heat your water. According to the Energy Savings Trust, the average domestic system will set you back between £5,000 and £7,500 – and could save you around £230 on your annual electricity bill. Alternatively, if you choose to use solar panels only to help heat your water, your initial outlay would be slightly smaller – between £3,000 and £5,000 – but savings would also only typically be between £50 and £80 a year.
Biomass heaters

Biomass is biological material that can be used for fuel production, such as wood and energy crops. A biomass heater works by burning biomass to heat your home and your water, and, according to the Energy Savings Trust, could save you as much as £550 a year on heating bills. Stand-alone heaters generally cost between £2,000 and £4,000 to install, but they must comply with a number of building regulations, so it's important to check with your local authority that you have the right to build one.
Ground-source heat pumps

The earth a few metres below the ground stays at a constant temperature of 12-degrees centigrade, and by running a system of pipes underneath your garden, it is possible to harness some of this heat. The pipes, which are filled with a mixture of water and antifreeze, are arranged to run in a series of underground loops, heating their contents, which can then be used to heat your home.

The cost of installing one of these systems is between £6,000 and £12,000, but they could help to generate savings of as much as £900 a year.

Hydroelectricity

Finally, if you've got running water on your land, you could consider using its power to generate electricity. Although start-up costs are high – between £5,000 and £25,000 – efficiency levels are very good.

full article

Generate your own energy