Fireplace Heatsaver – Helping British households tackle fuel poverty

An English mans’ home is his castle, or so it seems when it comes to paying for the heating bill! Most hard-pressed British households have just received their latest fuel bills and as winter approaches the need to heat the home becomes more apparent. What more can one do, all the appliances are off but the heating bill is only getting bigger. Help is at hand in the form of a deceptively simple device from Wakefield-based business, Environmental Fireplace Solutions. The Fireplace Heatsaver could save the average household a small fortune on its heating bill – and cut its carbon footprint by as much as half a ton - in just one year.

Over seven million properties in the UK have fireplaces which act as a ‘vacuum cleaner’, constantly sucking warm air up the chimney and out of expensively heated rooms, drawing cold air in from the outside which then has to be reheated. The Fireplace Heatsaver is a lightweight and totally transparent acrylic shield that sits in front of an open fireplace or fitted gas fire when it is not in use, preventing heat from escaping up the chimney.

Launched in January 2008, the demand for Fireplace Heatsavers is growing daily, and the energy saving product has also been commended in Environment UK Magazine as a “simple and effective way to cut your outgoings and protect the environment”.

Alex Stacey, editor of Environment UK Magazine, says: “The Fireplace Heatsaver epitomises the old adage that the simplest ideas are the best. (It) is the best thing I never knew I needed. I am convinced that if this product had a money-back guarantee, no one would ever claim it.”
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The house doctor calls

EVEN though many of us try to save energy at home, often it’s the little things that are right under our noses, or above them as this family found out, that could save the most money.
One of the simplest suggestions for ways to make big savings was Alan’s recommendation to switch to low-energy light bulbs, which could save £35 a year. Mum-of-two Lucy said: "I have low-energy bulbs in the main lights of the house, but I didn’t realise that you can now get low-energy bulbs for other types of fixtures, like the light in our lounge, which holds five little bulbs.

While Alan praised Lucy for not using a tumble drier, despite having plenty of washing to do with two young children, he warned that clothes should be dried on a rack if the home’s radiators are to work to maximum potential.

"Tumble dryers are a massive drain on the energy meter as well as the finances, so it’s best to dry clothes outside where possible," he said

As 35% of heat escapes through walls, the savings on their energy bills would cover that cost within a year. As Lucy and Dave bought a new boiler recently, this has taken a huge strain off the amount of energy they use.

Highly efficient condensing boilers, like the one in the Rhodes family home, convert more than 90% of fuel into heat, compared with just 55% for some old boilers.

As the family are finding out, a new boiler could cut heating bills by up to 40% straight away, so you make further savings and help the environment over time.

Survey results

HOW energy efficient is your home right now? (Rating A-G, with A= very energy efficient)

The house is currently rated as C in terms of its energy use. It is thought this could be improved to a B rating with some simple improvements.

What do you already have installed?

Heating provided by a condensing combination boiler;

A room thermostat on the heating system;

A timer on the heating system

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Italian car designer unveils electric power

Italian contract carmaker and engineering firm Pininfarina has unveiled an own-badged electric car.

For decades, the firm has built some of the most stunning cars known to man, without getting much credit for it beyond petrol-head circles.

"This car is real," declares Paolo Pininfarina, grandson of the company's founder, as the covers are whipped off the sleek vehicle at the Paris motor show.

Pininfarina's electric car, which has been built in partnership with battery producer Bollore, is set to hit the road by the end of next year and should go on sale in the US, Europe and Japan by the end of 2010.

"It's 90% similar to how it will be built", which in turn, he insisted, means it is "the only real electric city car at the motor show".

Cost or technology

And so the electric motoring debate continues, with an abundance of yay and nay-sayers, so far achieving little more than confusing drivers who want solutions yet remain wary of cons.

Yet, amidst it all a consensus is emerging.

Cars run purely on battery power are unlikely to become mainstream for years to come, mainly because of their cost.

"It's not about technology," insists General Motors' chief operating officer and vice chairman, Fritz Henderson. "Its all about cost."

But petrol-electric hybrid versions that can be charged from the mains for most journeys are arriving quickly, and even Dr Paefgen is full of praise.

So expect niche electric cars to make inroads, and even more plug-in hybrid solutions to hit the road in the years ahead.

And if a plug-in hybrid emerges with a Bentley badge long before they become mainstream, do not be shocked.
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Number of homes in fuel poverty rises by 1 million

The number of UK households in fuel poverty rose to 3.5 million in 2006, the latest official figures showed today.

The data, released by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, showed an increase of one million on 2005 levels. They include around 2.75 million homes classed as "vulnerable" - those that contain a child, elderly person or someone with a long-term illness.

To be classed as being in fuel poverty, households have to spend more than 10% of their income on gas and electricity. In England, 2.4 million fuel-poor households had fallen into fuel poverty by 2006, of which 1.9 million were vulnerable.

This was 900,000 more households than 2005, of which 700,000 were vulnerable.

The government attributed the rise to a 22% increase in consumer energy bills between 2005 and 2006.

Although the major suppliers cut their tariffs early last year, they increased them early this year, and again in the summer, which could mean the number of homes in fuel poverty today is actually much higher than 3.5 million.

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