Making Your Home More Energy Efficient
If you take steps to cut the energy you use in your home you achieve a double benefit – you save money and the planet benefits too, with a tiny cut in the emissions that contribute to global warming.
The first step is to identify where the major energy outgoings are in your home. The average three-bedroomed home uses 44% of its energy on heating, 33% on cooking, lighting and other appliances such as televisions and stereos, 14% on heating water and 9% on keeping the fridge cool.
Let’s tackle the heat issue first. Heat rises, and the loft is by far the biggest loser of heat. So any measure you can take to cut heat loss here will see your heating bills cut by as much as 20%.
To find out if you have enough attic insulation, measure the thickness of
You may be eligible for a grant to insulate your home. Warm Front is a Government funded scheme in England which gives grants of up to £2,500 to households on certain benefits who may need help to improve the heating and energy efficiency of their homes. Local authorities can offer grants and discounts to residents who install energy efficiency measures. Check with your council.
You can save as much as 10% a year on your heating bills if you lower the temperature of your thermostat by one degree. Most people don’t even notice the change, but your wallet will.
Heat loss through your windows accounts for up to 25% of your heating bill. New windows must be double glazed by law, but older panes will let heat through. A cheap and easy solution is at least to make sure that the window edges are draught-proof.
Hot water
Many British homes use a hot water tank to heat up and store the hot water they need. Make sure your hot water tank and connecting pipes are adequately insulated (but don’t cover the thermostat). You’ll know if they are not insulated enough if you can feel the heat through any insulating covering.
Showers are far more economical and use less water than baths. You use 15-25 gallons of hot water for a bath, but less than 10 gallons during a 5-minute shower.
Repair any leaking taps promptly – gallons of water are wasted in this way.
Lighting
New fluorescent lamps are much more energy efficient than traditional filament lamps and last six to ten times as long. Take this into consideration when you buy new table and standard lamps.
Common sense habits such as turning off lights in rooms which are empty also save energy.
Appliances
Every appliance has two costs: the purchase price and the cost of running it for years. When buying new appliances, particularly white goods such as fridges, washing machines, tumble dryers and dishwashers, check out the energy efficiency ratings and look for the Energy Efficiency Recommended logo. For example, a fridge with the top energy saving rating will cost approximately £20 a year less to run than a model made 15 years ago.
For washing machines, 80 to 85% of the energy used is spent heating up the water. To save energy, use lower temperature cycles, such as the 40C cycle, more often.
The Energy Saving Trust – http://www.saveenergy.co.uk
