Archive for January, 2010
A new survey introduced in Lancashire could help locals to save money on their energy bills.
The new energy survey will be done using a plane and thermal imaging equipment. This will help to identify ‘hot spots’ around the county, showing the exact areas from which buildings are losing the greatest amount of heat.
Statistics show that heat is typically lost through the walls, windows and loft. The survey will help to identify these areas, and show the real problem to encourage people to install energy efficient measures in their homes.
Once the survey has been carried out, work will begin to help teach householders and businesses learn how they can improve their properties – including by making use of low cost measures to cut down on energy costs.
Double glazing can help to reduce the heat lost through windows by half. In turn, this can help to take around £135 off your annual energy bills, according to the Energy Saving Trust.
Other measures include cavity wall insulation that can reduce bills by £115, and loft insulation that can save £150 on energy bills.
County Councillor Tim Ashton said that ‘cutting down on energy use makes sense at all times’ and that the scheme will also help to ensure that families can cut costs.
There will be a number of grants made available to businesses and homeowners to help them implement energy saving measures.
The flights needed to create the survey will also be offset by the council contributing to the Lancashire-Gulu Carbon Compensation Scheme.
As temperatures have plummeted in recent weeks, nearly all of us have had to turn up our thermostats. However, this has led to a huge worry among UK householders – how much is it going to cost and how are we going to pay?
Last week Which? released results from their survey showing that four out of 10 people are worried about their energy bills this months, and that just under 40% are worried about how they will pay. Energyhelpline have stated that energy bills are set to be around £70 percent higher than average this month.
What to Do If Your Energy Bills Are High
Firstly, if your energy bills are high and you don’t pay it’s ulikely that you’ll be cut off. The gas companies will be expecting more financial difficulties than usual, and as such should work out a payment plan for you to help you pay off your debts over time.
Some may also be eligible for help from the government. Don’t wait to find out – get in touch with your energy supplier to discuss any problems as soon as possible.
Cutting Down on Energy Usage
For those who can afford to pay but are still alarmed at how high their energy bills are, there are ways to cut down on your usage and ensure cheaper prices in future. One way is to compare your energy plan, which could save you over £100 on your annual energy bills.
You should also take a look at what you can do around the home to help reduce energy usage. This includes installing energy saving light bulbs, as well as keeping your home insulated. Double glazing is a great way to dramatically reduce the heat lost through your windows, allowing you to turn down your thermostat.
A new report, released by the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAE), has stated that the whole fabric of buildings must be changed in order to cut down carbon emissions – rather than the addition of ‘green bling’.
The RAE claim that the UK will be unable to meet its 2050 carbon reduction targets if it does not address carbon emissions from buildings. Buildings in the UK are currently responsible for 45 percent of our carbon emissions, and it is estimated that 80 percent of the homes and buildings we will still be using in 2050 have already been built.
This is why, according to RAE, it is so crucial to look at the fabric of these buildings – many of which are very dependent on fossil fuel to make them comfortable to live in. Buildings must be designed to be functional yet use much lower amounts of energy.
The RAE recognises that this poses a huge challenge, and to meet targets the government must increase skills in the construction sector. Author of the report, Doug King, stated that there is a ‘gulf’ between what the government wants and what the industry is able to deliver.
The report speaks of the need to ensure that buildings are as energy efficient as possible before even considering renewable energy generation. Measures include insulation, energy efficient double glazing in windows, and even natural techniques such as maximising benefits of natural sunlight.
A trial is being run by Sutton Council and B&Q to offer savings to 100 people to help make their home more energy efficient.
Those who take part in the One Planet Home scheme will receive £4,000 worth of improvements to help their home become more energy friendly. Other costs will be provided with an interest free loan that can be paid back over a long period of time.
The way the scheme works means that the cost of repaying the loan should be less than the money that will be saved on energy bills every month.
When homes sign up, they will be assessed by B&Q and given a report with recommendations on what needs to be done to be more energy efficient.
Measures will range from home to home, including replacing the boiler, using solar hot water panels or wall insulation. Double glazing is also typically recommended as an effective way of reducing the amount of heat lost through windows and allowing homeowners to turn down their heating thermostat.
After the report has been produced, experts will manage the whole project for you.
Director of corporate social responsibility for B&Q, Matt Sexton, said that ‘Sutton is one of the first places in the UK to get this trial’ and that it will offer ‘outstanding value’ to any homeowners who not only want to make their homes more comfortable, but who also want to reduce carbon emissions and save on energy bills.
According to the latest study into the UK housing market, there has been a ‘marked shift’ in the type of residential properties that have been developed over the past 50 years.
The report was released by Halifax, showing that consumer demands have changed over the last 50 years, moving away from suburban semi-detached homes towards detached homes and flats.
Of those English homes built between 1945 and 1964, detached properties made up just ten percent of the number. However, detached homes now account for 36 percent of homes that have been built since 1980 – which explains why it is now the most dominant type of property.
Though detached properties may be seen as more desirable, they do come with their own challenges. Typically, detached homes will lose more heat due to a larger surface area of walls, as well as through single pane windows.
Double glazing is an effective way of reducing the amount of heat lost through windows, especially when combined with insulation that can protect heat from being lost through walls.
The study has also shown that flats rose from 15 percent of new homes from 1945-1964, to 20 percent of properties that have been built since 1980.
No matter what kind of property you live in, if you only have single pane windows you could be losing money and heat. By installing double glazing, your home will be naturally warmer and your thermostat can be lowered.
According to the latest figures, offices and homes across the UK leaked more than a billion pounds worth of heat on top of regular levels, during the cold snap over the past month.
The study, carried out by management consultancy Faithful & Gould, showed that the low temperatures accelerated the rate at which heat was lost through buildings, meaning that heating systems were put into overdrive to help keep temperatures warm inside.
The study highlights the fact that better insulation, including double glazing to prevent heat being lost through the windows, could help to save households a large amount of money on their energy bills – as well as reducing carbon emissions across the country.
Ellie Horwitch-Smith, from Faithful & Gould, said that ‘heat is simply lost at a greater rate if the temperature drops’ and that the figure is, in fact, ‘a very conservative estimate’.
Horwitch-Smith added that the figures will hopefully push larger organisations to take part in he Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency scheme which is being launched this April. The scheme will try to encourage both office developers and homeowners to make use of energy efficient technology, including double glazing, to improve insulation and reduce heat loss.
‘The answer may be to fit retrofit insulation and double glazing’ she added.
Figures state that the average property would have needed £37 worth of extra heating over a period of two weeks just to maintain the same temperature.
The recent cold snap has left many concerned about how they are going to be able to pay their energy bills. A recent survey found that over a third of residential property owners (38 percent) are concerned about how they will pay their bills this month, after the cold snap meant they had to turn their heating up.
The survey was carried out by Which? Switch and found that 65 percent of consumers have at least been thinking about their fuel bills more after the freezing temperatures we have experienced across the UK for the last few weeks.
The survey looked at the ways in which homeowners attempted to cut down on how much heating they used. 84 percent said that they wore extra clothes, 73 percent said they had hot drinks, and 40 percent used filling meals to stay warm. 39 percent of homeowners said that they tried to improve energy efficiency by blocking draughts around windows and doors, and only 31 percent had looked at switching energy providers.
The survey shows that homeowners are concentrating on using their heating less, rather than making home more energy efficient. If they were to focus on energy efficient measures such as double glazing and insulation, heat would not escape so quickly, allowing homeowners to turn down their thermostat and ultimately save money on energy bills.
Which? Switch have also stated that customers may be able to save a few hundred pounds simply by making a switch to a better energy tariff.
Work is about to begin on the last stage of the Changing Streets project of Old Goole. The project is giving a number of homes an energy efficient face-lift in 2010.
The scheme was setup by East Riding of Yorkshire Council, and the last phase will help 63 more homes to receive improvements. One of the improvements including fitting new double glazing windows in the homes.
Councillor Jane Evison stated that the scheme has proven very popular for residents around Goole, and has helped to make homes more comfortable and energy efficient, thanks to the fitting of new double glazing.
Evison added that residents have been providing hugely positive feedback, as well as demand for homes in the Old Goole to be added to the scheme. As a result, the scheme was expanded to allow further homes to benefit.
The last phase of the scheme, due to start this month, will see the fitting of uPVC windows and insulation in lofts. These measures will help to keep heat inside the homes, making them more energy efficient and reducing the costs of energy bills.
Other measures will include replacing timber doors with uPVC doors, and adding insulating render to the outside of some properties. The next stage will involve work on areas in Swinefleet Road, and includes loft insulation.
The scrappage scheme, allowing homeowners to save money on a new boiler, was recently launched and has prompted 72,000 inquiries in the first week alone.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change said that the scheme has been ‘highly popular’. However, the Energy Savings Trust believes that its popularity could die down by March as funding runs out.
From January 18, vouchers have been sent out to the first eligible households to register via the website and phone on the Energy Saving Trust. The scheme is designed to help out 125,000 households in total.
The scheme works by helping people to replace G-rated boilers with new, energy efficient heating systems.
A spokesman for the Department of Energy and Climate Change stated that ‘we are very happy with the take up’.
A similar scheme has been proposed for double glazing in windows, with supporters claiming that this can dramatically help to reduce carbon emissions. The Energy Saving Trust states that double glazing can help to save properties an average of £135 on their energy bills, as heat is more effectively kept inside the home. This can help to make the home warmer and more comfortable, as well as reducing the need to keep the thermostat as high.
Homeowners have recently been given a number of DIY tips that can help prepare their home for the cold, keeping them naturally warmer.
DIY measures helping to improve the insulation inside homes can include double glazing, and other measures such as fitting a new, more energy efficient boiler. All of these efforts combined will help to reduce bills by saving energy and reducing the property’s carbon footprint.
Graham Henry, of the South Wales Echo, has stated that making just a few home improvements will not only help to make houses more comfortable, but will also result in considerable savings when it comes to our energy bills. Double glazing, for example, can prevent heat being lost from the home through the windows – meaning that the thermostat can be turned down and homeowners will reduce the amount of energy they use.
Henry went on to explain that another measure that can be done DIY is loft insulation – as even a small amount can help lead to savings. Double glazing is also recommended to help prevent heat loss in the home.
All of these measures work together to make the home more insulated, reducing the need to keep the radiators turned up so high – yet still keeping the home comfortably warm.
Cavity wall insulation is a further recommended measure, as well as fitting a jacket on the water tank, and draught proofing the home.
Some of these measures, such as double glazing, can also improve the appearance and value of the home.
