After reading a few statistics on an energy saving website, I was astounded at how much energy is wasted in the home each year through the use of household appliances and gadgets. I then noticed that most new appliances, TVs, computers and the like now come with the Energy Saving Recommended Logo and this small addition can literally save you hundreds of pounds each year in energy bills. These recommended products also reduce your carbon footprint which is an added bonus in today’s changing climate. Naturally, I made a note of the most interesting statistics which you can find below.

• Washing machines with the Energy Saving Recommended (ESR) logo can save you around £15 per year in electricity and they can reduce your CO2 emissions by over 45kg.
• Dishwashers are even better as they only take half as much energy to run as older models. An ESR dishwasher can save you up to £25 in electricity annually and reduce your carbon footprint by 90kg, plus they use much less water.
• Fridges and freezers work 24 hours a day and if everyone in the UK went out and bought ESR models then energy wastage would be reduced by two thirds and the country would save over £800million in a single year.
• Even ESR kettles make a difference and if every home used one the UK could save over £170million worth of wasted energy annually.
• Leaving TVs and other entertainment equipment on standby wastes over £900million worth of energy in the UK each year. Buying an ESR integrated digital TV will save you nearly £10 in electricity and 20kg of CO2 when compared with a non-integrated TV and separate set top box.
• Laptops use much less energy than desktop PCs and an ESR laptop uses an average of 85% less energy than an ESR desktop PC. This means that swapping to a laptop could save you nearly £50 per year in running costs and your CO2 emissions would fall by a staggering 150kg.
• Printers are just as bad – it is estimated that the UK has over 18million household printers and at present they use the same amount of energy per year as a quarter of a million homes do. If everyone bought an ESR printer the UK could save nearly £2million annually on energy bills and they could reduce carbon emissions by the same amount as taking 2000 cars off the road.

Obviously very few of us can afford to go out and replace all of our existing appliances and other gadgets with nice new energy saving ones but it is worth remembering when the worst happens and something does need to be replaced. The Energy Saving Recommended logo is highly visible and although some appliances with it might cost a little bit extra, the savings you make in the first few years will often cover the difference, plus you will be helping in the war against the world’s rising CO2 emissions.

Guest Article by Clare Lynock

The Conservative Party recently revealed plans for a UK Energy Makeover should they get into power. This nationwide makeover would involve the installation of loft and wall insulation and new energy efficient boilers into every property and although this sounds like a great idea you may be asking how is it going to be paid for? Apparently, the Government are going to lend the gas and electricity companies enough money to complete the upgrades – which are estimated to cost between £1700 and £6000 per home – and the household will be required to pay back the cost in small chunks over the next 25 years! According to the figures released by the Government, the average house would require around £1700 worth of energy efficient improvements and the householders would be expected to pay for this at a rate of around £70 per year. Saying this, the estimations show that the improvements would reduce the average family fuel bill by around £230 per year which will leave the householder £160 in profit. If these figures can be substantiated then the proposed Energy Makeover would benefit everyone however it must be remembered that they are based on the average household and there are plenty of households in the UK that aren’t average. Additional Benefits of the Energy Makeover As well as saving every household money on their fuel bills, the Conservatives list a number of other benefits to their plans, including the creation of thousands of jobs, more competitiveness in the energy supply market and the reduction of the UK’s CO2 emissions by a large percentage. They also mention the fact that the UK will need to train thousands of skilled engineers to cope with the upgrades and this will provide an ongoing stream of skilled tradesmen for years to come – a problem that the country is beginning to struggle with even now. The Conservatives also want the UK to become more reliant on renewable energy sources as opposed to oil and gas imports from countries such as Russia. As an incentive there would be large Government grants available to homes who choose to invest in renewable energy sources such as wind turbines and solar panels and there would be a network of free recharging stations for all new electric and hybrid cars. The Future with the Conservatives According to David Cameron the Conservative plans aim to make the UK a low-carbon economy and the proposed makeover will be the start to a carbon-free existence. Environmental experts say that the plans are workable however they will require the co-operation of the entire nation and the major gas and electricity suppliers – many of which aren’t actually UK companies. As I see it, the average household will be happy to pay for the improvements as they will be saving around £160 on their fuel bills each year but what about the elderly or those that live alone and have small fuel bills to start with – will they actually save the £70 per year that they will be required to pay for the improvements? There are a lot of loose ends with the Energy Makeover Plans but hopefully they will be sorted before the Conservatives gain control. Guest Article by Clare Lynock

A south coast landlord faces jail after failing to produce the necessary paperwork for gas boilers in his rented properties.

At a recent magistrates hearing the man pleaded poverty, saying he was too broke to afford the checks on the boilers which would amount to nearly £2,000.

His court appearance followed on from one last October when he had been fined some £24,000, and legal costs of around £13,000, on 12 counts of failing to supply paperwork showing the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) that a Corgi-registered engineer had passed the gas boilers in question fit for use. He had at that time been given a court order to comply with the regulations and get the boilers inspected.

The man had 12 flats originally, but had since sold ten for nearly £1m, keeping just two, which are unoccupied.

In the recent hearing the man claimed he could not afford the boiler inspections as he had no money.

It was made clear in court that the HSE was worried about the possible effects of carbon monoxide poisoning on the tenants due to a faulty boiler. It was pointed out that carbon monoxide poisoning from gas boilers accounted for over 30 deaths a year in the U.K.

He had been originally asked in February 2007 by the HSE to provide the necessary documents for the boilers, as a landlord of properties is legally entitled to do.

The man’s solicitor claimed his client had no funds, or income, to get the work carried and therefore could not comply with the court’s orders.

Magistrates warned him that he risked going to prison and he was given conditional bail until the date set for sentencing.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

The fact that heating engineers do not have to be approved to service solid fuel boilers, such as those burning wood, or coal, will come as a shock to many people.

Anyone attempting to service a gas boiler has to have completed an official Corgi course and be legally competent to take on the work.

Not so for solid fuel boilers and this has caused a member of parliament to call for changes.

The situation was highlighted after the carbon monoxide poisoning of two Nottingham pensioners, who were struck down despite their boiler having just been serviced. Paperwork left by the engineer proved that he did not have the training to deal with a boiler which burnt a solid fuel, in this case anthracite.

Vernon Coaker, MP for Gedling, has called for changes in the rules for servicing such boilers. He said that he would take the matter up with the relevant ministry to ensure that such tragedies could be avoided in the future.

He is being joined in his lobbying by CO-Gas Safety, a campaign group which also wants tighter industry regulation across the whole boiler industry. CO-Gas Safety points out that there are a number of different ministries responsible for looking into carbon monoxide poisoning and its implications for users and the heating industry alike.

The pensioners, a husband and wife in their late seventies, were struck down by the carbon monoxide fumes leaking from their boiler and were admitted to hospital, being later discharged.

Since the incident, the couple’s home now has gas central heating.

Guest Article by Neil Camp