With the recession hitting our household pockets hard we are increasingly looking at ways that we can save money.

One way in which we can save money is by becoming more energy efficient in our homes and looking at ways in which we can reduce our gas and electricity bills. Detailed below are ten tips that I recommend you undertake if you are serious about saving energy around your home and therefore decreasing your energy bill.

Tip 1 – Use energy saving lightbulbs

All homes should replace their old lightbulbs with energy savings ones. This is because they can use up to 80% less electricity while still producing the same amount of light. It is also important that lightbulbs are switched off when they are not in use as this is a huge waste of electricity.

Tip 2 – Insulate your loft and cavity walls

Insulation is a very effective way to save energy within your home and is very easy to implement. Most of a home’s heat is lost through the roof and therefore loft insulation is considered the easiest way to save money. Even if you use your loft as a room or for storage there are different types of insulation material that can be used regardless of how you use this space. Cavity wall insulation should also be considered as this is another way to retain heat within your property. The insulation sits between the gaps between the walls in your home and stops heat escaping or cold air coming in.

Tip 3 – Ensure you have no draughts

Ensuring that your home has no draughts means that less heat will be lost throughout your home. The most common areas in houses where draughts occur tend to be the windows, doors, chimneys and floor boards. By employing draught proofing measures it will mean that heat will be retained better within your home and ensure you won’t have to heat your home for longer than necessary.

Tip 4 – Use your heating controls correctly

By using your heating controls correctly you can save energy as you will have full control over the temperature of your home. It will therefore be important to use such controls as the programmer and room thermostat. The programmer or timer will allow you to time when the heating comes on and goes off and you can look to the most energy efficient way to use this. Also, it is important to understand the thermostat control and your desired temperature. Remember, by turning your thermostat down by 1 degree you could save at least 10% on your heating bill.

Tip 5 – Have double glazing fitted throughout

Double glazing can be expensive to install but is one of the best ways to ensure that heat is retained within a home as old window frames and doors will let out a lot of heat from your home and cold air in. If window frames are old and there are many gaps then it will be best to replace them with double glazed windows to ensure these gaps are eliminated and the heat that you are paying for is retained within your home.

Tip 6 – Replace an old or outdated boiler

An old or outdated boiler should be replaced with an energy efficient boiler as this is an effective way to save energy. It is assumed that boilers over 15 years old are the ones that are at most need of being replaced as these require more fuel to run. By replacing an old boiler with a modern boiler it is estimated that they use 30-40% less fuel and this is a huge cost saving for a household.

Tip 7 – Buy energy efficient appliances and use them appropriately

If you need to replace an appliance in your home then you should do so by replacing it with an energy efficient one. When you purchase the appliance you will notice that it will be given an energy efficient rating ranging from A-G with A being the most efficient, so it is important to look out for these ratings. Also, you should look at how your currently use appliances and ensure you are using them to their full potential. This means ensuring a washing machine and a dishwasher has a full load before it is put on as this will ensure the best use of energy. It should be noted that even though these appliances do have half load options this will use more than half the load energy of a full load.

Tip 8 – Consider water consumption and usage requirements

To save energy as well as water usage in your home then consider the way that you use water. For example, you will save energy by switching from having a bath to using the shower. You should also consider fixing any leaking taps as well as insulating hot water tanks as these are all measures that are cheap to fix but could save you pounds off your bills per year.

Tip 9 – Review energy providers’ prices annually

Many people look to switch their energy supplier regularly as they swap and move to the best deals on the market. This type of action should be considered as all the energy providers will be competing to gain your business as well as competing against each other in the packages that they offer. It is also relatively straightforward to switch companies these days as they do the groundwork for you, so it is important that you consider shopping around.

Tip 10 – Assess your energy usage habits

Finally, it is important to assess your habits and how you use energy within your home. When you are using the gas, electricity or water in your home you should consider whether you are being wasteful. Useful questions to ask yourself would be “am I boiling more water in this kettle than I need?” or “could I wash my clothes in the washing machine at a lower temperature?” as these will help you reassess your actual needs and will help reduce your overall energy consumption.

Guest Article by Sarah Wain

The tough recession that we are currently in has meant that there has been a sharp price rise in the cost of heating our homes with all of the top energy companies increasing their gas and electricity prices.

Even though this is not good news for consumers, does this credit crunch period we are experiencing effect the environment in a positive or negative way?

At the start of the year The Guardian newspaper reported on a dramatic fall in greenhouse emissions and cited the recession as being the main reason behind this fall. However these findings were in relation to industrial and business output and mainly the construction and transport sectors as these were hit the hardest by the recession.

But, what about individual household emissions? The Guardian felt that households were stubborn and that their greenhouse gas emissions remain high. The reasons behind this were the growth in population as well as the growth in single homeownership. There are also other factors which I feel come into the equation such as people are not going out as much during the credit crunch leading to a greater usage of plasma televisions and computers, therefore increasing home energy consumption and usage figures.

It is also felt that households are often not encouraged enough to think about the environment. And with the Energy Saving Trust who were specifically set-up to help households think about the environment having their funding cut in half by the government, it is little wonder households aren’t getting the message.

However, these recessional times have forced the government to consider the environment and our energy usage especially as there are predetermined climate change targets for the UK to reach. The Green Deal which is going through parliament at present is the main driving force being introduced by the government to try and revolutionise energy efficiency. The scheme aims to offer households energy saving improvements throughout their homes. The cost will be paid for upfront by private firms however the money will be recouped through the household’s energy bill. It is assumed that the energy saved will more than pay for the cost of these improvements.

Therefore, does the credit crunch effect the environment in a positive or negative way when looked at in relation to households? In theory it should be good thing as it should be assumed that people will have less disposable income and will be looking at active ways to reduce their expenditure. However, this is not the case. Even though individuals may reduce the amount they spend on luxuries such as car trips and holidays therefore reducing some gas emissions, they are reluctant to change their household energy usage and budget. This is because many people feel that this is a luxury and a comfort that they should try and retain for a healthy and happy household during the credit crunch.

Guest Article by Sarah Wain

When looking to purchase a new boiler you may want to consider installing an eco-friendly one, which are much kinder to the environment and are also much more energy efficient resulting in lower energy bills.

There are numerous types of boiler currently on the market that are energy efficient and friendlier to the environment than older boilers. The most popular boilers at present are combination boilers. The majority of these boilers are run on gas as most UK homes are connected to the gas network and work by taking cold water and heating it directly. Even though they are powered by a fossil fuel they are considered environmentally friendly due to being more technologically advanced therefore offering greater energy efficiency than older types of boilers.

However, apart from these common types of gas boilers what other types of boiler can be installed in homes and what fuel can they be powered by to make them more environmentally friendly?

Firstly, households could look to install a solar heating system which can be used to heat the hot water in a property. The hot water will be heated from the electricity generated from solar panels that are typically installed on the roof. It is assumed that if the most efficient solar heating system is installed in a home then it will provide the household with at least 40-60% of its yearly hot water requirements.

Secondly, homes can install wood pellet condensing boilers (also known as biomass boilers). This type of boiler burns wood such as logs, chips or pellets instead of gas or oil and are therefore considered more environmentally friendly. The reason why is because the wood that is burned will release the same amount of carbon emissions as if it was left to rot and die in the environment. These biomass boilers can therefore completely replace a fossil fuel system which is something that solar panels for example are unable to do at present as they rely on sunlight to power the systems.

Whatever type of boiler you implement it can be argued that most are in some respects environmentally friendly, especially as the government is working to ensure that all new boilers installed in homes meet certain eco-standards.

You can even do your own assessment as to whether a boiler is eco-friendly or not, as to be classed as environmentally-friendly boilers must attain a certain standard. These standards include the insulation material used on the boiler as it should have global warming potential and the boilers should be designed so that they consume as little energy as possible. Also, the material used in the boilers manufacture should not be corrosive and the heaters should be made to last longer than older boilers and be made out of recyclable material.

Guest Article by Sarah Wain

As the winter months approach and the cost of heating your home crosses your mind you may be wondering how to ensure you use your central heating in the most efficient way.

These thoughts are totally justified and affirmed by the Energy Saving Trust as they suggest that using the controls on your central heating system correctly could save you up to 17% on your fuel bills.

However, you may have many questions regarding the operation of your central heating system and how the controls work to ensure you get the most from your boiler and central heating. But don’t worry, advice is at hand and detailed below are a number of useful tips that you can follow to get the most from your central heating system (specifically if you have radiators installed).

Programmer control

A programmer control ensures that you have control over when the heating comes on and goes off in your home. Therefore, it is your decision to decide when you need heating and when you don’t. By having a programmer control it means that you can vary when you want the heating to come on to suit you.

Many people set the heating to come on in the morning, have it off during the day when they are at work and then set it to come on the evening when they get home. By using these controls you can decide how early the boiler needs to come on to achieve your desired temperature. The programmer control used with in conjunction the thermostat control can make a central heating system as efficient as possible.

Thermostat control

Thermostat controls are devices that allow you to have control over the preferred temperature you require within your home. You could have one thermostat control that controls the temperature in the whole house or thermostat controls in each room so that you can regulate the temperature in each room. The principle of the thermostat control is that it will ensure a constant temperature in your home and you won’t be turning the central heating on and off, therefore creating additional start-up and cool-down costs each time you do this.

Last winter we experienced one of the coldest winters on record with temperatures 5.0 °C below average. If we have another cold winter this year then leaving your central heating system on and regulating the temperature through the thermostat will work out cheaper for you in the long-run and maintain a consistent temperature in your home.

It is important to decide what temperature to set the thermostat to. It is recommended by the Energy Saving Trust that the ideal temperature for a living room is 21 °C and a bedroom 18 °C and remember, by reducing the temperature in your home by just 1 °C you could potentially save up to 10% on your energy costs.

Cylinder thermostat control

If your home still uses a hot water tank then it is useful to have a cylinder thermostat control which will regulate the temperature of the hot water. This type of thermostat will need to be attached to your hot water tank and can ensure the hot water doesn’t go above 60 °C which is the most economical and efficient temperature.

Thermostatic radiator valves

Thermostatic radiator valves again allow the temperature to be controlled in each room however the temperature is controlled by regulating the flow of water your radiators receive. Therefore, when your room temperature is at the correct level you can turn down the flow of water to it. This is a good way to heat underused rooms in your home to moderate and reduce damp and condensation while ensuring the most well used rooms in your home get more heat.

If you currently don’t have any of these controls then it is worth considering implementing them in your home to become more energy efficient.

Guest Article by Sarah Wain

Over the past few weeks and months we have witnessed energy companies increasing their gas and electricity prices and combined with the increased cost of buying food, petrol and wages not rising; we are concerned that heating our homes will become a huge expense over the coming winter months.

When you look at the facts on heating your home they can make worrying reading. Currently, it is known that older people are suffering the most when it comes to affording to heat their homes with 3.5 million older people living in fuel poverty (people who have to spend one tenth of their income on their energy bill). Also, with the government reducing the winter fuel allowance this year for the elderly, paying the energy bill can seem like one big expense and headache for everybody.

However, there are things that you can do to plan for the winter months and try to reduce your energy bill. You need to look at your home and calculate where you can save money. The first thing that you need to do is decide whether you have any heat loss and how this can be fixed.

In simple terms heat loss means losing heat from your home into the outside environment. It is thought that at present about a third of all the heat that is produced in a home in the UK is lost through such areas as the roof, walls and ceilings and in monetary terms it is assumed that £1 out of every £3 spent on heating is wasted.

Losing heat matters because you are paying for that energy which is just being wasted and therefore you are not getting value for money. It also means that you will need more energy and therefore the energy suppliers will put further strain on the environment in providing this.

There are many ways to ensure your home doesn’t lose heat and ways to plan ahead to reduce your energy bills over the winter months. Why not carry out an energy audit of your home? There are many online tools to help you and these are a great way to see how you can improve the energy efficiency of your home. Energy audits will provide you with a detailed checklist and way to evaluate your home to identify and prioritise energy efficiency.

You could also look to the Energy Saving Trust (EST) who can advise you on energy efficiency matters. At present the EST recommend that home owners take steps to reduce heat loss and in turn cut their energy bills. These steps with their percentage saving on your energy bill include replacing an old boiler with a new boiler (up to 25% saving), ensure your home has double-glazing (up to 17% saving), installing roof insulation (up to 15% saving).

Implementing these steps along with looking at the way you use gas and electricity in your home will help you ensure you become as energy efficient as possible and ready for those winter fuel bills.

Guest Article by Sarah Wain