With fuel prices rising this winter it is important to monitor your energy usage to ensure you can afford the increased payments. And with a recent survey suggesting that 30% of households are prepared to go without heating for some periods this winter to save money, it is unsurprising that many households are looking to energy saving devices. From researching consumer opinion there appears to be three main energy saving devices that households currently use to help save money.

The first is a relatively new technology which is called an energy monitor. Energy monitors are aimed at helping households review their energy consumption by highlighting which appliances are using the most electrical power within their home. Energy monitors are therefore useful to keep an eye on energy consumption and to compare cost of appliances throughout the house. Energy monitors also help households realise the cost of leaving appliances on standby and how energy can be easily wasted. This has been quantified by the Energy Saving Trust who found that households that use these devices do indeed save energy with the majority of households saving between 5-15% per year once they own an energy monitor.

The second device used in homes to save energy is energy saving lightbulbs. Lightbulbs account for approximately 8% of a household’s fuel bill which could rise dependent on the number of energy inefficient lightbulbs that are used within a home. Therefore looking at ways to reduce and eliminate this inefficiency will save money quickly and easily as it is estimated that an average of £55 can be saved per year if a household uses energy saving light bulbs throughout their home.

The third device is energy monitoring sockets. These are similar to energy monitors but on a smaller scale. These individual sockets allow households to calculate how much singular appliances cost to run and how much energy is being used in real time. This then allows you to work out the energy consumption of individual appliances on an hourly, daily, monthly and yearly basis.

All these types of device allow you to analyse your energy usage. This combined with smarter thinking about your energy consumption will help you save money. Smarter thinking includes reviewing advice from organisations such as the Energy Saving Trust. For example, they currently state that by turning down the temperature of your house by 1C it could save you about £60 per year. So, combining this understanding with the above energy saving devices could really help to reduce your energy bill.

It is important though to remember that while these devices will help you keep an eye on your fuel bill this winter, the only way to truly save money in the long-term is to look at the efficiency in your home and ensure you have such factors such as loft insulation, double glazing, draught proofing and an energy efficient boiler.

Guest Article by Sarah Wain

The Energy Trust believe that a quarter of all UK homes have an energy inefficient boiler which is more than ten years old.

These energy inefficient boilers therefore mean that homes with these installed will be experiencing higher energy bills and polluting the environment with more carbon gas emissions.

If you have any concerns over the efficiency of your boiler then you should look into how you can tell whether your boiler is energy inefficient or not.

The best way to do this is by checking the efficiency of your boiler against the boiler efficiency rating that highlights how well your boiler works. Currently, the efficiency ratings are classified as follows (note: the higher the percentage the more efficient the boiler) –

A = 90% and above
B = 86% – 90%
C = 82% – 86%
D = 78% – 82%
E = 74% – 78%
F = 70% – 74%
G = Below 70%

To check the efficiency rating of your boiler you can look this up on the boiler efficiency database that is available on the SEBUK (Seasonal Efficiency Boilers in the UK) website. This database lists all the different types, makes and models of boilers and its aim is to identify the different efficiencies between boilers. The data is developed with boiler manufacturers and is updated on a monthly basis so the information that you deem from this research will be relevant and up-to-date.

The information on the SEBUK website is also used by the government to calculate Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) ratings which is how they calculate the energy performance of houses.

Therefore, SEBUK is a very good way to gauge whether your boiler is efficient or not as well as being a method for comparing newer boilers and deciding whether you would be better off replacing your boiler if it has a low efficiency rating. The SEBUK website also offers a free online calculator to give you an approximate estimate of how much your annual fuel costs will be. Again, you should use this to compare against newer boiler types.

If you discover that your boiler is rated lowly on the chart then it is likely to be inefficient and you should consider replacing the boiler. Remember, boiler usage accounts for over 60% of what households spend on energy each year so changing from an energy inefficient boiler can make a huge difference to your household.

Guest Article by Sarah Wain

There are currently a number of grants that the government offer individuals and households to help them become more energy efficient and to help reduce their energy bills.

If you are looking for a particular scheme that helps you make heating and insulation improvements within your home then you should look to the Warm Front Scheme.

The Warm Front scheme is a government initiative that was re-opened in April this year and has been developed to help over 90,000 of the poorest households within the UK over the next two years. The chosen households will benefit from the ability of getting up to £3,500 worth of heating and insulation improvements for their home and if an individual lives where oil central heating or other forms of heating is recommended up to £6,000 can be received.

Typically the home improvement work that can be carried out includes loft insulation, cavity wall insulation, hot water tank insulation, draught proofing and gas and electric heating. A household that qualifies will not have to pay for the work as long as the grant fully covers the cost of the work undertaken. If not then the difference will need to be paid by the homeowner.

So how do you qualify for the Warm Front scheme? To be eligible then you need to be on an income-related benefit and living in a property that is deemed poor. By this it means that the property needs to be badly insulated and/or doesn’t have a working central heating system as well as having a Standard Assessment Procedure rating of 55 or lower (this is a residential energy rating scale). In respects to the income-related benefit that an individual needs to be on this includes those on pension’s credit, income support, jobseekers allowance and income-related support allowances.

If you therefore are looking for help in relation to heating and insulation improvements within your home and you meet one of the eligibility options outlined above then this could be the scheme for you.

If you are successful in your application then you will get a visit from a qualified Warm Front engineer who will assess your home and let you know what home improvements you can get from the grant. The work will then be scheduled and carried out on your property.

Schemes such as the Warm Front grant have been created to help households become more energy efficient therefore reducing individual’s energy bills as well as their carbon gas emissions. These types of schemes will benefit the environment and also help the UK achieve its targets for climate change, so if you reach the required criteria for this scheme then apply today and start helping the environment and save money on your energy bills.

Guest Article by Sarah Wain

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

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