Energy saving options in your home

Saving energy not only helps the environment, but it can also help you to save money too. This section will explain how you can identify how much energy you are using and will suggest ways in which you can save energy, from turning off the standby button to insulating a cavity wall.

Energy Performance Certificates (EPC):

All homes which were bought or rented after October 2008 will have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). The EPC provides 'A' to 'G' ratings for the building, with 'A' being the most energy efficient and 'G' being the least, with the average to date being 'D'. Energy Performance Certificates were introduced to help improve the energy efficiency of buildings.

How can I save energy:

Click on the links below to find out how you could be saving energy:

• Energy Saving Tips
• Energy Saving Survey
• Cavity Wall and Loft Insulation
• Solid Wall Insulation
• Boilers
• Lightbulbs

Energy Saving Tips:

Here are some easy ways of saving energy and saving money on your fuel bills:

• Only use the heat, light and appliances you really need
• Lag your hot water tank
• Use energy saving light bulbs where appropriate (they use a quarter of the electricity and last eight times longer than an ordinary bulb)
• Fit thermostatic radiator valves
• Fit draught proofing to windows and doors
• Make sure you have loft insulation to the current building regulation standard
• If you have cavity walls, seek advice on cavity wall insulation
• If you have an old central heating boiler, fit an energy efficient condensing boiler

Energy Saving Survey:

You can see what potential energy savings you could make by completing a free energy survey. The Energy Saving Trust will then send you a bespoke energy analysis explaining how you can make further energy savings. Visit the local Energy Saving Trust Advice Centre for information regarding potential energy saving actions.

Cavity wall and loft insulation:

Did you know that around a third of all the heat lost in an un-insulated home is through the walls. Insulating cavity walls reduces heat loss and can save you around £110 a year on your fuel bills.

If your home was built from 1920 onwards, the chances are that its external walls are made of two layers with a small gap or cavity between them. This means they are 'cavity walls' and cavity wall insulation may be suitable.

Insulating your loft could save you around £145 per year on your energy bills. If everyone in the UK topped up their loft insulation to 270mm, around £520m would be saved each year.

Solid Wall Insulation:

If you have solid walls you can either insulate them with external or internal insulation, which can save you around £375 a year on your energy bills. If your home was built before or around 1920, its external walls are likely to be solid rather than 'cavity walls'. Solid walls have no gap and this allows more heat to pass through them than through cavity walls. In fact, twice as much heat can be lost through an un-insulated solid wall as through an un-insulated cavity wall.

Boilers:

Boilers account for around 50% of the carbon dioxide emissions in a gas heated home. By replacing an old G rated boiler with a new high efficiency condensing boiler and improving your heating controls, you will significantly cut your home's carbon dioxide emissions - saving as much as £225 a year.

The current lifespan of a boiler is around 12 years. Fitting an A rated high efficiency condensing boiler with the correct heating and hot water controls can make a huge different to your heating bills over time.

Lightbulbs:

Energy saving light bulb have always been a bright idea - for your pocket and the environment. They use up to 80 per cent less electricity than a standard bulb, but produce the same amount of light.

Just one energy saving lightbulb could save you on average around £2.50 a year, and around £6 for brighter bulbs or those used for more hours a day. And because it will last around 10 times longer than a standard bulb, it could save you around £45 before it needs replacing.

Fit all the lights in your house with energy saving bulbs and you could save around £45 a year and £390 over the lifetime of all the bulbs.

Energy saving light bulbs use between a fifth and a quarter of the electricity of ordinary bulbs to generate the same amount of light. So where you'd normally use a 60W bulb you'll only need a 11-14W Energy Saving Trust recommended equivalent.