Energy Efficiency and Household Bills

When you consider your home, it's like a small piece of financial security, but it could be costing you more than it's worth. Poor insulation and bad energy management seriously impinge upon any savings you might be making by having your own home. Here's some tips:

From the Times newspaper: " Over more than 30 years, standby buttons and remote controls have transformed the lives of determined slobs. But now global warming, and fears of energy shortages, could put paid to that. The government’s long-awaited energy review, to be published this week, will signal a clampdown on the wasting of energy in the home, alongside measures to develop new nuclear power stations and more use of alternative energy. Officials drawing up the report have discovered that heating, lighting and entertainment in households is responsible for 27% of the energy used in Britain, and that a sixth of this is accounted for by electronic gadgets. But with purchases of low-price TVs, DVDs, computers and other products rising sharply, in five years gadgets will be responsible for a third of household energy use. Much of this is when they are on standby."

The Big ones: insulating your home: Insulate yourself against rising bills Keep it warm: Close your curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping from your windows. Insulating your roof is not the most exciting of ideas, but with gas bills on the rise (up to 15% increase announced early August) it makes sense to get your roof space ready for the heating season. Grants are available for roof insulation, and if you're in receipt of benefits you may be eligible for 100% grant. Go to www.markgroup.co.uk/grants for further information. Don't see red By switching off stand-by buttons, you save energy. The blinking red eye consumes at least 50% of the energy it takes when the TV is on.

Wall-to-wall saving

Up to 33% of the heat produced in your home is lost through the walls. So, it's worth considering cavity wall insulation as an effective way to save energy in your home. Find out if your home is suitable for cavity wall insulation and whether you're applicable for a grant at the Energy Saving Trust website.

Air conditioning

On a hot night, when you want to use air-conditioning, switch off electrical appliances such as TVs, stereos and DVDs. They generate heat and will add to your discomfort. A cool quick shower before bedtime will also help you to sleep.

Washing machines

Hang it out
Use a washing line to dry your clothes instead of a tumble dryer. Be economical when washing and only wash your clothes when you have a full load. Today's washing powders are just as effective on low temperature programmes - saving energy and money. If you've got economy 7, use a timer to wash at night when electricity is cheaper. At 30 degrees, a wash cycle will be just as effective as at 40.

Showers

Have a refreshing shower instead of a bath. Although, a power shower can use more water than a bath! A five minute shower uses 35 litres of water, compared to a bath that uses 80 litres - this can save over 300 litres of water a week. Fit a flow restrictor to the shower and restrict flow to six litres a minute for optimum flow and water saving. Suitable for mains or power showers.