Rural Housing Supports Energy Saving Week 2021

To celebrate Energy Saving Week 2021 we have teamed up with the Energy Saving Trust to bring you hints, tips and advice on how you can save energy and money by making some simple changes within your home.

(Energy saving figures are based on a typical gas heated three-bedroom semi-detached house with a gas price of 5.63p/kWh and electricity price of 20.33p/kWh.)

Home improvements

Householders can reduce their energy bills and make their home more efficient by making home improvements:

• Draught-proofing is one of the cheapest and most effective ways to save energy – and money – in any type of building. While professional draught-proofing can cost around £200, DIY is much cheaper and could save around £35 per year, making your home a more comfortable place to live.
• If a fireplace is not used then it can cause a lot of draughts, insulating your chimney will make your home feel warmer. A chimney draught excluder can save around £25.
• Insulating your hot water pipes is a quick and easy way to save energy. As well as reducing heat loss from your system, pipe lagging will also prevent pipes from getting too cold and bursting in winter. Insulating exposed pipes is an easy DIY install – you can buy foam insulation tubes online or from a DIY store and slip them over your pipes. In a typical house, materials will cost around £20, and you’ll save around £5 a year on your energy bills.
• Upgrade heating controls: Room thermostats allow households to set and maintain the temperature at home. A
  programmer sets the heating to turn on and off at certain times of the day to suit household lifestyles. Thermostatic radiator valves let householders control the temperature of each radiator.
  Cost: Costs can vary significantly due to the variety of heating systems types and sizes and controls available. We recommended comparing quotes from professional installers.
  Saving: Installing and using a full set of heating controls could save up to £95 a year if you currently don’t have any.
• Hot water cylinder insulation: All new hot water cylinders have some insulation, however those with a hot water tank
  jacket under 25mm thick could benefit with top up insulation. A hot water cylinder jacket costs around £15.
  Saving: If you have no insulation and install an 80mm jacket then you can save around £120 a year. Topping up your hot water cylinder insulation from 25mm to 80mm jacket could save around £25 a year.
• Insulate your walls: Although wall insulation is a larger investment, and costs vary, it can result in a large
  saving.  Most homes built after 1919 have cavity walls. If your home has uninsulated cavity walls, cavity wall insulation could save around £215 a year off your energy bills (based on a typical semi-detached house). Installing cavity wall insulation and topping up your loft insulation from 120mm to 270mm could save you up to £225. Most homes built before 1919 have solid walls. If your home has solid walls, solid wall insulation can save around £290 a year off your energy bills (based on a typical semi-detached house).
• Loft insulation: The majority of homes have some loft insulation, but many don’t have the recommended
  270mm depth. If you have no loft insulation installing 270mm of new insulation could save up to £190. Topping up your loft insulation from 120mm to 270mm and installing cavity wall insulation could save you up to £225.Reducing Electricity Consumption 
  Householders can reduce their electricity bills using the following tips:
• Standby: By avoiding standby and turning off devices when not in use, the average household could save £40 off their annual electricity bill.
• Lighting: Turning off your lights when you don’t need them could save you around £14 a year. LEDs are the most efficient lighting technology; they are available for most types of light fittings.
• Line-dry clothes: You can save on average £40 a year on your electricity bill by line drying clothes instead of
  using a tumble dryer during the summer.
• Television:  Choosing an F-rated 65”TV over a G-rated 65”TV could save you almost £25 a year.
• Fridge -freezer: When buying a new fridge freezer, choosing a D-rated fridge freezer over a G-rated model
  will save you around £30 in energy bills a year.
• Tumble dryer: Choosing an A+++ tumble dryer over an A+ -rated model could save you around £35 a
  year off your energy bills