Feed: Buyability - AggScore: 45.6

Cuts To Solar Panel Subsidies Halted

Ministers had originally been planning to once again cut the subsidies for feed-in tariffs later this year, but after a warning that the reductions would hit Britain’s renewable energy production targets, they have been halted.

The government already halved the subsidies for feed-in tariffs last year, and the planned further reduction was seen as just too much by senior solar energy industry figures. They wrote a letter to David Cameron urging him to rethink, highlighting the danger of Britain not hitting their renewable energy targets, and that demand for solar panels had plummeted in the last 12 months. The cut in subsidies has been widely blamed for the crash in numbers.

A campaign has been organized by the solar industry, dubbed ‘The Cut Don’t Kill’ campaign. It has been backed by 400 solar industry executives, who claim that various policies over the past year have damaged the industry and it needs time to recover before another policy comes in.

Solar panels are widely considered a great way for homeowners to save money on their energy bills in the long run, and bring energy efficiency into their home. However, the reputation of solar panels has been severely knocked by various cuts to the Feed-in-Tariff scheme. This is obviously putting off future buyers of solar panels, and this will further anger the industry. The government, however, believe that since the cost of solar technology is falling requires more stringent subsidies.

The wording on this new government initiative is not very concrete, with ministers saying the start date is being “tweaked”. In their letter to David Cameron, the solar industry executives stated that any reduction before October would be a huge blow to the industry.

Guest Article by Sophie Camp

Homeowners Unsure About Loft Insulation

A report by the website thinkinsulation.com has suggested that homeowners are reluctant to use loft insulation as they believe it will mean less room to store their belongings. Having loft space is often considered a great asset, and it seems that many homeowners believe that installing insulation encroaches on this useful space.

This will worry those who work in loft insulation, or who are trying to increase homeowners’ use of energy efficient technologies. Loft insulation is a vital part of keeping a home heated well in the winter. Although the old saying ‘you lose most of your heat through your head so wear a hat’ is a myth, there is scientific proof that an uninsulated roof can allow 25% of a house’s heat to escape.

Homeowners however are clearly concerned that using loft insulation reduces the space in a home for things like storage. This may counteract the evidence given that loft insulation can really help energy efficiency.

Whilst many energy efficient technologies can be quite an investment, loft insulation is one of a number that is not only quick and painless to install, but relatively inexpensive. The cost of insulation can be reduced even more by installing it yourself, which is a simple job that can be completed in a day.

All of these factors are things that loft installation companies and those promoting energy efficiency in the home will want to highlight. The report by thinkinsulation.com suggests homeowners can easily reduce the amount of things in their loft through recycling and sorting. This then opens up more room for loft insulation if space is a big concern. However, the message and evidence remains that loft insulation is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to stop your house from losing heat, and in the long run this impacts upon energy bills, saving you money down the line.

Guest Article by Sophie Camp

Cavity Wall Insulation Explained

Homes that were constructed after 1920 will have almost certainly have cavity walls where the external wall is made up of two layers that have a gap in between.

Cavity wall insulation is therefore when the gap gets filled to have an insulated property to keep warmth in and reduce energy bills.

It is felt that cavity wall insulation can save a household up to £135 per year and is relatively cheap to install with typical installation costing between £100-350. This therefore means that you can recoup your investment within three years.

If you are interested in cavity wall insulation then you will need to find out whether your property is suitable. Suitability often depends on whether the walls are unfilled, whether there is a 50mm wide gap to work within, whether the external wall is in a suitable condition and if the walls are not exposed to harsh weather conditions.

Walls are often unfilled if the property is older than ten years as newer properties tend to be built with cavity wall insulation already built in. If the property is suitable then every part of the wall will need to be filled with insulation so it is important that all walls are easy to access. If one of the walls is joined to a neighbouring property then a cavity wall barrier may have to be inserted to ensure that your neighbour’s property isn’t affected.

The insulation is installed by small drill holes being drilled at regular intervals along the outside wall and then a specialist machine blows insulation into the brickwork. The insulation material is usually made out of three materials which are mineral wool, beads or granules and foamed insulants. Your chosen installer will recommend the best material to use on your property but you should ask whether the material is energy efficient and complies to British Standards with a 25 year guarantee.

It is important to remember that cavity wall insulation needs to be carried out by an expert and is unfortunately not a job that you can do yourself. It is important that you choose a qualified company to do such work and it is recommended that you look for companies that are accredited by the National Insulation Association (NIA) or the Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency (CIGA).

By choosing to insulate your cavity walls you will therefore be guaranteeing that your home retains heat and therefore reduce your energy bill and give you long-term energy savings.

Guest Article by Sarah Wain

Choosing A PC Can Affect Your Carbon Footprint

In the UK we now own over 66 million desktop and laptop computers which means that there are more computers owned than households.

Therefore when you are choosing a new computer you may want to consider buying an energy efficient one as this will help both the environment and your carbon footprint.

So, what do you need to know before you make a purchase decision?

Initially, you need to decide whether you want a laptop or desktop computer. Laptops use 85% less electricity than a desktop over the course of a year so in this respect are considered more energy efficient. The energy saving comes about due to the smaller screens and components than the laptop has and therefore, it is felt that if your computer needs can be met by using a laptop then this should be your choice. However, if you need a desktop you should look for ones that are recommended by the Energy Saving Trust and consider turning the computer off rather than putting it on standby as this can use a lot of energy and cost you up to £58 during the lifetime of the computer.

It is also not just the type of PC that you need to decide on but also the peripheral equipment that comes with owning a computer and how energy can be saved here.
Firstly, if you are using a desktop computer you should consider how efficient the monitor is. Take a look at the label and description of the monitor and buy a monitor which uses less energy in comparison to others. By choosing a monitor which offers better energy saving then you can save up to 70kg of carbon dioxide going into the environment over the lifetime of the monitor.

Secondly, you will need to consider the type of printer to buy. Most households will purchase an inkjet printer which also scans, copies and faxes, so is multi-purpose. When buying a printer you can look out for ones that are recommended by the Energy Savings Trust and you will know that this printer is relatively cost effective to run when compared to others as their recommended printers use 40% less electricity in sleep mode.

As well as looking for energy efficient computers and peripheral equipment you should also not forgot about turning equipment off completely and not leaving them in standby. This will stop the device using any energy and reducing consumption.

Guest Article by Sarah Wain

Save Energy On Your Home Entertainment Appliances

Within a home the use of entertainment appliances such as televisions, radios and set-top boxes account for over one fifth of the energy used. Therefore, this has a huge bearing on the electricity bill. If you are looking at ways to save money on this bill then there are some simple methods you can employ while using these appliances to reduce your electricity bill.

Two such methods to save energy on your television and radio are detailed as follows:

Digital televisions

Unsurprisingly, televisions consume the most energy of all home entertainment appliances and the larger the television the greater the energy consumption. The energy saving trust highlights that using a 22 inch A rated LCD TV will cost £5 a year to run in comparison to a 56 inch which would cost around £19 to run.

Therefore, choosing a smaller television will make you more energy efficient even though a larger screen may be more tempting. Also, when televisions are on standby they still consume a large amount of energy and by not turning a television off fully could cost you an additional £10 per year.

Digital radios

Digital radios consume more energy than analogue ones. Typically, when a radio is switched off this means that it is in standby mode and this standby consumption is five times higher than a traditional analogue radio. Therefore it will only stop using energy when it is unplugged or switched off at the socket. If you want to save money you will therefore need to unplug or switch it off at the socket when you are not using the radio.

From looking at these two appliances it can be seen that it is important to consider your energy usage in relation to your home entertainment appliances. The most prominent piece of advice is that you need to remember that all appliances will save money if you don’t leave them in standby mode. Each year households typically waste around £35 by leaving appliances on standby. So, consider turning your appliances off at the plug once you have finished using them.

You should also consider using energy saving plugs and sockets which can come with either switches or timers that encourage you to turn off the appliances. This will also allow you to choose which appliances you want to turn off and which you want to leave on. These types of plugs are very practical and encourage you to save money and as you do, you will be helping the environment as well.

Guest Article by Sarah Wain

How To Save Money When Lighting Your Home

Lighting accounts for 8% of energy usage in a home and therefore it is little wonder that homeowners look to their light usage as a way to save money.

There are two ways in which you can save money with the lights in your property and this is either by replacing the lightbulbs with energy efficient ones or by using your lights less.

Replacing lightbulbs with energy efficient ones

Replacing a traditional lightbulb in a property with an energy efficient one can save you about £3 per year and around £55 for the life of the bulb. If you consider replacing all your old lightbulbs throughout your household then a huge saving that can be made. And remember, energy saving lightbulbs are available for types of bulbs including downlighters and spotlights, so money can be saved across the entire household.

Using lights less

It is important to always turn off a light when you are not using it. This seems simple but often people forget or overlook this as a viable way of saving energy. To aid you in turning off lights within your property here are some tips:

• Whenever you leave a room turn off the lights as you can experience huge energy savings just by doing this for a few seconds across your day. The lightbulb may not last as long by being repeatedly turning it on and off but you won’t save any money just by leaving the light turned on.
• Arrange light switches so that it is easy to turn them on and off. For example, a landing light could have a switch at the top and bottom of the stairs, so it will encourage you to switch it on and off as required.
• If you have external lights then you should have these attached to a sensor so that they turn on when you approach and therefore are only in use when required.
• Consider what you need the light for. If you are reading a book then you will require the lights to be on but if you are watching television you may only require background lighting.

So, remember saving energy via the lights used in your home is the one of the easiest and simplest ways to save money. Firstly, you should look to replace all old inefficient lightbulbs with energy savings ones and then look at your usage habits and how you can use lights less and more economically within your home.

Guest Article by Sarah Wain

Draught Proofing Your Home

It is important to ensure that your home is draught proof as otherwise heat which you are paying for is wasted as it escapes from your home making your household less energy efficient.

Often people don’t realise that draught proofing is one of the easiest ways to make home energy improvements as it is usually cheap and straightforward to fix.

There are common places in a home where draughts can be found. Typically draughts can be located in windows, in doors (especially in the keyholes and letterboxes), loft hatches, floorboards and pipe work leading outside as well as open fires.

Fixing draught issues can be done yourself if you are able to carry out simple DIY tasks. When choosing material it will be important for you to look for material of good standard which is British Standard Institution accredited. You will only require the help of a professional company if you have single glazed windows and require these to be changed to double glazed.

The best ways to fix draughts around the home typically include:

1. Windows – for draughty windows you can purchase draught-proofing strips that stick around the windows and can help fill the gap between the window and the frame
2. Doors – For external doors you should draught proof keyholes by buying a metal cover that covers the keyhole. For letterboxes you should fit a letterbox flap or brush which can stop heat loss. For internal doors these should be shut to retain heat and if they have a gap at the bottom a draught excluder can be purchased to save heat loss.
3. Loft hatches – Hot air rises and a lot of heat is lost through the roof of a house. Loft hatches can be insulated by using strip insulation (as described above for use on doors).
4. Floorboards and pipe work – Gaps in the floorboards and pipe work can be filled by putting filler into the crack.
5. Fireplaces – Fireplaces are notorious for losing heat. When the fire isn’t in use then you should install a chimney balloon which inflates in the chimney and blocks any heat from escaping.

Remember, if you repair any draughts in the home then you can save yourself up to £55 per year. It will also mean that you can lower the thermostat setting as heat will be retained in your house for longer and this could save you an additional £60 per year.

Guest Article by Sarah Wain

How to Become Water Efficient and Save Money

A household will usually heat its water either through the use of a combination boiler or from using a hot water tank (with an immersion heater used to heat the water).

If a home uses a hot water tank then it has been found that by heating the water through the immersion heater it is more expensive than if a combination boiler was used. It is therefore recommended that if your home uses a hot water tank that you do not leave the immersion heater switched on continuously as this will waste both hot water and therefore energy consumption.

This is just one such tip to help households become more energy efficient when using water within the home. If you are looking for more ways to become energy efficient as a way to save money here are four more tips that you should follow:

1. If your household has a hot water tank it is important to make sure that it is insulated as it has been found that a well insulated water tank can save you up to £40 per year.
2. As well as insulating the water tank you should insulate any hot water pipes to ensure even more energy saving as well as ensuring that hot water taps also run much quicker.
3. Make sure that you are using your hot water controls correctly and set them to when you do and don’t want water.
4. Switch your fuel supply to gain for energy savings. For example if you are using electricity you should switch to gas as this is cheaper or look at renewable energy resources.

These tips will help you save money as your energy consumption will be reduced. However, if you are looking at ways to save even more money then you will also need to reduce the amount of hot water that your household uses. Using less water can save you more money than you realise and areas in your home where you can save water include:

Inside the house where you should –

• Use the shower instead of having a bath and replace the shower head to a water-efficient one.
• Ensure that you fully fill dishwashers and washing machines before starting their cycle and use the energy saving setting. Also when the appliance needs replacing replace it with an energy efficient one.
• Stop running the tap while brushing teeth, washing faces etc. as this wastes water. Also use cold water instead of hot water to save energy.
• Fix any dripping taps in your home to save water.

Outside the house where you should –

• Collect water excess rainwater in a water-butt instead of letting it go down the drains. Then use this water to water the garden or wash the car.

Guest Article by Sarah Wain

Saving Energy in your Kitchen

The kitchen is the place where we use the majority of gas and electric appliances and use the most energy.

If you are therefore looking for to reduce your energy bill you should firstly look at how you use your kitchen appliances and consider how your usage habits can be altered as a way to save energy. To help you on your way here are are a number of tips that you can employ to save energy in your kitchen:

Dishwashers

Before putting your dishwasher on you should make sure that it is full as this will mean that it will be used less often. Don’t put on a half load and use the half load setting as this often works out more expensive than putting on a full load.

Cookers, ovens and hobs

It is important to ensure that when you use your oven that you open it as little as possible as otherwise the hot heat and air will escape. This means that food will take longer to cook and this will therefore cost you more energy. It is also considered that you should use microwaves as these are more energy efficient than ovens as they heat food directly rather than ovens which heat the inside of the oven first.

Kettles

You should never fill your kettle to a level more than is required as by overfilling your kettle it will mean it takes more energy to heat the water each time.

Fridges, freezers and fridge-freezers

Fridge, freezers and fridge-freezers are turned on all day so it is important that you buy energy saving appliances when they need replacing. It is felt that you should place these appliances in colder places in your home and then you won’t have to set the freezer at the lowest setting.

Tumble dryers

Tumble dryers use a lot of energy so it is recommended that you spin dry your clothes in the washing machine before putting them in the tumble dryer. This is because it has been found that spinning clothes in a washing machine uses less energy than a tumble dryer to get the moisture out. You should also unfold clothes so that they can move more freely in the drier as they will dry quicker.

Washing machines

To save money when using your washing machine you should wash clothes at lower temperatures than usual. Just like dishwashers using two half loads rather than a full load in the appliance will use more energy. As with all appliances you should switch it off when it has finished washing your clothes.

Guest Article by Sarah Wain

Ten Tips for a More Environmentally-friendly Home

Nowadays we are more environmentally aware and many households are looking at ways in which they can reduce their carbon footprint and become greener.

If you are one of these people, here are ten top tips to make your home greener and help the planet:

Tip 1 – Reduce the use of paper and plastics

Households should look at ways to reduce the amount of paper and plastics used. Ways in which this can be achieved is by making relatively small changes such as buying reusable shopping bags and cancelling paper bills and opting for email/online bills instead.

Tip 2 – Use environmentally-friendly cleaning products

Many household cleaners contain ingredients which can harm the environment and it is recommended that to be greener that you swap to less harmful products instead. There are a number of green cleaning products on the market or you could make your own cleaning supplies from natural ingredients like vinegar or lemon.

Tip 3 – Use energy efficient lightbulbs

Lightbulbs can account for up to 10% of a households electricity use and therefore households should ensure that their lightbulbs are energy efficient.

Tip 4 – Purchase energy saving appliances

When an electrical appliances needs replacing in a home it is suggested that the appliance is replaced with an energy saving one. Energy saving appliances may cost more money but they are a worthwhile investment as they can save you money on your yearly electricity bill.

Tip 5 – Watch your water consumption

Households should consider how they use water within the home and look to change their usage behaviour as small changes can make a big difference. For example, households should consider turning taps off when they are brushing their teeth for instance and take shorter showers to save water. Households can also look to employ water saving devices such as low-flow toilets.

Tip 6 – Unplug and turn-off electrical appliances

Most homes will leave electrical appliances plugged in and to save energy and be greener it is recommended that these are turned off when not in use. This also means unplugging phone chargers etc. which many of us leave plugged in as this waste electricity as well. Also, turning off any lights in the home when they are not in use is important.

Tip 7 – Turn down temperature controls

Households should turn down their temperature thermostat by 1 degree as this could save them both energy and money, just by making this simple change.

Tip 8 – Review your fridge freezer settings

It is recommended that homes get a fridge and freezer thermometer as you can review settings to ensure you are getting the most energy efficiency from the appliance.

Tip 9 – Make your garden greener

Gardens should make use of natural fertilizers and not use chemical ones which are bad for the environment.

Tip 10 – Look to use renewable energy sources

If a household is looking to implement a drastic change to become more environmentally friendly then it should consider switching to a renewable energy such as solar or wind. Even though this is a big initial outlay the money saved in the long-term is worthwhile and the energy is eco-friendly.

The following tips highlight that it doesn’t take much effort to become more environmentally-friendly and that small changes can make a huge difference in becoming greener and improving your homes carbon footprint.

Guest Article by Sarah Wain