Domestic Energy Efficiency

Advice -

There are lots of practical ways for you to save money around the home without even spending a penny -

• Turn your central heating down by 1°C this could save you about £40 a year and you would barely feel the difference!
• Draw your curtains at night to keep heat in - this could save you about £15 per year!
• Take a shower instead of a bath - washing accounts for nearly 2/3 of all expenditure on water heating!
• Turn off lights and appliances when they're not being used.

Simple money savers

Next time you buy a lottery ticket , STOP!  There are far easier ways to get some extra cash. These measures will cost only a few pounds and could well pay for themselves in a matter of months.

• Fill gaps between floorboards with newspaper or mastic sealant.
  
  COST: Around £5 - £10 SAVING: Around £10 - £20 per year
  
• Fit a good insulating jacket to your hot water tank
  
  COST: Around £5 -£10 SAVING: Around £10 - £15 per year
  
• Put cling film over all your windows to make double glazing
  
  COST: Around £5-£10 SAVING: Around £5 - £10 per year
  
• Put Aluminum foil behind your radiators
  
  COST: Up to £10 SAVING: Around £5 - £10 per year
  
• Fit Thermostatic Radiator Valves (TRVs) to automatically stop the heating rooms in you are not using.
  
  COST: Around £45 - £60 SAVING: Around £10 - £20 per year

Good investments -

Cavity Wall Insulation -

If your house was built after 1930 the chances are it has two layers of wall. By filling the gap between them with insulation you can 'trap' heat in and keep your house warmer.

This could save about £100 a year from your heating bills.

Compact Florescent Light bulbs (CFL's) -

One of the easiest and cheapest ways to save energy is to replace traditional (incadescent) lighting.  CFL's use only 20% of the energy and last for about 8 years. This means that over the lifetime of the bulb you could save £60 in electricity bills!

Now theres a bright idea!

(Click on the bulb for more information)

Where's the money going??

The diagram shows that by far the greatest proportion of heat is lost through the walls of your house - so think about it. Next time you spend thousands on double glazing to cut your heating bills - you could spend a few hundred on Cavity Wall Insulation and save a fortune!

Also you may be eligable for grants to pay for this type of work. To find out how you could get this free money click on the icon below. 

If you would like more advice on energy efficiency you can contact your local energy advice centre or free phone 0800 512012

For more information on energy efficiency follow these links -

• Save Energy
• Eaga Partnership
• Marches Energy Agency
• Energy Savings Trust
• Heat Project