Owners of Older Homes Should Compare Energy Providers for Cheaper Prices

UK homeowners who are living in Victorian homes could benefit the most by comparing their energy suppliers and switching tariffs.

The suggestion was made by a new report, pointing out the many inefficiencies of older homes. The report shows that, in total, Victorian property owners are paying around £250 more on their energy bills each year than the average home.

The figures were compiled by the Energy Saving Trust, based on a typical Victorian home that only has single glazing in windows, and un-insulated walls. Annual gas bills are an average of £670, and electricity bills are on average £340 each year.

The carbon footprint of these older homes is around 5 tonnes each year, compared with just 3.4 tonnes from newly-built properties. Those who live in newly built properties have gas bills as low as just £400 in comparison.

It is recommended that those who live in older homes should take time to carefully compare energy suppliers and available tariffs to ensure the cheapest prices.

However, the Energy Saving Trust also recommend more energy efficient measures to help reduce energy usage. This includes blocking any unused chimneys, filling gaps in floorboards, and getting double glazing installed to prevent heat from being lost through windows. These measures combined could end up saving hundreds of pounds each year.

Free Energy Checks Offered to Residents of Selby

Selby District Council have partnered with the Energy Saving Trust to offer free energy checks to its residents, which could save up to £300 per year for each household’s energy bills.

Residents will need to complete a questionnaire, after which they will be provided with a personalised report that shows potential energy savings throughout the home, and how much this could reduce energy bills.

Residents can receive these checks by calling the Energy Saving Trust to complete the questionnaire over the phone, or they can choose to fill in the form by post or online.

Chairman of the council’s environmental board, Chris Metcalfe, said that ‘these reports give residents simple, easy to follow tips and advice on changes they can make’.

Changes will include small measures, such as replacing all bulbs with energy saving alternatives. Measures such as draught-proofing will also be recommended, alongside insulation to prevent heat being lost through the home.

Double glazing can greatly reduce the heat lost through windows, ultimately adding up to £135 average savings on energy bills per household. This means your home will be warmer and your heating can be turned down.

Metcalfe added that the scheme isn’t just about the energy we use, it’s also a chance for residents to save a ‘significant’ amount of money on their energy bills.

Warning Over Energy Bill Increases Encourages DIY

uSwitch have recently warned that energy bills will be rising in the very near future, prompting a number of DIY enthusiasts to start planning ways in which they can make their home more energy efficient.

The price comparison website has recently reported on news from Ofgem, where proposals have been published to make a £200+ billion investment into the electricity network in Britain.

However, uSwitch are predicting that price increases will serve as a way to fund the new scheme, and that energy bills could rise by an average of £548 every year.

Energy expert of uSwitch, Will Marples, stated that the public needs to ‘start taking action’ in order to protect themselves against future price rises.

A number of measures have been recommended to homeowners to help meet the rising costs and save money. Top of the list is professionally-installed double glazing. Replacing single glazed windows with new, energy efficient ones can reduce annual energy bills by as much as £135, making homes naturally warmer and allowing the heating to be turned down.

Marples added that we should remember that energy bills have doubled within the last few years, showing just how much we all need to adapt to save energy and reduce our bills again.

Other energy saving measures may include draft excluders, sealing any cracks and gaps around the home and getting professional insulation installed.

Petition for Window Scrappage Scheme

The Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF) is working hard to attract signatories for its petition to Downing Street to introduce a window scrappage scheme, similar to the recent boiler scheme.

The petition now contains 3,500 signatures, all looking for a scheme that would encourage homeowners to get rid of their old windows, that provide poor levels of insulation, in return for a grant worth £1000 that could be used towards installing energy efficient double glazing.

A scheme like this would help to benefit manufacturers, suppliers and installers who would see a boost in sales – especially after the recent downward trend in the number of people installing new windows and doors (despite their huge energy saving benefits).

Consumers would also benefit, by being given £1000 to give their home a facelift. The long term result would also be lower fuel bills and reduced carbon emissions. All in all, a scheme would help the government to meet carbon reduction targets.

By replacing single glazing with energy efficient double glazing, homeowners could see savings of £150 a year on energy bills.

Chief executive of the GGF, Nigel Rees, was encouraged by the recent boiler scrappage scheme. The scheme gives homeowners a £400 grant to replace their inefficient boiler with a new, A-rated equivalent.

Rees added ‘there are thousands of homes in the UK with single glazed windows, which could benefit from a scrappage scheme’ – he also highlighted the environmental benefits of such a scheme.

The RAE Calls for New Approach to Cut Carbon

According to the Royal Academy of Engineers (RAE), the UK needs to quickly rethink the way in which it is going to cut carbon emissions from buildings, if it’s going to meet the target of 80 percent reduced emissions by 2050.

A new report released by the RAE has stated that there must be a ‘dramatic increase’ in energy awareness and green skills among builders. Not only this, but more ‘creative techniques’ will need to be adopted to improve both residential and commercial properties.

Measures such as double glazing are already widely recommended to help improve the energy efficiency of existing residential and commercial property. By stopping heat from being lost through windows, buildings are much warmer and heating can be turned down. This is a great way for homeowners to save on their energy bills as well as to reduce carbon emissions.

However, the RAE also state that we need to push forward and support builders and architects when it comes to developing new property in environmentally friendly ways.

When it comes to publicly funded projects, the RAE is calling for the government to publish performance evaluations regarding carbon performance and energy efficiency.

Dr Scott Steadman from the RAE has said that the UK needs to go further than the traditional solutions if it is going to meet its targets for reducing CO2.

However, traditional work in residential property is still important, as government figures have shown that around a quarter of all carbon emissions in the country come from residential property.

Green Replica of Buckingham Palace?

The UK is currently leading in terms of its measures to build efficient properties. However, Buckingham palace – an extremely important landmark for representing the country – is famous for its energy in-efficiency, with reported annual energy bills of £2.2 million.

A London engineering firm has looked into the costs of building a new green replica which would be a beacon of energy efficiency, after the palace last year topped the ‘dirty dozen’ lost of buildings in London that are responsible for large amounts of CO2 emissions.

The Queen has set up a committee to help tackle energy consumption at the palace. According to plans, building a replica would take three and a half years, cost £320 million but would emit 400 cubic tons less CO2 each year than the original.

Whilst this replica isn’t likely to happen, it highlights a number of issues with the original palace itself. Project manager Mathew Fenner explained that a replica would make use of insulation in the walls and energy efficient double glazing to replace 760 windows – which could cut the heat lost by half.

Despite the massive costs involved with building a replica, theoretically it should pay for itself within just a few years due to massively reduced energy bills.

Other energy efficient measures proposed include heat recovery systems, ground source heat pumps, photovoltaic panels and rainwater harvest systems.

New £2 Million Green Challenge

A new ‘green’ challenge, worth £2 million, will see fourteen communities around Britain competing for the title of the most ‘green community’.

The £2 million worth of energy efficiency measures has been given by British Gas, as the challenge will look at which community does the most to cut down on carbon emissions, energy use, and generates the most energy. The community that wins will receive a price of £100,000 to spend on a local environmental project.

All fourteen communities are spread throughout the UK, all using different energy saving measures including renewable energy, double glazing, solar panels and a reduction in energy usage.

These communities are also serving as a test-case for a new approach to saving and generating energy that will be community-led. Some communities are also proposing ideas that have never been tried before, which will help serve as an interesting example for what can be done across the country in the future.

Community activist Ben Fogle stated that ‘if Britain is going to meet its tough carbon reduction targets, we need to look at new ways of helping people cut their energy consumption and reduce emissions’. He added that the Green Streets community project will help act as a ‘blueprint’ for future changes.

The projects around the country are supported by at least twenty residents in the area, who will all be lowering their energy usage. Judging will take place throughout the year, looking at how much energy has been reduced, how much has been generated, and how much interest has been raised in the local community.

Shock CO2 Figures Released for Ribble Valley

The Energy Saving Trust has recently called on Ribble Valley Council to make green changes to help reduce carbon emissions.

The North West recently fared badly in the ‘green flag’ awards, which is why local council members are being urged to attend a two-day climate conference that will take place in Liverpool. Organised by the Local Government Association, Improvement and Development Agency for Local Government and EST, the conference will highlight the role that local authorities can play when it comes to tackling climate change.

Andy Deacon from EST said that ‘local authorities have a key role to play in the fight to hit ambitious Government targets to reduce carbon emissions’.

He added that it is important to look at homes invidually, thinking about measures that can be incorporated to help make them more energy efficient, as well as ways of generating energy. It should be local authorities which pass on knowledge of these measures to homeowners.

Some local authorities around the country are already implementing measures such as helping homeowners to install double glazing in windows and doors, reducing heat lost from the home and helping them to save money on energy bills.

The EST now works with 100 local authorities around the country as part of their One-to-One support programme, and 2010 will see a further 30 joining the programme.

New Paint Absorbs CO2

The latest development in reducing carbon emissions is a paint, to be used in homes, which can help to absorb CO2.

The new ‘smart paint’ has been developed by Dr Rachel Armstrong, of University College London, and can help to tackle the problem of domestic carbon emissions.

According to the Energy Saving Trust, around 27% of all carbon emissions in the UK are as a result of domestic housing.

Measures such as double glazing can go a long way to help keep homes insulated, reducing the need for heating and keeping energy bills down. Measures such as this, alongside insulation, are a good way to help reduce your carbon footprint.

However, the new paint could go a little further to help absorb carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. It is not yet known, however, how successful the paint will be. It is thought it could help the UK to meet its carbon reduction targets by 2020 – which aim for a 34% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

The paint reacts with the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, to produce a substance known as calcium carbonate, which is a main ingredient of limestone and alcohol.

The resulting substance can, in turn, provide extra strength and insulation, as well as soaking up carbon emissions in the atmosphere. The creator, Dr Armstrong, has high aspirations for her new invention.

Dr Armstrong is also planning to adapt the technology to use underwater, to help create an artificial limestone reed that can help to stop Venice from sinking.

Homeowners Urged to Take Advantage of Grants to Beat the Cold

Private tenants and homeowners are being advised to help combat the big freeze this winter by claiming grants that are available to them, to help make their homes more energy efficient and more comfortable.

A partnership between the Government scheme Warm Front and the Rochdale Council means that over 2011 families with low income, the over 60s and people will disabilities have successfully applied for £3 million in grants over the past 12 months.

However, according to the management of the Warm Front programme, Eaga, there are a number of other homes in the area that could take advantage of grants but who have failed to claim what they are entitled to.

Shida Bassiti from Eaga stated that ‘thousands more who could be warmer and better off have yet to apply’.

The partnership have sent letters to over 3,400 homes to highlight the available help that could help to keep homes warmer, and keep energy costs down.

Councillor Doreen Brophy-Lee, Rochdale Council member, stated that ‘sub-zero temperatures and growing fuel bills over the last few weeks show just how important it is to take advantage of the help available to keep homes cosy whatever the weather throws at us’.

The Warm Front scheme is designed to help provide a number of heating and insulation improvements to home, up to the value of £3,500, and some homes may be eligible for grants of up to £6,000.

Improvements may include double glazing, to reduce heat lost through windows, cavity wall insulation, and loft insulation.