British Gas Costs About to Rise

Almost 500,000 homeowners are set to face a shock once their fixed price tariff from British Gas comes to an end this month, according to the energy comparison service uSwitch.com.

Customers who are signed onto the Price Protection Plan have been able to save around £472 each year on their energy bills, compared to other customers. The plan has been in place since 2005, and costs an average of £820 each year. The average energy bill in the UK is £374 higher.

Energy expert from uSwitch.com, Tom Lyon, said that the customers who were able to take advantage of this plan were very lucky. However, he also adds that getting a good fixed price plan is all down to timing, which is why their luck may be about to run out as the plan comes to an end.

To combat price rises, many customers are now choosing to cut down on the energy that they use in their homes. Measures that can help cut costs include heating rooms by one less degree, installing energy efficient measures such as double glazing, and using energy saving light bulbs.

Last month, it was claimed by comparison websites moneysupermarket.com and confused.com that the cheapest duel fuel tariff now available in the United Kingdom is the New Energy Fixed plan from Ovo, costing on average £855 each year.

How Do You Know If Your Double Glazing Needs Improving?

Despite being one of the most durable options for your property, even double glazing can see the effects of age, just like anything else in your home. If you’ve had double glazing for many years now, it might be time to look out for some of the signs that it needs to be improved.

Have Your Windows Changed Colour?

If the PVC around your windows has changed colour then this does not necessarily mean that the insulation is failing at all. The good news is that the frames can be repainted to make them white again.

Are Your Windows Difficult to Open?

If you’re finding it increasingly difficult to open your windows then this might be fixed by simply loosening the screw on the hinge. However, hinges may sometimes need replacing – which a local double glazing company can do for you.

On the other hand, you could find that hinges get too loose, in which case tighten them or get the hinge replaced as above.

Are You Feeling A Draught?

Double glazing is designed to prevent draughts from getting into your home. The first thing to do is to check the hinge, as this can sometimes be bent out of shape and allow air in. However, a draught can also be a sign that the double glazing needs to be replaced.

Another sign that your double glazing needs to be replaced is that there is condensation in between the panes.

The good news is that double glazing is extremely durable and can last for a good number of years as long as you maintain it properly.

Britons are Encouraged to Improve Their Insulation

It has recently been advised that improving home insulation is one of the best measures both for saving money on energy bills and reducing your carbon footprint.

Alaine Christian, from Footprints Eco Shop, has recently claimed that, in an uninsulated home, cavity wall insulation can help you to save up to £115 on your energy bills every year.

Christian also added that using draught excluders can help to make homes naturally warmer. They prevent the warm air from escaping the home, and help to save on energy usage.

On top of this, double glazing is seen as one of the most cost effective measures available. Not only does it help homeowners to work on their energy efficiency, but also to cut down on noise entering the home and to put an end to condensation issues.

Alaine noted “Installing energy efficient double glazing could mean savings of around £135 on bills annually if whole-house single glazing is replaced with energy saving recommended double glazing”.

However, it is important not to install these measures DIY, as the energy efficiency could be lost if not done correctly.

A DIY recommendation was recently made by aboutproperty.co.uk who claimed that homeowners can make their homes more energy efficient with a greener floor, by installing cork floorboards to improve insulation.

Now is the Perfect Time to Insulate Your Home Against Cold Winters

Now that spring is here, many of us have forgotten how cold it was just a few months ago. Last winter was the coldest on record for many years, and most of us saw high energy bills as a result. This is why now is the perfect time to consider the ways in which you can keep yourself warm but keep costs down in time for next winter.

Last winter will have helped you to understand just what the problems with your property are. For example, properties facing north may not get much natural sunlight, so will need to rely on far more insulation to keep them at comfortable temperatures. Properties facing the south can benefit from double glazing which will help to warm the room more passively as sun shines in.

Some of the most important energy efficiency measures include:

• Draught proofing,
• Insulation in lofts and cavity walls,
• Improving boilers to more energy efficient models,
• And ensuring windows let out as little heat as possible by installing double glazing.

One measure that is also frequently ignored by homeowners is to install insulation on the floor, which can help to reduce heat loss even further after working on the measures listed above. The Energy Saving Trust claims that such measures can pay for themselves in terms of savings in just a couple of years.

None of us can avoid the cold winters that we are more and more likely to experience thanks to global warming. However, we can play our part into stopping things getting worse by cutting down on our carbon emissions and subsequently reducing our energy bills.

Earth Day Survey Reveals Best Green Home Improvements

A new survey that was set up to coincide with Earth Day last week has highlighted the home improvements than can give you the biggest energy efficient boost as well as those that can increase the value of your property the most when it comes time to sell.

The survey was conducted by HomeGain who asked 1,000 US professionals in real estate for information.

The survey found that 65 percent of real estate experts believe planting trees and shrubs is one of the best green upgrades.

This is one of the cheapest measures, costing under £100 and can add almost three times this value when it comes time to sell up.

However, beyond the aesthetics of trees in the garden, it’s also important to look at the inside of the property to make it more energy efficient. Some of the top measures included replacing standard lightbulbs with LEDs, using strips that automatically turn off appliances that have been left on standby.

Heating is also a huge issue, where measures such as double glazing can reduce the amount of heat lost from the home, and programmable thermostats can give homeowners more control over when their heating comes on and goes off.

General manager of HomeGain, Louis Cammarosano, said that ‘Buyers want energy efficient homes and appreciate the aesthetics of natural vegetation and are willing to pay for these features’.

A survey was also taken by the Royal Institute of British Architects and Shelter, showing that 12 percent of households in the UK with planned home improvements are looking to make the property more energy efficient.

Lib Dem Plan to Spend £3 Mil on Green Jobs

The Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg recently faced scrutiny over his party’s plans to spend £3 billion on green jobs on the UK.

The Liberal Democrats have a number of plans in place to cut down on carbon emissions, including a £140 million bus scrappage scheme that can replace vehicles with low-carbon models. They are also calling for a ‘green economic stimulus plan’.

This plan would include promoting energy efficiency in buildings, promoting wind energy, and bringing in an eco friendly cash back scheme that would encourage green home improvements.

The current government has already been working to help encourage homeowners to take up measures such as double glazing in windows and doors and replacements of inefficient boilers. However, many homeowners are put off by the upfront cost despite the fact that they would ultimately save money. The Lib Dems plan would help to address this problem.

Nick Clegg stated that ‘Over the longer term, we will fund the transition to a green economy through a UK Infrastructure Bank – an idea first set out by Vince Cable and now adopted by the other parties.’

However, critics have asked where this money will come from. In particular, the cash back scheme would give people grants to make improvements such as double glazing, and would create thousands of jobs, but the question is where the money will come from.

Greens Are the Most Ambitious Party When It Comes to Energy Efficiency of Residential Property

According to Friends of the Earth, it is the Green Party who are ‘most ambitious’ in their manifesto when it comes to improving the energy efficiency of residential property in the UK.

The parliamentary spokesman for the charity, Martyn Williams, has praised the proposals outlined in the manifesto as they focus on making sure insulation is improved in existing homes, as well as helping to reduce fuel poverty across the country.

The Green manifesto states that £2 billion would be put into incentives each year that would encourage homeowners to make green improvements to their properties. The party also aims to create 40,000 jobs for builders and engineers in the installation industry.

The manifesto also proposes a programme that would provide insulation in homes for free, and would prioritise those who are living in fuel poverty and who are on pensions.

The scheme would upgrade around 4 million homes each year, and could work towards creating 80,000 jobs.

Some of the home improvements that could be encouraged as a result of policies like this could include double glazing, to reduce heat loss through windows, cavity wall insulation, loft insulation and upgrading of boilers to energy efficient models.

Williams said that the manifesto sets a good scheme for cutting down on carbon emissions from out homes, and is the ‘quickest and cheapest’ option for reducing CO2 levels, as well as being popular with the homeowners involved, as it would make their properties ‘more comfortable’ to be in.

Cutting Down on Burglaries: What You Can Do

Redbridge Police have recently started to give out advice to help people from becoming the victims of burglary.

One of the main measures is to make sure that your windows and doors are secure. Single glazed windows are far less secure than double glazing, which is almost impossible to break. Replacing all of the windows and doors in your home can instantly make it far more secure.

If you do already have double glazed uPVC windows in your home, the main risk is that you do not lock them properly. It has been advised that you lift the handle and turn the key to ensure that your doors and windows are locked properly every night.

Detective Chief Inspector Paige Kimberly explained that people have a lot of power to help cut down on burglary.

Other advice includes disconnecting your WiFi network when you aren’t using it, due to the fact that the network is able to be detected outside the home. Make sure that your network name does not give anything away about the property.

You should also keep car keys hidden, and leaving an expensive vehicle outside of your home makes you a bigger target for burglars.

An extra measure would be to put your postcode put onto valuable items.

Wakefield Council Giving Energy Saving Advice

Wakefield Council set up an energy advice day last Friday 16th April.

The Home Energy team from the council was there to give a number of tips on how residents can cut down on how much energy they use in the home. Advice could range from buying energy efficiency appliances, to installing energy saving light bulbs and not putting devices on standby.

The issue of cutting down fuel costs was also addressed, as well as ways to stay warm without having to turn up the heating. Measures such as double glazing can keep the home a lot warmer and help to reduce the price of energy bills.

The government as a whole is running a number of schemes that are designed to help people cut down on the amount of gas and electricity they use in their homes. Above all, the government is trying to encourage simple measures that will improve the energy efficiency of homes.

Many householders are put off installing energy efficient measures due to the upfront cost. However, it is hoped that giving more advice and information will encourage more measures due to the cost saving benefits over time.

When homeowners adopt the suggested measures, this can help to cut down on carbon emissions to protect the environment against global warming.

Those who attended the Wakefield energy saving advice day were provided with energy saving light bulbs to help start them off saving energy.

The Benefits of Installing Double Glazing At Any Time of the Year

Thankfully spring has now sprung and the cold weather seems to be mostly behind us. However, this doesn’t mean you should stop thinking about installing energy efficient measures in your home. In fact, double glazing has a number of benefits beyond increasing energy efficiency:

Keeping Your Home Quiet: The way that the layer of air is trapped between two panes of glass in your windows will mean that fewer sound waves will get into your home – perfect for those who live in noisy areas as want to keep the sound outside.

Reduce Your Carbon Footprint: If you really want to feel as though you’re doing something good for the environment, double glazing will help you to noticeably reduce your carbon footprint, i.e. the amounts of carbon dioxide that you are responsible for, which in turn is responsible for global warming.

Cheaper Energy Bills: Because of the fact that double glazed windows include a layer of air, this will trap the heat inside your home and will make it warmer even when you turn down your heating. On average, this will save you around £135 in a year.

Less Condensation: If you find condensation build up frustrating, the good news is that double glazing reduces this dramatically. You won’t have to worry about that build up of mould anymore!

A More Comfortable Environment: In general, double glazing will leave your home more comfortable thanks to the fact that it’s warmer, it doesn’t let draughts in, and it gives you some peace and quiet!

The costs of installing double glazing will vary from home to home, however each year you will see more and more savings.