The recent spell of Arctic cold weather may be a forgotten memory for most – even if there is still a chance that the adverse weather will hit the UK again before the winter is over – but for others the period of snow, ice and freezing temperatures continue to cause problems.

According to a survey conducted by Which? Switch, approximately 65% of people have given more attention to their winter energy bills, whilst 38% – almost 4 out of 10 people – are worried about whether they can actually afford the bill. Furthermore, 14% of people surveyed admitted they had dipped into their savings – or, more worryingly, those of their children – to ensure they were able to pay for the increased demand of gas and electricity, whilst 18% of people had made other financial sacrifices, such as cancelling gym membership, in order to meet the increased fuel costs.

It has also been made clear over the past couple of weeks heat loss in homes and offices has become a major factor of the inflated fuel bills. Research undertaken by Faithful & Gould, part of the Atkins Engineering Design Group, has suggested an additional £1.2 billion of heat was lost during the two-week period that saw the UK gripped by extreme cold in comparison to a normal or average winter. This figure, which is based on 26 million homes and 2 million offices in the country, is likely to cause deep concern amongst those who have been campaigning for improved insulation and more energy efficient central heating systems.

The steps required to resolve the problem of heat loss can only be addressed by improving the energy efficiency of homes and offices. Achieving this is by no means a secret, as the Government and Energy Saving Trust have long been lauding the virtues of loft insulation, cavity wall insulation and double or even triple glazing. Furthermore, replacing old boilers with more energy efficient condensing boilers and technologically advanced heating controls can reduce the amount of fuel used to heat a home which could result in an annual saving of £235 according to the Energy Saving Trust.

Research undertaken by the New Policy Institute (NPI), an independent think-tank, has uncovered an alarming truth relating to trends in domestic energy bill savings in the UK. According to the ‘Missing Millions’ research, up to 3.6 million domestic energy consumers are missing out on potential savings because they are neglecting to claim for insulation grants.

It is thought that average annual savings of around £250 could be achieved by insulating a typical property. However, the financial cost and perceived time involved in ensuring that cavity walls are filled and lofts are insulated can seem overwhelming for many homeowners. In fact, where the cost of such measures is relatively high, the £250 average annual saving, which has been endorsed by research for the Home Heat Helpline, does not always appear to make sound financial sense to property owners.

In practice, research suggests that £150 per year can be saved by loft insulation and a further £115 per year can be saved by undertaking cavity wall insulation. Furthermore, the Missing Millions research claims that millions of people on working tax credits, pension credits, disability or unemployment benefits are missing out on opportunities to secure one of several home insulation grants that are provided under the Carbon Emission Reduction Target scheme. Moreover, those aged 70 or over are eligible for the free home insulation grant, which means that approximately 1.3 million households can apply for the grant. In light of increased fuel poverty, a lingering economic recession and rising energy bills, there is arguably no better time than the present to insulate the home. Indeed, ensuring that loft and cavity wall insulation is carried out in the home can lead to savings that can help to soften the blow of further energy bill rises, so it really is advisable for homeowners to find out whether they are eligible for a home insulation grant.

Adair Turner, Chairman of the UK Government’s Climate Change Commission, announced on Wednesday the recent fall in carbon emissions must not be seen as a sign that everything is on course, as the economic recession is thought to be chiefly responsible.

Moreover, Adair Turner suggested in order to meet the UK Government’s plans to reduce carbon emissions by 34% (from 1990 levels) by 2020, homes across Britain must be given a total eco-friendly makeover. However, according to Lord Turner, investment in appropriate environmentally friendly measures at home are likely to cost up to £15,000.

Exactly what constitutes an environmentally friendly home makeover will vary between properties. Indeed, new build houses are subject to clear regulations governing energy efficiency and the so-called ‘green houses’ are designed with zero carbon emissions in mind, so these properties will require only minimal changes if any. In contrast, housing more than a decade old will often comprise elements that are anything but environmentally friendly, such as archaic central heating systems and single glazed sash windows. Thus, Adair Turner has warned homeowners must brace for significant change over the coming years.

Specifically, Lord Turner was quoted by the Guardian newspaper as suggesting that after “home insulation and more efficient boilers”, homeowners ought to consider “more intrusive things – double glazing, cavity wall insulation, solid wall insulation”. Lord Turner then added that people must adopt a “whole house approach” but that it “may be expensive – between £10,000 and £15,000″. Whilst a bill of £15,000 to makeover the home might seem exceptionally high for most people, the Climate Change Commission is anticipating that a large proportion of these costs will be subsidised by the Government. However, the Commission also believes that the UK Government will fund any such scheme through various indirect mechanisms, such as those that will stimulate higher domestic electricity bills.

It’s a plain and simple fact that adding home insulation in any of its many forms will lower home energy costs immediately as well as for the future. There’s no time like the present to improve your comfort with cost-effective insulation and begin saving money.

Cavity Wall Insulation

The exterior walls generally comprise the largest surface area of a house that is exposed to the weather so installing cavity wall insulation to maximum recommended values is important, especially for newly constructed homes. But a basic principle of physics states that warm air rises; what does that mean for the average home?

The Importance of Loft Insulation

Warm air rises through the ceiling and enters the loft, finally escaping through the roof. The warm air that cost money to heat literally blows away. Energy experts estimate homeowners can reduce heating costs by 30% simply by properly insulating the loft floor area. Fortunately, loft insulation is typically easy to accomplish and is one of the most cost-effective actions a homeowner can take to immediately decrease heating costs by about one-third.

Floor Insulation

Cooling your feet in a pool of water is a delight on a hot summer’s day but experiencing cold feet all day in your own home during the winter months is downright unpleasant. Adding the right kind of insulation that is designed for basement ceilings or as floor underlayment can keep the floor from absorbing the cold from below, creating a more comfortable house. Consider the latest in radiant heating options if you are replacing an old floor.

Other Improvements

Any surface that is exposed to a difference in temperature between the outside and inside can experience heat loss and heat loss immediately translates to increased energy costs. Here are some other places in the home where insulation will pay for itself:

• Seal around doors and windows to prevent draughts. Re-glazing old windows will decrease air infiltration.
• Hot water pipes and furnace ducts benefit from insulation.
• Insulating a hot water tank saves energy costs all year long.

Replace Old Equipment

Technology is constantly advancing; consider for example the improvements in solar heating options. Replacing old central heating and cooling equipment can be a cost-effective alternative. Depending upon the cost of energy and how inefficient the existing equipment happens to be, a homeowner can be recoup the investment in new equipment in about 10 years while enjoying cost savings immediately.

The ‘Here to HELP’ scheme run by British Gas subsidises home insulation projects such as cavity wall and loft insulation. It’s suitable for the elderly and for those of us receiving benefits, the grant could be worth up to £474 (the cost of insulating your home) and significantly reduce your heating bills by up to £365 per year.

You can find out more at British Gas Insulation

Start saving with a new boiler from British Gas.
With a new boiler from British Gas, you’ll save now and could save even more later. Trade in your old boiler and they’ll give you a £200 discount. Plus, if you’re an existing HomeCare customer, you’ll save another £100. You’ll also get a year’s free HomeCare 200 (worth £204) to take care of your boiler and central heating system. It includes unlimited call-outs, plus parts and labour. But that’s not all.

Enjoy long-term saving, too.
You could save up to a third on your heating bills by replacing your old boiler – that can add up
to £270 a year. Add to that your free reward of either thermostatic radiator valves, cavity wall
insulation or loft insulation to save even more. Cavity wall insulation alone could save you a further
£275 a year. British Gas even have a Flexible Heating Improvement Plan available for some customers, so you can pay for your boiler over a period of time. Find out more at British Gas Boilers
on Home Heating Guide or at the following British Gas Links…

www.britishgas.co.uk/tradeinboiler
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www.britishgas.co.uk/boileroffers/homeheatingguide

There are numerous reasons as to why it is beneficial to insulate the home. Not only does household insulation limit the waste of energy, which means a less harmful effect on the environment, but it has the equal benefit of saving a lot of money throughout the home. The fact that household insulation acts to prevent wasted heat escaping the house, means that radiators, or other sources of heat, need to be turned on significantly less, which quite obviously decreases costs. There are numerous incredibly simple methods of integrating household insulation into the home acting in different areas of the house, which when combined will have the effect of total insulation throughout. This means more money saved and much less of a negative impact on the environment.

For example, an investment in wall cavity insulation, which works by filling the gap between the inner and outer wall of a house with a dense, insulating material which prevents heat escaping, not only helps to save money but contributes significantly to aiding the environment with the average household preventing the release of eight hundred kilograms of carbon dioxide per year. Further, this form of household insulation can reduce costs of heating by fifteen percent on average which clearly is no bad thing.

Another form of home insulation, which acts to reduce heat wastage, is loft insulation. Very simply, the insulating material is placed between the joists in a roof space and acts to prevent heat escaping from the house below. Loft insulation is a particularly important form of household insulation, as the average home loses one quarter of its heat energy through this space. From this form of household insulation the average home will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by one tonne per year and in financial terms savings will be around two hundred and five pounds if two hundred and seventy millimetres of insulating material is installed. The installation is incredibly simple and can be carried out without the use of a professional, which makes this a highly cost effective take on home insulation.

Equally, the replacement of standard wooden windows with double glazing is an excellent method of home insulation as it reduces heat loss by up to fifty percent, further reducing household carbon dioxide emissions by seven hundred and twenty kilograms per year. This prevention of heat loss translates financially into savings of one hundred and forty pounds a year. But beyond the obvious, there are a multitude of other positive factors related to the installation of double-glazing. For example, they can be incredibly aesthetically pleasing, with a wide range of styles from which to choose, befitting any house. Beyond this, they significantly reduce street noise, and prevent negative elements such as condensation. Double-glazing can be installed incredibly simply by trained professionals and the large amount of suppliers’ means there is a wide variety of packages to choose from that can suit any home.

All of the above methods bring significant benefits to the homeowner who employs them. Not only do they decrease the impact of the household on the environment, creating a clean conscience and sense of wellbeing, but also they help to save large amounts of money. In a time of rising energy prices this is certainly a considerably positive element and very much worth consideration.

Home heating systems obviously vary in complexity, cost and suitability from property to property. The most affordable home heating system is a gas-fired combination – or “combi” for short – boiler which allows all the major components to be housed in one unit and does away with hot and cold water storage tanks. A combi boiler may, of course, not be suitable for home heating in all households. Other energy efficient home heating systems – LPG (”Liquified Petroleum Gas”) or oil-fired boilers for example – do exist but they do tend to be very expensive in comparison. The British Government maintains a SEDBUK (”Seasonal Efficiency of Domestic Boilers in the United Kingdom”) database in which each boiler model is rated “A” to “G” for energy efficiency.

Of course even the most energy efficient boiler cannot provide you with fuel savings if your central heating is not controlled properly or if heat is allowed to escape through inadequate home insulation. A home heating system should be controlled by a timer and room thermostats and insulation should extend to the walls, floors, loft, pipes and tanks within your home. Cavity wall insulation is the most effective form of home insulation – roughly 33% of the heat lost from an uninsulated home is dissipated through the walls although other areas should not be neglected. If a loft is insulated to the recommended depth of 270mm it is possible to achieve a saving of £150 or more per annum in heating costs.

The Importance of Cavity Wall Insulation

Walls, if not properly insulated, can be a major source of heat loss in any building. In fact, roughly 33% of the total heat loss from a domestic dwelling with no cavity wall insulation of any kind is through the walls. The importance of cavity wall insulation therefore cannot be underestimated. Not only can it reduce the amount of energy required to heat your home and the associated costs by 15% or more, but it can, in turn, reduce emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), the main “greenhouse” gas.

To install cavity wall insulation your home must, of course, have cavity walls in the first place. These comprise an outer and an inner leave of brickwork with a gap or “cavity” in between. Houses built after c.1930 and before c.1995 are likely to have walls of this type.

Cavity wall insulation – usually mineral wool or polystyrene beads or some other material guaranteed by CIGA (”Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency”) – is injected from the outside of your home into the cavity. In combination with the air already present in the cavity the material forms an effective barrier against heat loss. Cavity wall insulation also creates an even distribution of heat throughout your home so that condensation and damp patches on walls, ceilings, etc. become a thing of the past. Cavity wall insulation keeps your home cooler in the summer as well as warmer and more energy efficient in the winter.

Energy Efficiency & How to Achieve It

A typical domestic dwelling in the United Kingdom emits over 5,000kg or 5 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere each year. Many households can, however, employ energy efficiency measures to reduce this figure significantly. Energy efficiency, in turn, reduces fuel costs and can make a home a warmer and healthier place to live.

Some energy efficiency measures – such as turning your central heating thermostat down by just 1°C – can be implemented completely free of charge yet can still reduce your heating costs by up to 10%. Other, more major, measures – such as cavity wall insulation or double glazing do require professional installation but grants and discounts are available. If you do need to foot the bill or part of it yourself you will be compensated more than adequately by your savings on fuel costs.

An old boiler – that is a boiler that is at least 15 years old – is unlikely to be energy efficient, particularly in comparison to a modern boiler. The most efficient boilers of this type are up to 40% better, in terms of energy efficiency, than their predecessors. In addition, if your home is centrally heated energy efficiency can be applied to central heating controls. Timer switches, room and individual radiator thermostats, etc. can be employed to control your heating and hot water and save energy. The most energy efficient products in each category can be identified by the “Energy Saving Recommended” logo.