Guide to Reducing Energy Costs In The UK [Infographic]

Tomasz Biszczanik http://www.london-centralheating.co.uk 4m 917

The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.

Save On Energy Costs in the UK

In an average UK household, over half the money spent on fuel bills goes towards providing heating and hot water. Find out how you can save money and make your home more energy efficient with our winter guide to reducing your household energy usage – from low cost saving tips to high cost saving tips, our infographic has got you covered! It offers a comprehensive guide on how you can make substantial savings on energy in your home, from low cost saving like changing your showerhead to high cost savings such as having a whole house energy makeover. For example, did you know that you could save between £45 and £80 a year just by remembering to turn off appliances left on standby?

Check out our infographic below for more information on your new energy savings costs!

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A Guide To Reducing Your Household Energy Costs in the UK

In a typical UK household, well over half the money spent on fuel bills goes towards providing heat and hot water. Having an efficient and cost-effective heating system is vital – and it’s one of the main steps you can take to reduce your carbon dioxide emissions.

LOW COST SAVING TIPS

• Install a water-efficient shower head
  • A family of 4 could save £65 a year on gas for water heating, as well as a further £95 on water bills if they have a water meter
• Turn off appliances left on standby
  • A typical household could save between £45 and £80 a year just by remembering to turn off appliances left on standby
• Be careful how you use your kitchen appliances
  • You can save over £43 a year by switching off unused appliances

MEDIUM COST SAVINGS TIPS

• Draught excluder
  • DIY draught-proofing of windows, doors and blocking cracks in floors and skirting boards can cost up to £200, but can save between £20 to £30 a year
• New heating controls
  • Whatever the age of your boiler, the right controls will let you:
    • Set your heating and hot water to come on and off when you need them
    • Heat just the areas of your home you want
    • Decide how warm you want each area to be
  • By installing a room thermostat, programmer, and thermostatic radiator valves,  you could save up to £70 to £150 a year
  • This allows you to make savings by using your controls more effectively. For example, turning down your room thermostat by just one degree, if it’s too warm inside, can save around £75
• Lighten your load
  • If the average household replaced all of their remaining old-fashioned bulbs with CFLs, and all of their halogens with LEDs, it would cost about £110 and save about £45 a year

HIGH COST SAVINGS TIPS

• Cavity wall insulation
  • The average installation cost for cavity wall insulation is between £450 and £500 and can save up to £145 a year. The measure could pay for itself in less than four years
• Great savings and income for renewable technology:
  • A typical solar 4kWP panel could generate and save you £750 per year
• Whole house energy makeover
  • There are plenty of other things that can be done to improve the energy performance of your home, such as floor and solid wall insulation, replacement doors and windows, or a new heating system

SAVING WATER

Each household in the UK uses on average around 360 litres (121.5 gallons) each day.

But about 21% of a typical gas heated household’s heating bill is from heating the water for showers, baths, and hot water from the tap. This is on average about £140 per year.

5 STEPS TO SAVING MONEY ON YOUR HOT WATER BILLS

1. Use less
   • Get information and advice on using less water
2. Insulate your hot water cylinder
   • A well fitted tank jacket could save you around £20 to £30 a year, more if you heat your water electrically. Insulating the hot water pipes will save more energy, and can help your taps to run hot more quickly
3. Control
   • Make sure you have the right controls, and have them set correctly to give you enough hot water when you want it, and not when you don’t
4. Fuel switching
   • Gas is cheaper than electricity or oil, so consider switching if you can
5. Solar
   • Once fitted, solar water heating could provide a good proportion of your hot water requirements with virtually no running costs

3 ENERGY SAVINGS MYTHS BUSTED

MYTH: Leaving the heating on all day on a low temperature is cheaper than turning the heating up and down, or on and off, as needed.

FACT: Room thermostats turn the heat on and off when your home reaches the set temperature that you feel comfortable at.

Combine this with a timer control that tells your heating system to come on only when you need it to save money on your energy bills.

MYTH: Cracking up the thermostat heats your home.

FACT: To heat your home faster, install better insulation.

This decreases the rate at which heat is lost through your walls, loft, windows, and floor.

MYTH: Electrical appliances, such as TVs, laptops, phone chargers, don’t use electricity when they’re plugged-in but not in use.

FACT: Some electrical appliances and chargers draw energy even when the devices are not being used.

This ‘vampire power’ wastes energy, and the best way to avoid this is to remember to switch off at the wall and pull out the plug.

By avoiding standby, and making sure devices are not left plugged in or idle, a typical home could save between £50 to £80 a year.

LCH

www.london-centralheating.co.uk

Source: http://www.london-centralheating.co.uk/boiler-installation-london

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