ATA Energy Embrace National Wind Week

It’s Annual Wind Week, and to celebrate ATA Energy is providing home owners with hints and tips on how they too can play a part in saving the planet. Wind Week is part of Renewable UK’s ‘Embrace My Planet’ campaign to support green energy sources, and involves a series of events held throughout the UK.

So exactly how can you save energy? Is it viable to switch to renewable sources at home? Could you help prevent climate change and even save yourself some money in the process?

Under the new coalition government, we are set to see a myriad of frameworks which back energy efficiency in the home, making it easier for homeowners to access funding and advice for renewable energy sources. Among these initiatives are smart meters, and a green investment bank.

Smart Meters

Smart meters are top of the bill in delivering the necessary carbon saving in order to suppress climate change. These devices will provide gas and electricity utilities firms with a two way flow of data, which will enable management of energy demand, preventing excess energy from being generated. Consumers will be able to monitor their energy usage through portable in-home display units – these up to the minute statistics can then be examined to reduce energy usage, consequently energy bills.

Last year, research published in Finland suggested that the installation of smart meters brought about average energy savings of 10.3%. The new coalition government has suggested a nationwide roll out of smart meters to homes and businesses within the next five to six years, bringing forward the 2020 deadline set by Labour.

Green Investment Bank

Promising a new energy bill in the next parliament, the new government has suggested that they will create a green investment bank to loan individual households money to invest in measures which reduce carbon emissions.

Although the government has yet to state exactly how this will work, suggestive loan sums have varied between £6500 and £10,000. The loans will work on a ‘pay as you save’ basis, meaning that households borrowing money will be able to repay the money with savings made through lower energy bills.

It is likely to take around a year before the first smart meters are rolled out and the green bank initiative is still at an early stage, so what can homeowners be doing in the mean time?

Feed-in-tarriffs (FiT)

These tariffs set up by the Labour government are still available and make it worthwhile for homeowners to produce their own renewable energy by being paid to generate energy. Homeowners will earn a fixed income for every kilowatt hour of electricity they generate and use in their property, but also an additional income for energy that is produced and sold back to the grid. If not enough energy is produced, electricity can then be bought from the utilities company at the normal rates. For more information about how you could use FiTs visit the website here: http://www.fitariffs.co.uk/

Saving Energy: The Old Fashioned Way

The Energy Saving Trust offer a free home energy check which advises homeowners on how they can best save energy and save themselves some money in the process. (http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/proxy/view/full/165/homeenergycheck). By spending a few minutes to complete a series of questions, homeowners will receive a personalised report which makes recommendations of how to save up to £300 in energy bills.

There are also some simple measures we can all take to reduce energy usage:

Electrical items such as TVs use electricity when left on standby, so turn these off completely when not in use.

• If you use secondary heating, such as a fire, make sure that this is energy efficient, considering locally sourced fuel such as wood.
• Draft excluders and thick curtains help to prevent heat loss from a room – keeping curtains closed after sunset helps keep heat in at night.
• Turning your thermostat down by just 1°C could cut your heating bills by up to 10%, saving the average homeowner about £55 a year. Installing a programmable thermostat to make your hot water come on when required will also help reduce energy wastage.
• Switching standard bulbs to energy saving ones will dramatically reduce energy usage since they last around 10 times loner than standard bulbs, saving you £40 over the life time of the bulb. Installing dimmer switches can also help and of course, turning off lights when leaving a room.
• Reflector panels can be installed behind radiators to prevent heat loss and increase the temperature in a room.
• When cooking, using a saucepan lid and matching saucepans to the size of the ring can reduce cooking times – also consider using a microwave instead of the oven.
• Keep your fridge no more than three-quarters full to allow for better circulation of cold air. Keeping your fridge out of direct sunlight and defrosting regularly will also reduce energy usage.
• Only use your dishwasher or washing machine when you have a full load. If you have off peak electricity, using your appliances during these periods can save you even more money.
• Draught proof cat flaps to prevent heat escaping and cold air coming in.
• If it is a warm and dry day, save energy by drying clothes using an outside line or internal clothes horse. Any room used for drying clothes should be fully ventilated and heated enough to prevent condensation or damp.
• Upgrade to a condensing boiler which could save you up to a third on heating bills. Making sure your boiler is serviced regularly can also help your boiler run more efficiently.
• Turn individual radiator thermostats down in unused rooms to save money and energy – keep the doors of these rooms shut to prevent heat in other rooms from dissipating.
• Use a high tog duvet to keep you warm without having to use your heating unnecessarily.
• Invest in a solar powered phone charger and turn off mains chargers when not in use.
• Use scanners and printers on separate sockets or an extension lead with individual switches so you can turn them off when you don’t need them.
• Using rechargeable batteries will mean energy is saved since this is not needed to make more disposable ones.
• Place a block in your toilet cistern so that each refill requires less water. A two button flush toilet can also prevent water wastage.
• Insulate your hot water tank with a jacket or spray foam to reduce heat loss.
• Installing double glazing will help to reduce heat loss – single glazed windows lose up to 20% of the heat in your home.
• Cavity wall insulation can save much of the heat wasted by un-insulated walls which lose around 33% of the heat in a home.