Creating homesshaping places

ENERGYEFFICIENCY

A guide tosaving energyaround thehome

CHPENERGY EFFICIENCY

Good insulation and double glazing areessential to an energy efficient home butthere are lots of things you can do aroundthe home to save energy. The informationin this leaflet gives tips and advice onchanges you can make to help save energyand money on your gas and electric bills.

CHPENERGY EFFICIENCY

SAVING ENERGY

Long-term reductions on yourenergy bill(s) come fromchanging your habits. As youstart to save money you maywant to reinvest it into energysaving products to reduce yourbill(s) even further. Thefollowing tips can help you do this.

HEATING AND HOTWATER

l Set your cylinder thermostatat 60°C/140°F for hot water.The water will be hot enoughfor bathing and washing andwill save you approximately£10 per year;

l Turn your heatingthermostat down by 1°C.You will hardly notice thedifference and it will saveyou approximately £10 peryear on fuel bills;

l Set clocks so that the heatingand hot water systemoperates only when you needit – modern controls oftenallow you to set a differentprogramme for every day ofthe week;

l Close your curtains at duskto stop heat escapingthrough the windows;

l Use your boiler (if you have one) to heat the water,even in summer. Animmersion heater will bemore expensive;

l The sun is the most readilyavailable – and cheapest -source of heat there is. Tomake the most of it openinternal doors of any roomsthat get the sun and let thewarm air travel through your home.

CHPENERGY EFFICIENCY

HOME APPLIANCES

l Do not leave cordless and mobile phones on charge unnecessarily;

l Do not leave electrical itemson standby – the average UKhousehold spends £30 a yeardoing this;

l Buy energy efficientappliances – look for theenergy ratings label;

l Dispose of any electricalitems by taking them to arecycling point.

WASHING MACHINE,TUMBLE DRYERS ANDDISHWASHERS

l Wait until you have a fullload before using yourwashing machine. If youcannot wait, use theeconomy or half load setting;

l Set your washing machine touse a low temperature(30°C) cycle;

l Do not put very wet clothesinto a tumble dryer; spin-drythem first.

l Try to avoid using tumbledriers and radiators to dryyour clothes. Hang themoutside on sunny days;

l Try to use a low temperatureprogramme on yourdishwasher and ensure youwash a full load.

CHPENERGY EFFICIENCY

WATER

l Always put the plug in yourbasin or sink when it is in use;

l When boiling the kettle onlyuse the water you need.Make sure you cover theheating element if you areusing an electric kettle;

l Make sure taps are turnedoff properly. In just one day adripping water tap can wasteenough water to fill a bath;

l An ordinary shower uses40% less water than a bath. If you do not have a showeryou can buy a bath tapattachment from most DIY stores.

LIGHTING

l Always turn lights off whenyou leave a room and adjustyour curtains or blinds toallow as much light in duringthe day;

l Replace normal light bulbswith energy saving lightbulbs. These will use about aquarter of the electricity andlast up to 12 times longer.

ENERGY PERFORMANCECERTIFICATES

If you are moving in to one of ourhomes, we will provide anEnergy Performance Certificate(EPC), which gives informationabout its energy efficiency. AnEPC rates the energyperformance of a home based onhow much it will cost to run andhow much carbon dioxide itreleases into the environment.

CHPENERGY EFFICIENCY

SMART METERS

Smart meters are the nextgeneration of gas and electricitymeters. They will help you keeptrack of the energy you use inyour home and willautomatically send your meterreadings to your energy supplier.

The government plans for every home and business in the UK to have a smart meter for electricity and gas by the end of 2020. Smart meters will be installed by your energy provider(s).

The benefits of smart meters include:

l Providing accurate billsrather than an estimated bill;

l You can see where and whenyou're using the most energyand how much it’s costingyou. This means you canadapt your energy use andcut down on waste to save money;

l They provide you withaccurate and real-timeinformation about yourenergy use, for example youcan see exactly how much itcosts to boil your kettle.

CHPENERGY EFFICIENCY

ARE YOU PAYING TOOMUCH FOR GAS ANDELECTRICITY?

There are now over twentyenergy suppliers in Britain andthe difference in prices betweenthem can be considerable.Despite the bewildering choice,the good news is that you’re nowmore likely than ever to be ableto find a deal that best suits you.By switching to a morecompetitive energy deal youcould save a great deal of money.

We work in partnership withEbico, the UK’s first not-for-profit energy provider, to offeryou a fair price for gas andelectricity. Ebico offer a singlerate across all payment methodsand have a zero standing charge.Their deal tends to be especiallybeneficial for low energy usersand those on pre-paymentmeters. To get a quick quoteplease visit their website atwww.ebico.org.uk.

To compare energy deals thatare available to you, you can useone of the many switchingcomparison websites. Werecommend using one that issigned up to Ofgem'sConfidence Code. You can findmore information on the Code,and links to approved switchingsites from www.ofgem.gov.uk.

WHERE TO GET FREEHOME ENERGY SAVINGADVICE

You can contact the EnergySaving Trust, which offers free and impartial advice, on0800 512012 or visitwww.energysavingtrust.org.uk.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUERIES PLEASE CONTACT US:

Tel 0300 555 0500

Text relay 18001 0300 555 0500

Email enquiries@chp.org.uk

Write to Myriad House, 33 Springfield Lyons Approach, Chelmsford, CM2 5LB

www.chp.org.uk March 2016 1st Edition

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