Home Energy Saving Tips
Welcome to Home Energy Saving tips. This website is dedicated to providing information on reducing energy usage in the home and saving you money and the environment
With energy and gas prices raising daily there has never been a better time to save energy around the home. Nearly half of the UK's Carbon Dioxide emmisions come from suppling enegry to UK homes, helping yourself is also helping the environment
Energy Saving News
7th Nov 2011 Saving Money on Energy Around The Home
Energy prices always seem to be on the increase these days, and one of the questions banded round households all over the country is how can we reduce our energy consumption, and how can we spend less on the amount we do need to spend?
Reducing the amount of energy we use can be quite simple, but some of the options available to us can be quite costly and difficult to organise, but as always if a jobs worth doing, it’s worth doing well. There are always options open to you to cut down your energy consumption the simple things; turning off lights when you aren’t in the room, turning off chargers when you aren’t using them, and the same goes for games consoles, computers, stereos and televisions – because all the time they are on they are wasting energy. There is one simple thing you can do if you haven’t already – change your light bulbs for energy efficient ones as they are one of the cheapest things you can replace!
Energy isn’t confined just to electricity though; you use plenty of energy to heat your home after all; so simple changes can be made there too. Things such as turning down your thermostat by a degree and just putting a jumper on to ward off a bit of cold, after all you’d be surprised the difference one degree can make! Taking a shower instead of a bath, means you’re only using the water as and when you need it rather than filling up an entire bath full of water. Loft insulation and cavity wall insulation are also effective methods of keeping your house warm throughout the colder months and with double glazed windows fitted these things will definitely do a good job of keeping your heating bills down.
However it is not just reducing the amount of energy that you use that can keep your energy costs down; the idea of producing your own energy is also one that is becoming increasingly popular. One of the most cost effective ways of making your own energy is photo voltaic solar panels installed on the roof of your home; dependant on the size of your home, and the position they are in – will depend on how many you can have installed and the amount of energy they produce, although any energy produced will go a way to making the amount you have to purchase from the national grid smaller.
There are government schemes running to encourage this kind of energy saving and producing, in the hope that it is not only the panels that will become popular but other energy producing methods too. ‘Feed in Tariff,’ run by the government will give producers of energy 43.3 pence per kilowatt of electricity you produce; therefore meaning you are producing your own energy to use in your own home – but at the same time the government is giving you the money back for not taking your energy from the national grid. So 43.3 pence might not seem like a lot but considering they will pay you for 25 years – it could reduce your yearly bill by up to £150, but earn you around £800.
3rd Feb 2008 - Britain paying more for its Energy - Suspicions that foreign power giants are picking the pockets of British consumers, while looking after those at home, seemed to be confirmed by figures published yesterday. Britain has faced the highest energy price rises in Western Europe in the past year, while countries such as Germany and France have seen falls. Britain has faced the highest energy price rises in Western Europe in the past year. Most of Britain's big energy suppliers are owned by German, French and Spanish firms, which have cut prices in their home countries while keeping prices high in the UK.
The damning figures come from the latest inflation study produced by the respected Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Its Consumer Prices Index shows UK energy inflation at 12.1 per cent in the past year. By contrast there were falls of 0.8 per cent in Germany, 6.5 per cent in France and 7.2 per cent in Spain. The wholesale price of gas and electricity has collapsed by 40 per cent since last summer, yet most of the energy giants have failed to pass this on in this country. British Gas, owned by Centrica of Britain, recently announced a 10 per cent price cut on gas. Another UK operator, Scottish and Southern Energy, has promised to cut bills.
30th Jan 2009 - Money Saving tips - There are lots of money saving tips that could help you free up a bit of cash here and there around the home.
For example, you could make sure you switch the lights off when you're not in the room to save money on bills... or instead of turning the heating up, put a jumper on and do something active to warm up! When it comes to saving money on water usage - have a shower instead of a bath. And why not try growing your own fruit and vegetables to become more 'sustainable' and save money?
29th Jan 2009 - LED Bulbs set to save the world - A lighting revolution is on the way that could end at the flick of a switch the battle between supporters of conventional bulbs and the eco-friendly variety. Cambridge University researchers have developed cheap, light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs that produce brilliant light but use very little electricity. They will cost 2GBP and last up to 60 years. Despite being smaller than a penny, they are 12 times more efficient than conventional tungsten bulbs and three times more efficient than the unpopular fluorescent low-energy versions. Cambridge University professor Colin Humphreys with his newly developed LED that has a lifespan of 60 years and costs just 2GBP - Even better, the bulbs fully illuminate instantly, unlike the current generation of eco-bulbs. It is reckoned the bulbs, which were funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, could slash household lighting bills by three-quarters.
21st May 2008 - Energywatch: UK Energy Prices are 'Catastrophic' -Energywatch chief executive Allan Asher told a regulatory reform hearing that the UK energy supply is under the control of a 'powerful oligopoly' where firms "do not feel the need to innovate or compete". Since 2004 average British household energy bills have climbed from 580GBP to more than 1000GBP, a rise of almost 81percent. The price comparison service Uswitch has warned that if wholesale energy prices keep rising consumers could be paying more than 1300 by the start of 2009.
20th May 2008 - Gas Bills to rise 20 percent - Experts warn that Gas bills could rise by 20 per cent as a result of the recent fuel crisis. UK Industry analysts believe that disruption to a third of our gas supplies following the strike at an oil refinery may lead to a 200 increase on the average annual bill of GBP1,200, as the rising cost of wholesale gas is passed on to the consumer. The 48-hour walkout over pensions began yesterday, at the Grangemouth refinery, in Scotland.
13th May 2008 - Hypermiler.co.uk now online - Hypermilers are drivers who exceed the manufacturers estimated fuel efficiency on their vehicles by modifying their driving habits. With prices at the pumps rocketing day by day the Hypermiling bug is an easy way to both increase your MPG and save you money. Hypermiling could be a serious saving - not just for you but for the environment. check out Hypermiler.co.uk
April 22nd 2008 - National Grid to cut Emissions - National Grid has today announced that it has set a target to reduce its carbon emissions by 80 per cent by 2050. Since 1990 the National Grid has already cut emissions by 35 percent. They aim to achieve the reduction in emissions by linking carbon budgets with performance management. Tjey also announced plans to adopt new carbon budgets across its UK and US electricity and gas businesses from April 2009.
April 20th 2008 - Website Update!! Our top tops pages has now been updated with even more top tips on saving energy in your home. Check out our Top Tips Page and start saving today
April 17th 2008 - A planned biomass boiler at Bradford University could help the institution save up to 6,000GBP on heating bills per year. According to the University the new boiler (to be installed by September 2008) will cost 327,000GBP and will replace three gas-fired boiler. The university's energy officer Rob Bradley stated government carbon emissions targets set to come into place in 2010 influenced the purchase of the biomass boiler.
April 14th 2008 - A report released by government has shown that tt will cost every household in the UK at least 2,000GBP to comply with the new European Union target of producing 15 per cent of all energy from renewable energy sources by 2020. The report also shows that the UK will have to spend far more to meet this target than other EU countries, mainly because the UK lags behind the rest of Europe on renewable energy and is a heavy energy user. The UK Energy companies are expected to pass this cost on to consumers - who already facing soaring utility bills
April 10th 2008 - Figures have shown that more than five million people changed their energy supplier last year, a five-year high, according to Ofgem, the energy regulator. Ofgem said Scottish and Southern Energy had overtaken E.On as Britain's second-biggest energy supplier after British Gas in an example of "vigorous competition" in the market. Customers who have yet to switch could still save an average of 92 a year, despite all the major suppliers increasing their prices, according to the regulator. Alistair Buchanan, the Ofgem chief executive, said: "Five million account switches shows that suppliers who don't offer competitive prices will lose customers."
April 8th 2008 - Uni-Select, one of the most important Car Parts dealers in the United States, has announced that by installing a new lightning system for its warehouse in Washington, they're saving a considerable amount of energy. Uni-Select partnered with Lime Energy to replace thier metal halide lighthing with high-output fluorescent bulbs and fixtures that use 50 percent energy. The switch over to fluorescent saves over 375,000 kWh per year and has drasticly reduced their electricity bill.
March 31st 2008 - In Scotland plans have been announced that will make it easier for householders to install solar panels, wind turbines and ground heat pumps. The government is considering plans to enable solar panels, ground heat pumps and wind turbines to be installed without the need for planning permission, provided they were not in a conservation area.
This is all part of The Scottish Government recently announced plans to introduce a statutory target to reduce Scottish emissions by 80% by 2050. This can only be a good thing, heres hoping this is introduced across the UK.
28 March 2008 - The most UKs most environmentally-committed areas revealed today by the Energy Saving Trust (EST). They have found that Lanarkshire, London, County Antrim and Dyfed are leading the way in energy awareness. According to the Energy Saving Trust the top five areas' commitment to the environment could save 6.3 million GBP and 44,000 tonnes of carbon. Now thats ALOT of money!
26 March 2008 - The wind industry is set to adopt new standards for domestic wind turbines. At the BRE Small Scale Wind Seminar the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) launched a new performance and safety standard. The Small Wind Turbine (SWT) standard will enable people to compare prices of small wind systems as a result of extensive testing of various turbines.
