Energy saving at home

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1 Code of Practice on the efficient use of electricity Energy saving at home Energy saving information and advice from Power NI /savingenergy Energy saving Running costs Insulation Heating Renewables

2 Let s tackle energy costs together Power NI knows that customers are keen to find out ways to save money and energy in their homes because of rising energy costs and also to be more environmentally friendly. This handy guide will help you to think about where you use energy at home and suggest ways to help you save. Our team of energy experts has also created a portfolio of products and services that are designed to help you save money at home. You can find out more on our website: or contact us on our freephone number Lines open Mon-Fri 9am-7pm.

3 Contents Energy saving tips that cost nothing Energy saving ideas that you can put into action in your home. Appliance running costs Typical running costs of various household appliances. Insulation Low cost deals on home insulation that will keep you snug and save money. Heating Great value boiler installation and check up services from Power NI. Renewable technologies Why not try an alternative way to heat your home or generate electricity? Help available Find out what help may be available through our schemes. Bills Great ways to save more with our flexible payment schemes. Contacts Useful telephone numbers.

4 Energy saving tips that cost nothing Start using these energy saving ideas around your home and you should see a reduction in your energy bills. The more you apply, the more you ll save. 3 Turn off games consoles/tvs/ipod docks when not in use if they are on standby they still use energy. 3 Turn lights off when a room is empty. 3 Switch to energy saving light bulbs - they use around a quarter of the electricity and will last ten times longer than an ordinary bulb. 3 Don t leave the fridge door open and try to avoid putting hot or warm food straight into the fridge, as this increases the energy required to keep the contents cold. 3 Defrost your freezer frequently and check the door seals. If possible, keep the freezer in a cool room or garage. 3 Use a lid on saucepans where possible, as the contents heat up faster and use less energy. 3 Turn the room thermostat down by 1 degree it could save you around 30 a year on heating costs. 3 Make sure radiators are not obstructed by sofas or other furniture. 3 Draw curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping from your home. 3 When using a washing machine, use a low temperature setting and only wash full loads where possible - one full load uses less energy than two half loads. 3 In summer, dry your clothes outside rather than using a tumble dryer. 3 When drying your clothes indoors use a clothes rail, not a radiator. Using a radiator blocks heat from the room. 3 Overfilling your kettle costs money - only boil the water you need. 3 When buying electrical appliances, choose the most energy efficient (A rated), rather than the least energy efficient (G rated). 3 A standard shower uses around 40% of the water needed for a bath. 3 Unplug phone chargers/laptop chargers once the appliance is fully charged.

5 Take a look at the electricity usage in a typical household Lights Cooker Fridge & freezer 3% 3% 10% 23% Kettle 4% TV 6% Washing machine 11% Microwave 12% Tumble dryer Dishwasher Others 6% 22% Lights use more electricity than anything else in a typical household, so why not switch to energy saving light bulbs today? To calculate the running cost of any light or appliance, you will first need to find out the wattage. - An energy saving light bulb, for example, is 20 watts. - To convert this number to kilowatts (kw), you simply divide by 1000 (20 watts 1000 = 0.02kW). - Multiply this number by the time the appliance is running for (For 2 hours, multiply by 2 or for 15minutes, multiply by 0.25) kw x 5 hours means you have used 0.1 kwh of energy. Now you have calculated the amount of energy used, you can calculate how much it will cost you. - To do this, you multiply the energy used (0.1kWh) by the unit cost (each unit of electricity costs approximately15p) kWh x 15p = 1.5p.

6 Appliance running costs Generally, most of the electricity we use at home is to run lighting and a wide range of appliances. This guide provides an indication of how much various appliances cost to run. These costs depend on their function and efficiency. Although different models will vary, this should provide you with a rough guideline. GENERAL APPLIANCES Computer console Television Kettle Toaster Iron Shower Hair drier Vacuum cleaner HEATING, COOKING 3 bar electric fire Immersion heater Cooker 1 ring Oven only Oven & rings WHITE GOODS Washing machine Refrigerator Freezer Dish washer Microwave Tumble drier LIGHTING 1 x 100 watt lightbulb 1 x energy saving bulb Strip light POWER RATING (watts) ,500 1,000 1, COST TO RUN FOR ONE HOUR* 3.8p 1.5p-7.5p 37.5p 15p 15p 60p p 5.3p 15p 45p 45p 21p 32p p 1.5p-2.3p 2.3p 37.5p 9p 12p 75p 1.5p 0.3p 0.3p 1p *Costs are based on an approximate cost of 15p per unit.

7 Insulation Cavity Wall Insulation What can it do for my home? 3 Save up to 115 each year off your energy bills by installing cavity wall insulation* What is it? The walls of most homes have two layers of bricks, internal and external, with a small air gap or cavity between them. Cavity wall insulation involves filling this gap with insulation material. Many different types of products are available for cavity wall insulation. Power NI use silver bead, which is 20% more efficient than alternative, white bead insulation. Loft Insulation What can loft insulation do for my home? 3 By installing loft insulation, you could save up to 150 each year off your heating bills* What is it? Loft insulation is one of the easiest and most cost effective ways to improve your home s energy efficiency. It is a man-made material, which comes as a rolled quilt, and is laid down between and over the joists on the floor of your loft, so it is quick and easy to install. *Source: Energy Saving Trust. Don t miss out on our latest insulation offers! Visit our website or call our experts today on

8 Heating Did you know that we can service your oil or gas boiler or install a new, efficient one for you? Using our fully approved local team will give you complete peace of mind, as you will know that your central heating is running safely and efficiently, and that your fuel bills are as low as possible. New Boiler With home heating making up about 60% of your annual energy bills, it can really make sense to upgrade your boiler to a new, more efficient one. Why get a new boiler? 3 A new boiler heats the water for your home and your radiators quickly and efficiently 3 Many homes use oil or gas boilers for their central heating, but if your boiler is over 15 years old, then it is probably due for an upgrade 3 Rather than worry about your boiler breaking down just when you really need it, enjoy complete peace of mind with a brand new boiler Did you know? Our engineers are fully approved Gas Safe / OFTEC registered, so they can fit your new boiler quickly, safely and with the minimum of fuss.

9 Boiler Servicing A regularly serviced boiler is a happy, healthy boiler, so why not let Power NI s trusted team look after yours? What can Power NI s boiler service do for my home? 3 It will make your boiler operate more efficiently, which will help you save money on your energy bills 3 A full boiler service is only Or get a full boiler service and carbon monoxide alarm fitted for only The Power NI boiler service includes: 3 A full, thorough 15 point service check up 3 A full service certificate on completion 3 A repair service is also available if additional parts are required for your boiler Need a boiler check up? Visit our website or call our experts today on

10 Renewables Solar...here comes the sun Why not start generating your own heat or electricity using solar panels fitted to the roof of your home? We offer two different types of solar panels one which heats your domestic water, called solar water heating ; and the other which generates electricity, called solar photovoltaics or PV for short. Solar Water Heating Solar water heating panels capture the natural radiation from the sun to heat water, which is then stored in a hot water cylinder. Your fuel bills will reduce because you will be relying less on traditional energy sources for generating your hot water. Solar PV Solar PV systems use the sun s energy to generate electricity and this can power your home s lights and appliances. By generating your own energy, you will see a reduction in your electricity bill. You can generate additional income by selling any unused electricity back to Power NI and you will also benefit from government incentives.

11 Alternative ways to heat your home Air Source Heat Pumps A heat pump extracts heat from the air and turns it into a higher, more useful temperature for your home a bit like a fridge in reverse. Unlike gas or oil boilers, heat pumps heat your home at a lower temperature over a much longer period and this means that they are more efficient. The air source heat pumps which we install are designed and manufactured by a local company, Dimplex Renewables. Wood Pellet Boilers Wood pellet boilers are an environmentally friendly, safe and convenient way of heating your home. They differ from traditional solid fuel boilers because they are fully automatic and use clever controls to regulate the fuel being used by the boiler. Power NI offers a first class, fully accredited service for renewable energy. Visit our website or call our experts today on

12 Help available Home Energy Check Power NI s home energy check allows you to understand your home s energy efficiency performance, helping you reduce your energy consumption and save money. All you need is a few minutes to fill in our online questionnaire. We can then work out your home s current energy efficiency rating and provide you with personalised suggestions about how to reduce your energy bills. Before you start your home energy check, you will need a few things: 3 Information about your home - this will help us to make sure that your report is tailored to your home minutes of your time - please take some time and answer the questions in full. 3 A valid address - you will be sent a link to view your report by . Complete a home energy check at: If you don t have internet access, we can arrange to complete a home energy check by telephone on Customer Care Register By joining our confidential customer care register you could benefit from the services that we offer. 3 Password scheme if you are worried about bogus callers, you can give us a password to use each time we call. 3 Carers contact service if someone helps you manage your bills, we can post your bills directly to them. We can also contact them if we need to reach you at any time. 3 Braille bill if you are blind we can send a copy of your bill and all other correspondence in Braille. 3 Talking bill if you are blind or partially sighted, we can phone you with details of your bill. You will get the opportunity to ask any questions you may have. 3 Large print bill if you have a sight difficulty, we can send a copy of your bill and all other correspondence in large print.

13 Warm Homes Scheme The Warm Homes Scheme is funded by the Department for Social Development to make your home warmer, healthier and more energy efficient. There are two levels of help available Warm Homes Offers a range of insulation measures to households who receive a qualifying benefit. 3 Cavity wall insulation 3 Loft insulation 3 Hot water tank jacket 3 Benefit entitlement check 3 Energy sdvice Warm Homes Plus Offers insulation and heating measures to households in receipt of a qualifying benefit and who are identified through the assessment process to have Economy 7, solid fuel, bottled gas / LPG or no system at all. As well as the improvements available under Warm Homes, householders who are in receipt of one of the qualifying benefits may also be eligible for: 3 Installation of a fully controlled energy-efficient oil or gas central heating system where no system currently exist. 3 Conversion of an existing bottled gas (LPG), solid fuel or Economy 7 heating system to oil or natural gas. For more information and to fnd out if you qualify for either of these schemes visit or call

14 Giving you discounted electricity Your Keypad guarantees you discounted electricity 3 2.5% discount off the standard rate 3 Provides you with information to help you manage your usage and control your energy costs 3 Free installation and no rental fee Buying top-ups 3 Online at 3 By telephone using our Customer Helpline (anytime 24hrs a day) 3 At any Post Office or Paypoint 3 Free iphone and Android Keypad App now available, so you can top up on the move 3 You can also top up at any Post Office or Paypoint outlet Direct Debit Discounted Electricity 3 Save up to 40 per year when you pay by monthly Direct Debit or up to 26 when you pay by quarterly Direct Debit Monthly Direct Debit 3 Up to 40 discount a year, 4% discount 3 Spread the cost over the year 3 Pay an agreed amount every month Quarterly Direct Debit 3 Up to 26 discount a year, 2.5% discount 3 Statement every 3 months 3 Full amount paid from your bank account by direct debit

15 Contacts: Power NI Customer Helpline: Mon-Fri 8am-7pm For energy saving advice: Power NI s energy saving offers*: Bryson Energy: Warm Homes Scheme: Other useful numbers: Age NI: Citizens Advice: Advice NI: Consumer Council: Disruption to electricity supply: *Freephone Mon-Fri 9am-7pm

16 Customer Helpline www. powerni.co.uk Lines open Mon-Fri 8am-7pm. Calls recorded for quality assurance.