Your Energy Guide HOW TO GET THE BEST OUT OF YOUR HOME

Transcription

1 Your Energy Guide HOW TO GET THE BEST OUT OF YOUR HOME

2 CONGRATULATIONS! By reading this guide you re taking the first steps to saving energy and cutting your fuel bills. Great Places Housing Group is committed to providing affordable, safe and energy efficient homes for you, our residents. When we save energy we also reduce the carbon dioxide (CO 2) that is released when we use gas and generate electricity. Our aim is to help you reduce your energy use, put more money in your pocket and help to protect our environment. Get smart energy support and advice We have dedicated teams of people who can help call for more. Our environmental team offers advice on: - Energy-efficiency - Smart monitors - Heating systems While our financial inclusion team (fit@greatplaces.org.uk) can help with: - Keeping bills down - Making payments - Switching tarrifs - Managing debt

3 SIMPLE STEPS TO SAVING ENERGY AND MONEY We want to help you make some simple changes to the way you manage your heating, hot water and electricity use. Follow Harold s tips and be smart about: Energy use around the home Heating and hot water Electricity use Switching energy suppliers Fuel debts Buying new appliances Share these tips with your friends, family and neighbours so everyone can enjoy the savings!

4 1 2 Look for A or B energy rating goods when you re replacing appliances 3 Boil only the water you need in the kettle BEING SMART IN THE KITCHEN 4 Use your pan lids when you cook it s quicker (and more efficient) Make sure your dishwasher is fully loaded before switching it on

5 5 Avoid putting your fridge next to 6 something warm, otherwise it will use more power to cool efficiently Use a microwave instead of a conventional oven 8 7 Defrost your freezer regularly to keep it running efficiently Use a toaster instead of a grill GARDEN PEAS GARDEN PEAS

6 BEING SMART WITH THE LAUNDRY 1 2 You can wash most things at 30 degrees 3 If you ve only worn it once, use the economy programme Make sure your washing machine is fully loaded before switching it on 4 5 Use half the amount of washing powder when your clothes are not very dirty to save on the amount of detergent you have to buy Use rubber dryer balls in your tumble dryer to reduce your drying time by 25% 6 Hang clothes on the washing line

7 BEING SMART WITH ENTERTAINMENT AND GADGETS 1 2 Use power-down plugs on TVs, HIFIs, computers etc Don t leave appliances on standby when not in use, especially the television 4 Always unplug chargers and power suppliers 3 Turn computer routers off when not in use 5 Use a clothes rail inside rather than a radiator

8 BEING SMART WITH WATER AND HEATING 3 Set your Water cylinder thermostat to no more than 60 c 1 Turn down your room thermostat by 1 c and take the time to programme your heating correctly 4 Set your radiators to lower temperatures in bedrooms 2 Install reflective radiator panels behind your radiators and don t cover radiators with furniture or curtains 5 Have a shower instead of a bath

9 1 Draw your curtains at dusk to avoid losing the solar heat gained during the day 2 Use energy-efficient light bulbs and switch off the lights when they re not needed BEING SMART AROUND THE HOME 3 Turn the heating off before opening the windows 4 Use low-energy lamps in children s bedrooms at night or fit a dimmer switch and use the dimmest setting

10 BEING SMART ABOUT YOUR HEATING AND HOT WATER SYSTEM Heating can make up about 60% of our energy costs To avoid needlessly wasting energy and money you may need to adjust the controls. Here are some useful tips! Boiler controls and timer Dig out the instruction booklet and learn how to adjust the central heating and hot water controls Remind yourself how to programme the timer A good tip is to set the timer to turn on the heating half an hour before you get up, and switch it off half an hour before you go to bed Remind yourself how to switch off the heating when you go out and on again when you get back If you can t find your heating instruction booklet, then contact the Great Places environmental team on Thermostatic radiator valves Use the thermosatic radiator valve to control the temperature in each room Set the valve on 3 in rooms you are using and on low in rooms that you re not using (such as the spare bedroom) C is the recommended temperature for a room thermostat

11 BEING SMART ABOUT ELECTRICITY Our electrical appliances require different amounts of power (watts or kilowatts) to work Our electricity suppliers charge us for the total number of kilowatts we use per hour (in kilowatt hours). The smarter we are with using electricity, the more money we save! Using six low-energy light bulbs for four hours a day costs you 110 less a year than conventional bulbs Using a tumble dryer five times a week costs around 100 a year to run Using a washing line costs nothing In the UK we waste 1 billion every year by not turning things off standby Great Places can loan you a smart electricity monitor to help you see how much money you re spending. For details call the environmental team on or environmental.team@greatplaces.org.uk

12 BEING SMART WHEN YOU BUY NEW APPLIANCES Look out for these labels when you buy new appliances. The more efficient appliances will save you energy and money. An A rated appliance may cost a bit more to buy but will save you money in the long run, especially as energy costs continue to increase. Energy Manufacturer Model More efficient A B C Washing machine B My new A-rated washing machine saves me money every wash Less efficient D E F G Energy consumption kwh/cycle (based on standard test results for 80 C cotton cycle) Actual energy consumption will depend on how the appliance is used Washing performance A: higher G: lower Spin drying performance A: higher G: lower Spin speed (rmp) Capacity (cotton) kg Water consumption / Noise (db(a) re 1 pw) Further information is continued in product brochures 0.95 A B C D E F G A B C D E F G

13 BEING SMART ABOUT FUEL DEBTS The rising cost of energy means that many of you are struggling to pay your energy bills. If you find yourself behind on paying your fuel bills, your energy supplier can help you manage your debts. You ll feel better when you take control. If you have a pre-payment meter with a debt of 200 or less, consider switching to another supplier as this could save you money it could allow you to pay off your debt quicker Ensure your bills are based on up-to-date meter readings and not estimates. If your last bill was estimated and unaffordable, call your supplier to give them the reading and get a new bill issued If you are struggling to pay, ask your supplier to set up a debt repayment scheme If problems escalate contact Great Places on and ask for an appointment with the financial inclusion team Avoid changing to a pre-payment meter if possible, as these can cost you much more Use the tips in this guide to cut your energy bills

14 BEING SMART ABOUT SWITCHING ENERGY SUPPLIER Billscutter lets you compare all energy suppliers simply and quickly to make sure you re getting the best price for your gas and electricity. The process is simple, fast and effective and can be easily completed in a few minutes via a dedicated web page or a FREE customer helpline. Call for free, impartial advice or visit the website to compare prices from all UK energy suppliers today! I SAVED 100 ON MY ANNUAL ENERGY BILLS, SIMPLY BY SWITCHING SUPPLIER

15 GET SMART ON ENERGY AND ENJOY THE SAVINGS Have a think about how everyone in the house can help save energy and cut bills. Then put a plan into action. Fill an empty jar with the amount you are shaving off your energy bills. Don t let it get frittered away; this is your smart energy reward that everyone contributes to. Decide on a house treat and then you ll have something to work towards!

16 Arabic اذا كنت تريد الحصول على ھذه المعلومة بلغة اخرى او بخط اكبر او بخط البريل او على قرص مضغوط الرجاء االتصال بنا Bangla English French If you would like this information in another language, large print, Braille or on CD, then please contact us. Si vous voulez ces informations dans une autre langue, en gros caractères, en Braille, ou en cassette, alors veuillez nous contacter. Gujarati Polish W celu uzyskania tych informacji w innych jezykach, wiekszym wydruku, zapisanych alfabetem Braillea lub na kasecie, skontaktuj sie z nami. Hadii aad u bahantahay warbixintan oo luqad kale ku turjuman, ama far aad u waa weyn ku qoran Somali ama farta indhoolaha ama isagoo cajalad ku duuban oo maqal ah fadalan nalasoo xidhiidh. Tigrinian (Braille) Urdu Call our customer access team (CAT) on am to 6pm You can also text us on WORLD LAND TRUST AND FSC LOGO