The gadgets to fight energy prices The Sunday Times

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2 We asked Which?, the EST and Good Housekeeping magazine to pick the 30 best energy saving measures. FREE 1. Water meters About 45% of homes have water meters, where your bill depends on your consumption, much like an energy bill. If you do not have one, your bills are calculated based on the rateable value of your property. This is the value of your property according to local authority assessments between 1973 and You can ask your supplier to install a meter if you do not have one already. This is normally free of charge in England and Wales, unless big adjustments are needed to your pipes. You may not save with a meter, though. As a rough rule of thumb, if there are more bedrooms in your house than people, a meter should save you money. The CCW suggests those who do use a meter and save, cut their bills by about 100 a year. You can ask for your supplier to stop metering your usage if you find you are not making savings within a year of having the one installed. 2. Energy monitors Energy companies normally offer a free monitor that tells you how much energy you are using at any given point. This is useful if you want to work out how much you are paying for each individual lamp or room. British Gas customers, for example, can apply for a free energy smart device which the supplier claims can save customers 145 a year by making you more aware of your costs. 3. Flush savers Fitting a dual flush mechanism to an old toilet that has only one push button, can save a four-person household about 120 a year in metered sewerage and water bills, according to the EST. You can also use a water absorbent hippo bags which are dropped into toilet cisterns. It expands to take up space normally filled by water. Each time the cistern is flushed it saves about one litre of water. Estimated annual savings are about Water flow regulators These devices restrict the water flow in your shower head and taps and can fit most standard shapes. Bristol Water estimates savings of 51 a year from shower regulators from a combination of lower water and energy usage. These are generally not suitable for electrical showers or those with multiple jets. A water saving shower head can cut the amount used by about 30%, saving about 165 a year. 5. Tap inserts These can sometimes be fitted and are normally suitable for taps with two straight edges. Two tap inserts can save about 61 a year, according to Bristol Water. 6. Shower timer These show you how much time you spend in the shower. Reducing the time showering by just one minute could save 10,000 litres of water a year for each member of a household, according to Anglian Water. Annual savings are about 9. UNDER Radiator boosters Improving your radiator efficiency can save hundreds of pounds a year. One of the most cost-effective measures are radiator boosters, according to Which?. These are a kind of tube that sits on top of your radiator and gently sucks up the air from the back using a fan. Annual savings are estimated at about 140 and the cost is about Automatic radiator bleeder You can also use an automatic radiator bleeder which releases the built-up air in your radiator to improve efficiency. Each unit costs about 10.. Savings depend on how efficient your radiators are, but improving it by about 10% will save you about 60 a year. 9. Radiator reflectors Cheaper options, that can be used alongside the above, are radiator reflectors. These are foil-like panels that fit behind your radiator to reflect back heat that would otherwise be lost through your walls. Annual savings are estimated at 8 and the typical costs is about 6 for a roll that covers 18.8m2 enough for a typical three-bed semi. 10. Thermostat Page 2 of 5

3 Heating controls Installing a thermostat allows you to control the temperature of each room. Turning down a thermostat by just one degree could save about 65 a year according to the EST. A thermostat can cost from about but will also require installation 11. A thermostatic radiator valve This can reduce the flow of water in each radiator when the temperature goes above a certain setting. These cost from 5.50 for each radiator. Savings vary depending on how they are used, but range between 30 to 50 a year. 12. Insulation The EST said insulating your hot water tank with 75mm jacket will save about 45 a year. They typically cost 15. Insulating the main hot water pipes coming out of the boiler costs about 10 and saves about 15 a year. 13. Chimney Balloon If you have an open fireplace that you do not use, a chimney balloon can be used to block warm air from your home disappearing up a chimney. They are simply a bag of air that rises and blocks the gap. Costs start at about 22 and savings are about 19 a year according to the EST. 14. Letterbox covers These reduce the draft through your letterbox. Ecoflap, a provider, claims savings of up to 27% of your annual energy bill from your hallway or about 50 although this will vary significantly depending on your letterbox. The cost of such devices is about Water butts Anglian water estimates that collecting rainwater using a garden water butt could save you about 5,000 litres of water during the summer months as you do not use as much tap water for your garden. A water butt can start at about 25 and save about 10 a year. 16. Energy efficient bulbs By replacing all the remaining standard bulbs and halogen spots in your home with energy-saving bulbs, you could save about 60 a year according to EST. Replacing 10 bulbs can cost as little as Eco buttons This is a device that connects via a standard USB cable to your computer and it flashes to remind you to press it when you take a break. It then puts your computer into its most efficient energy-saving mode. The device costs about 13 but Which? estimates savings of about 18 a year. 18. Battery charger Investing in a good battery charger will cost about 30, while batteries cost 9 for a pack of four. Which? says that someone who regularly uses battery-powered objects can save about 500 a year on the basis of recharging four batteries 100 times. Ollie and Sarah Pendered, of Barcombe, East Sussex, burn wood instead of oil. Stanley, 9, and Rosie, 6, help carry it (Ben Cawthra) UNDER Remote heating smart phone apps Some energy suppliers are offering apps and devices that allow you to control your heating and hot water from your mobile phone. If you work irregular hours, you can instruct your boiler to come on only when you are about to go home. British Gas offers a Hive Active Heating pack, which includes a wireless device that is installed by the supplier. It costs 199, but British Gas claims it will save households about 150 a year. (britishgas.co.uk/products-and-services/hive-activeheating.html) 20. Chop Clocs This device, typically costing 69.99, makes your central heating more efficient by turning off your heating for a short time every hour automatically, making your heating use less energy. On average, users save 16% of their heating bill, or about Ecofans If you have a wood burning stove, you can boost its potential as a heating device with an Ecofan. This costs 113, and sits on top of your stove, circulating the heat around the room. The Ecofan generates its own electricity through the difference in temperature from the base, that sits on your stove, and the top. Suggested cost savings are about 50 a year. 22. Draft-proofing The EST says draft-proofing windows, doors and blocking cracks in skirting boards could cost up to 115, but could save 55 a year. 23. Loft insulation Insulation to cut the heat being lost through the roof is more expensive, costing about 250 and saves about 150 a year. 24. Flexible sealant Page 3 of 5

4 In a typical home, 15% of the heat is lost through the floor. You can fill these with this easy-to-use, flexible sealant. It costs about 75 to cover a typical home and save about 100 a year. 25. Secondary glazing This is a low-cost way to achieving double glazing. A secondary pane of glass and frame can be fitted inside the existing window frame. This will not be as well sealed as a double-glazing unit, but will be much cheaper to fit, costing as little as 16 per window frame. Fitting glazing on to six windows in a typical three-bed home would cost 96, but annual savings are about 105. OVER Solar panels Microgeneration Devices that generate electricity can be expensive, but prices have been falling. Users are also paid for each unit of electricity produced under a government scheme. Analysis by the EST show that solar panels able to generate up to 4kw of energy at full capacity, cost 7,000 to buy and install. The return on this investment, after energy prices rise this month, will be about 799 a year, up from 560 last year. The return comprises of 556 a year for generating and using solar electricity, 87 for exporting power to the grid, and 157 saved from a typical energy bill. Check the EST website (energysavingtrust.org.uk) for further information before investing. 27. Cavity wall insulation Wall insulation If your home was built after 1920, the chances are that its external walls are made of two layers with a gap, or cavity, between them. Cavity wall insulation fills that gap, keeping the warmth in to save energy. The average cost for such homes is about 500 with annual savings of about 140, according to the EST. 28. Solid Wall Insulation This is more expensive and is generally for homes that were built pre Solid walls do not have a gap to fill but can be insulated from the inside or outside. The typical cost for internal insulation is up to 8,500 and savings are about 460 a year. External insulation costs up to 13,000 and saves about 490 a year. 29. Air source heat pumps These absorb heat from the outside air, which can then be used to heat radiators. It can get heat from the air even when the temperature is as low as -15 C, according to the EST. Installation costs are typically 6,000 10,000. Savings depend on what system is used and what kind of heating system is being replaced. Replacing a gas boiler system would save about 110 a year, but savings made by replacing an electrical system is about 650 a year. 30. New boilers Replacing an old gas boiler with a new condensing model could trim an average of 310 a year from your gas bill, according to Which?. A new boiler, with installation, costs about 2,500. Loans for greener homes Financial assistance is available under the government s Green Deal, which allows households to borrow up to 10,000 from a power supplier to fund improvements to make a home more energy-efficient. The repayments are added to your energy bill and, crucially, they should be less than the savings you re making, so your overall costs should fall. About 45 different improvements are eligible for the Green Deal, including triple glazing, a new boiler and cavity-wall insulation. Wind turbines and solar panels also qualify. To qualify for a loan, you must ask your supplier to carry out a Green Deal assessment, which will cost between 70 and 150. The loan is repaid over 25 years and it is linked to the property rather than the owner, so it passes to the new occupier if you move. However, although 85,177 applicants for Green Deal have been assessed since the scheme launched in January, only 57 have had measures installed according to figures from the Department of Energy going up to the end of September. In January the government also announced a cashback scheme worth up to 1,000 for each household signing up to Green Deal. Households that have undertaken a Green Deal assessment should apply for a grant under the energy company obligation (ECO) before turning to a Green Deal loan. Under ECO, grants are available for certain energy-efficiency measures if you live in a hard-to-treat home such as a Victorian or Georgian terrace, or are a low-income household receiving benefits. All the big energy suppliers are obliged to offer ECO grants. You don t have to be a customer of any of them to qualify. Page 4 of 5

5 The ECO scheme is funded by a green levy on energy bills, which utility companies have blamed for causing prices to rise. Consequently, the government is reviewing the green levies that fund ECO, and may reduce them in the coming months. It may limit access to the scheme, so households should apply for a grant as soon as possible. If you are planning to install air or ground-source heat pumps or solar panels to heat your water, then you can make savings under the renewable heat premium payment (RHPP). Grants of up to 2,300 are available. You have to have a Green Deal assessment to qualify for RHPP grants. Households who receive tax credits or other benefits may qualify for a free boiler or loft insulation. Contact the Energy Saving Trust. The loans cover boilers (Andrew Hasson) 1 comment Mark Kerray 0 people listening + Follow Post comment Newest Oldest Most Recommended Mr John Bushby I understand how most of these ideas can help to reduce energy usage and cost, but surely the improvement caused by the Radiator Booster only increases the heat input into the room and in no way reduces energy consumption. If anything it increases room temperature and potentially INCREASES energy usage? 2 days ago Recommend Reply Livefyre Page 5 of 5