Your guide to heating your home

Your guide to heating your home

The average household could save 250 by being more energy efficient around the home. (Source: Energy Saving Trust) Why it pays to save energy It s perfectly natural to want to feel snug and cosy in your home. Whether you re relaxing in the evening or taking a hot bath or shower, there s no better feeling than the warm glow of a comfy house. In the UK, providing heat and hot water in homes accounts for around 65% of domestic CO 2 emissions, source: Energy Saving Trust. There are lots of things that you can do to stay warm without hitting the environment hard. By using the right boiler for example, you won t just help cut CO 2 emissions, you ll cut your bills down to size too. That s where this guide can help, featuring advice on finding the right boiler and tips on heating your home efficiently. So don t let heating your home put a freeze on your finances. Stay warm, cut costs and start saving energy straightaway. All energy savings facts and figures are provided by the Energy Saving Trust, are current at the date of going to print, May 2010 and are based on a typical 3 bedroom semi detached house and paying a gas price of 3.67p/kWh and an electricity price of 12.50p/kWh. This guide has received the Wallace and Gromit seal of approval for top tips on saving energy Hot spots These symbols show where you can get the energy saving measures if you decide to give them a try: From most DIY stores From most superstores From npower 1

Imagine using more gas than you need just to heat up your home and water. If your boiler is over ten years old, that s probably exactly what you re doing. Heating bills can be reduced by up to a quarter when replacing an old boiler and upgrading heating controls. (Source: Energy Saving Trust) New condensing boilers are much more efficient, converting around 90% or more of fuel into heating your house and hot water. That s better for the environment and great news for your bills. And because you ll start saving money from day one, your new boiler could soon pay for itself. (Source: Energy Saving Trust 2010) Heating and hot water Did you know? If everyone in the UK with gas or oil central heating installed a high efficiency condensing boiler with full sets of heating controls, we would save enough energy to heat nearly 1.7 million homes for a whole year and save around 3.8 million tonnes of CO2. (Source: Energy Saving Trust) Need a new boiler? If you re thinking of replacing your boiler and installing heating controls, call the npower hometeam. Your new boiler will come with a FREE two or five-year warranty* and we can offer you easy ways to pay. To find out more, call 0800 072 8601 Lines are open Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm, and Saturday 9am to 5pm. or visit npower.com/hometeam * please see page 11. How will you spend your savings? By replacing an old G rated boiler with a new high efficiency condensing boiler and improving your heating controls, you will significantly cut your home s carbon dioxide emissions and could save as much as 225 a year around the price of a pampered break for two in a country hotel. (Source: Energy Saving Trust May 2010) 2 3

Bright little thoughts on boilers Which boiler is right for me All of our boilers are energy efficient and you choose which one is right for you and your home. Every home and family is different. So it s important to pick a boiler that s right for you. Too small, and it might struggle to keep you warm. Too big, and it might bring you high energy bills. This handy guide will help you choose Look out for the logo... If you re upgrading your boiler, look out for the Energy Saving Trust Recommended logo. This is your guarantee you ve chosen a great model that will help you save money and energy. All npower approved boilers carry this logo. COMBI BOILER Combining an efficient water heater with a central heating boiler, these space-saving boilers give you instant, on-demand hot water. Because they don t use an extra hot water tank, they don t need to heat a cylinder or reheat cold water. Which means they re economical too. Ideal if... you live in a small house or flat, or you re short for space. They also make an excellent choice if you currently have a cold water tank in your loft but you want to convert your loft into a room. SYSTEM BOILER A system boiler heats your water and stores it in a separate cylinder. This means you ll need an airing cupboard or other space for the tank. However, they need less space than traditional open vent or heating-only boilers. The boiler also lets you run hot water all over the house without the others running cold. Ideal if... you have a larger home or family. You can also keep your loft space free, although you ll need an airing cupboard. You can set your heating system so there is normally hot water available when you need it. The exception would be when you use more than expected or at different times from normal, when you might have to wait for it to heat up more water. OPEN VENT BOILER This type of system uses two water tanks in the loft and a hot water cylinder in the airing cupboard. So it can take up a lot of space. You can run showers, taps and baths at the same time, but the cylinder will take a little time to reheat cold water. Ideal if...... you already have an open vent boiler, because it s relatively cheap to switch to a more efficient open vent sealed system. The water pressure is low though, and you may only have drinkable water from one outlet. 4 5

Heating systems It takes more than a new boiler to heat your home efficiently. Heating controls also help you save money and energy, installing a room thermostat can save you around 55 a year (Energy Saving Trust). Get the right system in place Room thermostat. Your room thermostat allows you to set the temperature you want and the ideal location for your thermostat should be in the hall. It responds to the temperature around it, so when the room is warm enough, the thermostat will send a signal to the boiler to stop supplying hot water to your radiators. Time switches and programmers let you control when your heating and hot water switches on and off. They can be mechanical or digital. Time switches can only control one function, such as heating hot water, while programmers can control both heating your home and heating your water. Boiler thermostat. You ll find this type of thermostat on your boiler. It controls the temperature of water leaving your boiler for the radiators and hot water cylinder. It also stops the boiler overheating. If you have a room thermostat, you can set your boiler thermostat to a high setting in winter and a lower setting in summer. You can then control your room temperatures using individual thermostatic radiator valves or room thermostat. Cylinder thermostat. If you do not have a combi boiler, then your hot water will be stored in the hot water cylinder or tank, which is normally found in your airing cupboard. The thermostat will control how hot your hot water is. It is best to set the thermostat at 60 o C. This will keep your water hot enough to prevent the growth of potentially harmful bacteria, but any hotter will use more energy than you really need. Thermostatic radiator valves, situated on your radiators, these allow you to control the temperature in individual rooms. Each thermostatic radiator valve senses the air temperature around it and works to maintain your chosen temperature. It s easy to fit these valves and you can use them to turn your radiators on or off. Other heating systems Storage heaters are a good way to heat your home using electricity, especially if your area doesn t have a gas supply. They run on offpeak electricity tariffs, such as Economy 7. The heater switches itself on during off-peak hours usually at night storing the heat to release the next day. Direct electric heating includes systems such as electric fires, panel heaters and ceiling heating. However, they re not economical to use for all your heating needs, and they re not great for the environment either, so it s a good idea to use them sparingly. 6 7

Finances Solar hot water Switch to gas home heating and you could save money! Here is a quick re-cap on how to save money and energy while staying warm: Get a grant of up to 1500 towards the cost ~ Call 0800 072 0221 quoting EE Literature or visit npower.com/fuelswitching ~ see page 15 Don t overheat lowering your thermostat by just 1 C could save you around 55 a year. (source: Energy Saving Trust). Stick to 60 - if you have a hot water cylinder thermostat, keep it at 60 C. Keep them closed if you re too warm, turn the heating down rather than opening the windows. Switch off Have your heating and hot water on only when necessary, also, only use direct electric heating systems when needed. The right setting set your boiler thermostat on a high setting in winter and a lower setting in summer. How will you spend your savings? Insulating your hot water pipes can save you 10 a year * the cost for two to go ten pin bowling. * Source: Energy Saving Trust Go for the middle turn your radiator thermostat to the middle setting, then turn up and down a notch until you re comfortable. Changing rooms use your radiator thermostat to keep the temperature higher in the rooms you use a lot and lower in the rooms you don t. Wrap in a jacket a thick insulating jacket for your hot water tank costs around 15, but can save you around 35 a year (source: Energy Saving Trust). It should be at least 75mm (3 inches) thick. Enjoying renewable energy doesn t have to cost the earth. With npower Solar Thermal, you can enjoy hot water, courtesy of the sun s energy. We ll take care of installing a system that could supply you with a third of your annual hot water needs. With npower solar prices starting from around 5,000, it s more affordable than you might think. Finance may also be available. To find out more, call 0800 072 7604 and quote npm 5972 Lines are open Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm, and Saturday 9am to 5pm. or visit npower.com/solar Take a shower.. Taking a shower instead of a bath can use as little as a third of the water. However, be aware that many power-showers will use more water than a bath, if you tend to shower for more than 5 minutes. To be really savvy you could swap your power shower s head for an aerating shower head. This type of shower mixes air into the flow to keep pressure high but reduce the water used. Believe it or not, the bubbles feel fab. By replacing their inefficient shower head with an aerated shower head a four person family could save around 50 a year in gas bills, and around 75 in metered water bills. 8 9

New boiler lad? That ll save some pennies. npower hometeam only install energy efficient boilers. In fact each A-rated boiler is so energy efficient you could save up to 225 * (22,500 pennies) year after year on your gas bill when installing heating controls too. To find out more call FREE on 0800 072 8601 or visit npower.com/hometeam 10 Aardman Animations Ltd. 2010 * 5 year Warranty: Offered in Worcester Bosch boilers. That is 3 years more than your statutory warranty period of 2 years. Calls: Calls may be recorded and monitored for training and security purposes. Lines are open from 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 5pm Saturday. * 225 saving source: Energy Saving Trust for a 65% efficient boiler replaced with an A rated boiler and a full set of heating controls. Any actual savings depend on individual circumstances. npower and hometeam are registered trademarks and npower is the trading name of Npower Northern Limited (registered in England and Wales No. 3432100) and associated companies. Registered office: Windmill Hill Business Park, Whitehill Way, Swindon SN5 6PB 11

The next steps... We hope this guide has given you some tips on ways you can save money and energy. If you d like to find out more about cutting costs and reducing energy use, our Energy Efficiency Helpline is ready to take your call. Climate Cops fighting to save the planet For more free advice, call the Energy Efficiency Helpline free on 0800 02 22 20 Lines are open Mon - Fri 8am - 8pm and Sat 8am - 6pm You can also email the team on energy.efficiency@npower.com or visit npower.com/savingenergy Why not get your kids involved in helping you save money and energy? Climate Cops is a great website for kids aged 7 to 11, packed with games, challenges and bright ideas on energy efficiency. Visit the site at climatecops.com Calls may be monitored and recorded for training and security purposes. Price of call may vary depending on your operator, please check for exact charges. Aardman/Wallace and Gromit Limited (2010). npower Solar Thermal, Climate Cops, npower and hometeam are registered trademarks and npower is the trading name of Npower Northern Limited (registered in England and Wales No. 3432100) and associated companies. Registered office: Windmill Hill Business Park, Whitehill Way, Swindon SN5 6PB. 12

Useful numbers For advice on saving energy in your home call 0800 02 22 20 Or visit npower.com/savingenergy For insulation enquiries and to find out if you are eligible for FREE* home insulation call 0800 980 2135 and quote EE Literature Or visit npower.com/insulation To find out about our great value DIY Loft Insulation and order online visit npower.com/diyloftinsulation For gas boiler service and installation call npower hometeam on 0800 072 8601 Or visit npower.com/hometeam (Terms, conditions and geographical restrictions apply) For information on grant funding when you switch from coal or electric to gas home heating, call 0800 072 0221 and quote EE Literature Or visit npower.com/fuelswitching The Energy Saving Trust is a non-profit organisation providing free, impartial advice to help you stop wasting energy and money and help fight climate change. To find out what you can do to stop wasting energy visit our website at energysavingtrust.org.uk or give your local Energy Saving Trust advisor a call on 0800 512 012 It s easy to stop wasting energy. visit energysavingtrust.org.uk or call 0800 512 012 Our advisors will: Give you personalised advice on what s practical for your home Explain any technical or planning issues Tell you about grants and offers available in your area Calls may be recorded and monitored for training and security purposes. Price of call may vary depending on your operator and calls from mobiles may be considerably higher, please check with your operator for exact charges. Lines are open from 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 5pm Saturday (9am to 6pm on Saturday for insulation enquiries). * FREE home insulation: In addition to the above terms, to be eligible for free home insulation you or someone you live with must be at least 70 years of age or in receipt of one or more of the following: Attendance Allowance, Child Tax Credit (where the relevant income is 16,040 or less), Working Tax Credit (where the relevant income is 16,040 or less), Council Tax Benefit, Disablement Pension which includes Constant Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance, Housing Benefit, Income Based Job Seekers Allowance, Income Support, State Pension Credit or War Disablement Pension which includes either a Mobility Supplement or Constant Attendance Allowance. npm5970/02.11 Printed on recycled materials