Alan Thawley from Buckinghamshire Community Energy kindly joined our Long Crendon Energy Expo in February, and got everyone thinking about energy efficiency and sharing their own energy saving tips. Here he shares some of the top tips that came up across the different groups during the evening.
The tips fell into a couple of different categories:
BEHAVIOUR CHANGE – these are free ideas that anyone can do.
One that was mentioned a lot was only boiling as much water in your kettle as you need: measure out once how much water you use in your favourite mug or to fill your hot water bottle, and then look where it comes to on the kettle’s water level. Good advice given how energy-hungry kettles are. Some people go one step further and pour any spare hot water into a thermos.
Avoiding the tumble drier if you have one is also very good advice, but remember the need for ventilation if drying clothes indoors.
Another idea that came up in almost every group was to wear more clothes/layers, which in turn should mean you can turn the thermostat down. As a rule of thumb, each degree shaves 10% off your energy costs.
Looking at when you use electricity can also make a big impact: having a smart meter gives you access to a range of time-of-use tariffs that provide cheaper off-peak power, a bit like the old Economy Seven. And even if you can’t get a cheaper tariff, running appliances off-peak generally means you’ll be using less carbon-intensive electricity when demand is low.
INEXPENSIVE UPGRADES: This category covers what are sometimes called ‘low-cost, low-regret’ measures – things that are inexpensive to install and pay for themselves quickly.
Items such as LED lightbulbs, hot water tank insulation for older tanks, draft excluders, draft-proofing or radiator foil behind radiators, particularly on solid walls, all come into this category. (And just a note: not all LED bulbs are the same – most are now rated E for energy, and whilst still considerably better than non-LED bulbs, there are a growing number of A/B rated LEDs available). More efficient appliances like air fryers or slow cookers were mentioned as well, and more generally, smaller appliances for smaller households.
What to do with the windows in older properties also came up more than once, particularly where fitting double glazing might not be possible. Secondary glazing is a slightly bigger investment, but can be extremely effective. Some people had achieved good results with DIY window film products and one attendee had even cut Perspex sheets to fit. Plus the impact of a good thick curtain cannot be underestimated. In fact, if you add in some draft-proofing as well, a combination of these measures can come close to the performance of standard double glazing.
Loft insulation can probably also be included amongst the low-cost measures, if done as a DIY project. The recommendation is to top it up to 270 mm, which means another layer on top of the insulation between the joists. And if you have no loft insulation at all, the first layer has by far the most impact, and will pay for itself extremely quickly, as well as making your home more comfortable. And if you’re looking at installing insulation, always consider natural products – like wool or hemp – aside from their great environmental credentials, they are so much more pleasant to install.
A final recommendation would be for everyone to check their energy tariff and see if they can get a cheaper deal, particularly before the next price cap rise in April. For those struggling with bills, help is available, and the first port of call should be to contact your energy supplier. Bucks Council also offers assistance through Better Housing Better Health, who can help you navigate through the complex eligibility criteria for the different grants.
And for those who want a more in-depth discussion tailored to the energy efficiency of their own home, Bucks Community Energy currently has funding to provide free home visits – you can find out more and make a request here.
Alan commented: “It was great to be part of the Energy Expo – the evening was well attended and there was a real buzz in the room. There were excellent discussions in all the ‘energy hacks’ break-out sessions that I ran on behalf of Bucks Community Energy, and I hope people were able to learn from their neighbours whilst making new connections.”
For more energy-saving tips, check out advice from the Energy Saving Trust.