Lighting efficiency
One of the best things you can do to save energy in the home and
reduce your electricity bills is to buy and fit low energy lamps.
These are compact versions of the familiar fluorescent tube, they
are known as Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs). They do cost more
than a normal light bulb but they are worth it. A CFL can last
up to ten times as long as an ordinary light bulb and uses less
than a quarter of the electricity, they cost between
£4 and £10.
If you replace an ordinary 100 watt bulb which is used for about
six hours a day with a CFL of similar light output it will have
paid for itself in reduced electricity costs in about a year and
will continue to make savings for another 4 years. Where you have
dimmer switches or certain other electronic switching devices and
timers you might not be able to use CFLs. CFLs are available in a
bayonet or screw type fitting. They come in various shapes, colours
and sizes to fit different light fittings.
Energy saving hints and tips
No cost tips:
- by turning your heating down by one degree you can reduce your
fuel bill by 10%
- when you are not using your television, switch it off at the
set rather than leaving it on stand-by
- using a shower can be up to five times cheaper than a bath
- put draught proofing on your doors and windows
- change to energy-efficient light bulbs - they use a fraction of
the electricity of ordinary bulbs and last up to 10 times
longer
- defrost your freezer regularly
- use a microwave oven wherever possible - it is much cheaper
than a conventional oven
Low cost tips:
- if you have a water-filled radiator against an outside wall,
attach a reflective panel or kitchen foil to the wall behind
it
- put a shelf over a radiator to help distribute heat into the
room
- insulate your loft to a depth of at least 250mm. You could save
as much as £70 per year
- fit a hot water tank jacket of at least 80mm. This could save
you £10 a year
- lag hot water pipes - saving another £10 per year
- fit a hot water cylinder thermostat (normal setting: 60degC) -
£15 a year saving
- replace your three most used light bulbs with low energy ones.
This could save you £45 per year
- when buying a washing machine, freezer, etc look out for the
energy label and check the energy efficiency of the model
- put a thick lining on curtains and tuck them behind radiators -
£20 a year saving
- get any dripping taps repaired - £5 a year saving
Council grant scheme
Residents in Peterborough may be eligible for City Council
funding to make their homes more energy efficient.
Funding is available to homeowners or private tenants living
within the boundaries of Peterborough City Council where the gross
household annual income (including investment income) is less than
£25,000 per annum
Discounted schemes to install loft and/or cavity wall insulation
are available to all homeowners and private tenants whose household
income is above the threshold quoted above.
The measures available can:
- help to cut bills by as much as a third
- keep homes warm in the winter and cooler in the summer
- improve the overall condition of your home
- help make your home more environmentally friendly
For more information please contact the Housing Programmes Team
Bayard Place, Broadway, Peterborough PE1 1HZ or call (01733)
863767.
If you are not eligible for a PCC grant why not visit the
Energy
Saving Trust or ring 0800 512012 to see if you are
eligible for their scheme or for a full list of accredited
suppliers.
Condensation
When warm moist air produced by ordinary household activities
such as cooking and bathing hits a cold surface, e.g. an outside
wall or a window, condensation occurs. Unless the moist air can
escape to the outside through an open window, air vent or extractor
fan, it will always stay in your home moving around until it finds
a cold spot where it can condense into condensation. Condensation
can lead to mould which can contribute to problems of asthma and
other respiratory diseases.
Condensation occurs on cold spots, so if you can warm up the
cold spots you will help to control condensation. Insulating your
loft, external walls, and draught proofing doors and windows will
reduce the cold spots and make your house cheaper to heat. Find out
if you are eligible for a Warm Front grant for insulation.
Try and avoid cold areas in the home. It is better to heat the
whole home to a lower temperature rather than one room to a very
high temperature. When you get condensation and mould forming, it
is often not in the room where you are making the moisture, e.g.
the kitchen, but in a room you don't often use like the spare
bedroom. This may be because this room is not usually heated. Try
heating all the rooms regularly. Make sure you are using the
heating system and controls efficiently as this will save you money
and enable you to afford to heat more of your home.
Reducing moisture in the home will cut down the amount of
condensation. Drying clothes produces 10 pints of moisture (6lbs of
spun washing in an unvented tumble dryer) Washing clothes produces
1 pint. If you use a tumble dryer make sure it is vented to the
outside. Don't dry clothes indoors if possible. If you have to,
open the window and shut the door of the room where the clothes are
drying as this will let the moisture from the wet clothes go
outside rather than circulating in your home.
Using a paraffin or bottled gas heater for 5 hours produces 3
pints of moisture. Avoid using portable gas and paraffin heaters.
These fuels give off a lot of moisture when they burn so open a
window in the room where the heater is if you have to use one. A
window should be kept open for safety reasons too. They are also
expensive to run - they cost about 7- 9p per hour to use, compared
to a mains gas fire which costs 2 - 3p per hour. Keep the kitchen
and bathroom doors shut to stop moisture moving around your home.
Cover boiling pans with pan lids - this will save on your fuel
bills as well as reducing moisture.
Ventilating your home adequately, by opening windows a little,
using extractor fans or vents provided, will allow moisture to
escape to the outside. Use an extractor fan in the bathroom if you
have one when you have a bath or shower to let the moisture out.
Open the windows on one notch for half an hour after bathing to get
rid of the moisture. Remember to shut them afterwards. Use the
extractor fan or open the window on one notch in the kitchen when
cooking to let the moisture out. If you have trickle vents above
the windows, keep them open all the time. Don't block up any air
vents.
Home appliance energy usage
When you are considering purchasing a new household appliance
such as a fridge, freezer, washing machine, dryer or dishwasher,
check out the energy label. These labels give the appliance an
energy efficiency rating from A (most energy efficient) to G (least
energy efficient). An A rated appliance will use less than half the
energy of a G rated appliance of the same type, this means half the
electricity costs too. When you are purchasing a washing machine or
dishwasher the energy labels will also say how much water the
models use. If you are currently on metered water or might be in
the future a water efficient model will save you money too.
Useful links
- PECT - Peterborough Environment
City Trust (PECT) is a charitable trust with over 200 partners
working to protect and improve the city's environment
-
Home Energy Check - Free Home Energy Check.
- Warm Front Scheme -
Providing Government grants towards the cost of energy efficiency
improvements to homes.
- SEDBUK - for advice and
information about boilers.
- EST - Energy Saving Trust (EST)
gives information about sustainable and efficient use of
energy.
- Save
Energy - how to save energy in your home.
- Heat Project - information
about grants for loft and cavity wall insulation.
Contact us
- Project Officer (Energy Conservation), Private Sector Housing,
Bayard Place, Broadway, Peterborough PE1 1HZ
- Telephone - 01733 747474