Home Energy Saving Tips

Download the GILDED energy savings tips poster! (Bottom of the page)

(Courtesy of Aberdeenshire council:  www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/energy/home/tips.asp and SCARF www.scarf.org.uk)  For energy saving projects in Aberdeen click here

• Turn your thermostat down. Reducing your room temperature by 1°C could cut your heating bills by up to 10%.
• Make sure the timer on your heating system is set so that you have heat and hot water only when required.
• Don’t heat unused rooms. Set the radiator to the frost setting and occasionally turn the radiator up to prevent damp (remember there are three causes of damp in properties: Inadequate Heating, Inadequate Ventilation and Inadequate Insulation).
• Is your hot water too hot? Your hot water needs to be no hotter than 60°C (or 140 °F). Fitting an insulation jacket to your hot water cylinder costs around £20 and will save £15 a year.
• Close your curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping though the windows.
   Always turn off lights when leaving a room and in unoccupied rooms.
• Don’t leave appliances on standby and remember not to leave appliances on charge unnecessarily.
• If you’re not filling up the washing machine, tumble drier or dishwasher, use the half load or economy programme. (If possible, dry clothes outside and not on radiators, this will save money on electricity and also help to prevent damp problems.)
• Only boil as much water as you need, remembering to cover elements if you are using an electric kettle.
• A dripping hot water tap wastes energy and, in one week, wastes enough water to fill half a bath. Ensure taps are fixed and fully turned off.
• Take a shower rather than a bath, as it uses less than half the hot water.
• Wait until you have a full load before using your washing machine.  Try to avoid using a tumble drier.
• If you are going away in winter, remember to put you heating onto frost protection to avoid freezing pipes and also to avoid unnecessary energy usage.
• Use energy saving light bulbs, they use one fifth of the electricity a conventional bulb does. Using just one bulb could save you £100 in its lifetime (and they last up to ten times longer than normal bulbs).

Investments you can make in your home:

• Install loft insulation – 25% of heat loss goes through an uninsulated loft. Installing 250mm (10 inches) of loft insulation can reduce this figure to around 5%.  It is also important to draught strip and insulate your loft hatch.  Loft insulation can be expected to pay for itself (allow you to recoup the cost in lower fuel bills) in 2-3 years if you install it yourself, or 5-6 years if you hire a professional.
  
• Install Cavity Wall insulation – 33% of a home’s heat loss in through uninsulated cavity walls, if a cavity is insulated then the heat loss is reduced to around 8%.  This can be expected to pay for itself in 6-7 years.
• Solid walls can be insulated on in the inside or outside.  Expected payback for itself period is 12-13 years.
  
• Floor insulation - 10% of heat can be lost through sustspended wooden ground floors.  Floor insulation can halve this.  Expected payback period for this is 2-3 years.
• Install double glazing on windows - up to 23% of heat loss from a home can be through windows; double glazing can reduce this by 50%.  Low emissivity glass can reduce heat loss through windows by a further 10%, having the same effects as triple glazing, but is usually cheaper. 
• Consider installing intelligent heating controls for your heating system. Radiator valves and room thermostats can help control heating more effectively and add to the efficiency of your system.
• Replace your boiler with a highly efficient condensing boiler (typically between 88 and 96% efficient compared to 70% in some older boilers). Current building regulations also state now that all replacement boilers fitted since 1st May 2007 have to be condensing boilers (where it is practical to do so).
• Install draught proofing around windows and doors.
• Consider renewable energy as an alternative.

For more details on solar panels, insulation and micro wind turbines, see:  www.energysavingsecrets.co.uk

For more information on how to drive your car for greater fuel efficiency:  www.energysavingstrust.org.uk/scotland/Scotland/Transport/Top-tips

Download the GILDED Energy Saving Tips Poster!