Lofty Ambitions

Government has lofty ambitions

I don’t know about you, but having come home from two weeks in lovely warm Spain, where they do have proper summer weather; the first thing my wife wanted to do was put the heating on! I told her to ditch the shorts and T-shirt, “We’re not in Spain anymore, get your joggers and a fleece on.” “But I feel the cold more than you” she tells me…”Tough” I said, handing her a blanket.

The scrooge in you is going to have to come out if you want to make a dent in your fuel bill each month. The latest effort by the government does seem like a small crumb of comfort – but they are right in what they say about us having to become more fuel efficient. Energy prices are only going to go one way and the energy companies are going to have to pass a certain proportion onto us as customers.

With energy bills soaring it’s unsurprising most households are anxious about a cold winter – especially when the central heating is already on because of such a cold summer. The average annual gas bill is expected to be £900 by 2010 according to Centrica, who own British Gas. The long and the short of it is, Britain is Europe’s worst energy waster and an estimated 40% of British households have insufficient insulation.

Here are the facts

1. Loft insulation – Prevents 15% of heat lost through your roof – an average annual saving of £100
2. Tank & pipe insulation – Hot water cylinder jacket of at least 75mm cuts heat loss by 75%
3. Cavity /solid wall insulation – About 30% of heat lost through walls. Homes built after 1920 – with cavity walls – can be injected with insulating material. Older houses with solid walls can be fitted with an extra layer – an average annual saving of £125
4. Double-glazing: Can cut heat loss by about 50%. The two panes of glass create an insulating barrier.
5. Draught-proofing: About 20% of heat lost through poor ventilation and draughts. Measures include fitting brushes to letterboxes.

Source: Energy Saving Trust

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Insulate your loft

Practically speaking, the easiest thing most households can do is to lag the loft and boiler with insulation. Yes it is a ball-aching task and you won’t see the immediate benefit – but it is a worthwhile investment over the mid to long-term.

Pointers

• Fit a loft ladder – don’t try and perch on the frame of a stepladder and haul yourself through the hatch – it’s not safe and you could do yourself some serious damage if you fell. Plus it’s far more convenient for getting up and down with the Christmas decorations and suitcases when you do need them.
• Wear the right gear – long sleeves and trousers are a must. Tuck your trousers into your socks and some gloves into your sleeves. A dust mask is essential when dealing with fibre glass wool.
• Close the hatch – It’s a mucky and dusty job, so the last thing you want is all the dust and grime escaping through the open hatch onto the landing beneath.
• Get some boards – don’t try and balance on the joists – it’s too risky and if you lose your footing you’ll go through the ceiling!
• Right thickness – the insulation itself has to be at least 75mm – 100mm thick to do any good. Make sure you fit between the joists and across to create a cross-hatch pattern and full coverage. This will allow warm air to be trapped between the insulation.
• Don’t forget the hatch – There is no point in spending ages laying the insulation in your roof space if you are going to leave the loft hatch uninsulated. All the heat will escape through the simple thin timber hatch most houses still have. Best solution is to fit a loft ladder with an integrated fully insulated hatch…kill two birds with one stone. These are also draught sealed too. Failing that you can also get retro-fit insulated hatches too.

Top energy saving tips

1. Don’t leave appliances on stand-by – plasma and LCD TVs use four times the electricity than a traditional CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) TV
2. Unplug chargers – by unplugging MP3 or mobile phone chargers the UK could save £60m
3. Turn lights off – if you’re not in the room, why light it? In the UK we spend £1.9bn per year on electricity for lighting
4. Wash at 30° not 40° – saves 40% energy and modern detergents are designed to work better at lower temperatures
5. Turn thermostat down – turn it down by 1°C and save 10% on your fuel bill. Make sure your hot water boiler is not set too high – 60°C/140°F is sufficient