Get The Facts On Energy Saving In The Home

Energy Usage In The Home

• In the UK, nearly 30 per cent of all carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere by power stations comes from the electricity we use to run our homes
• Electricity consumption by domestic lights and appliances has nearly doubled since 1970 and it is set to increase by another 12 per cent by 2010
• The average household could save £200 a year by taking energy efficiency measures. This is equivalent to a saving of around 2 tonnes of carbon dioxide
• £5 billion is wasted on energy in the UK every year. This is enough to give every man, woman and child £84 a year in the UK

Reduce energy loss through walls, roof, windows and doors

• More than 40 per cent of all the heat lost in an average home is through the loft space and walls
• Insulating cavity walls provides one of the biggest energy savings in the home, reducing heat loss through the wall by up to 60 per cent and saving you £70 to £100 each year on your fuel bills
• If everyone in the UK installed loft insulation up to 250mm thickness, the equivalent financial saving would pay the energy bills of 740,000 families for a year

Saving energy on your heating and hot water

• Heating and hot water account for over half the cost of the average fuel bill
• The older your boiler is, the more inefficient it is likely to be. If it is 15 years or older, you should definitely think about changing it
• Replacing an old boiler could save you over a fifth on your fuel bills - and up to 32 per cent if you opt for a condensing boiler. If everyone in the UK with gas central heating installed a condensing boiler, we would cut carbon dioxide emissions by 18.6 million tonnes, saving £1.3 billion on our energy bills every year. This is enough energy to heat and power over 4 million homes for a year
• By upgrading heating controls you will improve the efficiency of any central heating system and cut your energy wastage and costs by up to 17 per cent. Fit the right heating controls as well as a condensing boiler and you could bump the savings up to 40 per cent
• Hot water will stay hot longer and you will waste less energy heating it, if you insulate your hot water cylinder. Fitting a jacket to your hot water tank can cut wastage by up to three quarters - which would save you around £15 a year

Energy efficient washing machines, tumble dryers & dishwashers

• We use £800 million worth of electricity by using washing machines, tumble dryers and dishwashers. This produces 5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide each year, which is equivalent to filling 28.5 million double-decker buses of carbon dioxide
• Using a 40°C wash cycle rather than 60°C means you use a third less electricity. Modern washing powders and detergents work just as effectively at lower temperatures for your average wash
• An energy efficient dishwasher will cut energy wastage by half compared to non-efficient models. When using your dishwasher or washing machine, it's better to wait for a full load, or use the economy cycle if your machine has one
• By buying an efficient tumble dryer, you can cut energy wastage by almost a third

Energy efficient refrigeration

• UK households use £1.2 billion worth of electricity every year on cooling and freezing food and drinks
• The total number of refrigeration and freezing appliances in UK homes use nearly as much electricity as all the offices in the UK
• For every minute that the fridge door is open, it will take three minutes for it to regain its temperature
• If everyone in the UK upgraded their energy efficient fridge freezer to an A-rated product, energy wastage would be cut by over two-thirds. That's the equivalent of over 47 million double-decker buses of carbon dioxide

Energy efficient lighting

• By buying an energy efficient light bulb rather than the other alternatives, you can cut energy wastage by over three quarters. That's around £10 a year on your energy bill, or £68 over the bulb's lifetime
• If every UK household installed three compact fluorescent light bulbs enough energy would be saved in a year to supply all street lighting in the UK
• If everyone installed one energy saving light bulb the carbon dioxide emissions saved would fill the Royal Albert Hall nearly 3000 times

Energy savings links

• Energy Savings Trust
• Warm Front
• Warm Deal (Scotland)
• Home Efficiency Commitment

Source: Energy Saving Trust 2003

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