How to reduce your energy bills

Want to find ways to reduce your energy bills? Read on…

The Government’s flagship Green Deal scheme was launched in January this year – so what is really all the fuss about?

By 2020 the Government needs to ensure that the UK reduces its carbon emissions by 80% in line with the Climate Change Act 2008, becomes more energy efficient and uses renewable technologies effectively to power our homes and businesses.

No mean feat.

So what do we need to need to consider?

Firstly, how energy efficient is your home?

Do you leave the television or computer on stand-by? Leave lights on when not needed? Wash clothes on too hot a cycle?

By looking at how we use energy we can become more energy efficient. So, only boil the amount of water needed for drinks, take showers instead of baths, and turn off appliances when not in use.

Adding thermostats to radiators, topping up roof insulation, fitting low energy light bulbs or LED light fittings, installing double glazing, insulating hot water cylinders and adding smart meters are some of the ways to improve the energy efficiency of your home.

By adding these energy efficient measures – some of which are included in the Green Deal – it can help to reduce carbon emissions and your energy bills; a positive considering the financial climate we are currently in.

The next step is to consider installing environmental technologies such as solar photovoltaic panels, rainwater harvesting and grey water reuse systems, air source and ground source heat pumps.

These systems can help even more – you’ll reduce your energy bills further.

The possibility of installing some or all of the energy efficient measures and renewable technology systems will depend upon the age of the property, where it is located and the Golden Rule – the expected saving from the improvement measure(s) must be equal to or greater than the cost of the measure(s).

In order to help you understand the Green Deal scheme and the measures, the National Skills Academy for Environmental Technologies have developed a series of useful guides to help homeowners and occupiers and for the next few months they are on special offer.

These guides describe how the Green Deal scheme works, what a Green Deal report is, a Green Deal plan and the finance options.

The Green Deal loan belongs to the property not the mortgage so you don’t need to take this loan with you when moving on.

So, what’s next? Visit Your Green Deal Provider who can arrange for an assessment on your property.