ECO Tips
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1. Insulation in Lofts and Walls
2. Double Glazing and Draft Proofing
3. Hot Water Cylinder (HWC) Wraps a.k.a. Blankets
4. Pipe Lagging
5. Controls (HWC Thermostat / Room Thermostat)
6. Programmers
7. Boilers
8. Winter Heating
9. "A-Rated" Appliances - Household

1. Insulation in Lofts and Walls

One of the cheapest and most effective methods of saving energy is by insulating the loft and inside cavity walls.  If you have 4" of insulation in the loft why not add another 4" to make 8" considering 35% of heat loss is through the ceiling and roof.  The next biggest loss 25% is through the walls so it is worth finding out if you have any insulation and seriously look into fitting some soon if you don't.

Remember if you keep the heat in you will need to produce less heat and save money and fuel.

2. Double Glazing and Draft Proofing

No matter how sick we all are of double glazing salesmen, that should not deter us from getting it installed because the benefits are great!  You lose 15% of heat through windows and double glazing will reduce the loss greatly and prevent drafts. 

If one can't afford to have it done, or live in a listed property or simply don't want it to be done there are simple steps to help with drafts.  You can buy draft stopping strips from DIY shops like B&Q and fit them yourself around doors and windows, installing draft strips and thermal curtains together will help greatly to prevent heat loss. 

3. Hot Water Cylinder (HWC) Wraps a.k.a. Blankets

HWC Wraps or Blankets are very good when installed correctly on older HWC's.  They should be high quality and fitted as per the manufacturers instructions.

These wraps are especially effective on older HWC tanks which have no lagging or the bare minimum lagging or in drafty cold locations.

4. Pipe Lagging

Lagging exposed pipes that carry any sort of hot water whether it be central heating or domestic hot water services can save energy by preventing heat loss as the water passes though or when the system is at rest.  Most plumbing merchants or DIY shops will stock it.

There are many different types available and the best thing to do is to ask what type is most suitable for your application.

5. Controls (HWC Thermostat / Room Thermostat)

Old analogue room thermostats usually, over their life, can become quite inaccurate by 5 degrees centigrade +/- and could lead to the thermostat failing completely or with this occurance the possibilitiy of no heating or continuous heating uncontrolled.  This would lead to the wasting of energy and money.  So it is not a bad idea to have the thermostat/room thermostat replaced if they are old next time you have an electrciain doing some work on your house. 

Even better consider having a programmable room thermostat which means you can have more control over temperatures at different times and more general flexibility.

6. Programmers

The best programmers to look at are 7 day programmers so you can set up your timed zones for hot water and central heating around your day every day of the week Monday - Sunday with greater accuracy to your heating habits in the home.

7. Boilers

The boiler is one of the biggest consumers of energy in the home so making it as efficient as possible has great payback virtually immediately.  In the interest of the boiler it is worth getting it serviced to be sure it is operating correctly and efficiently.

There are a lot of boiler manufacturers all claiming how their product is the best on the market and with all due respect a lot of these different manufacturers do have good and bad advantages over each other but only recently has there been a scale that every boiler, no matter what make, is compared on for their efficiency only (unfortunately quality of build is not measured).  This is called SEDBUK which stands for Seasonal Efficiency of Domestic Boiler in the UK and is on a percentage scale (up to 100) and an alphabetical scale (A-G).

So basically to keep it simple, if the boiler is in the 'Band A' that is in the highest bracket - SEDBUK Band A - 90-100%.  So the lower you go the less efficient so it pays to be as efficient as possible.  One way of brining the percentage into context is:  If your boiler is say 92% efficient that simply means if you spend 100 pounds on energy you get 92 pounds of heat energy and 8 pounds of heat energy is lost out if the flue.