In 21st century life there is a big impetus on trying to incorporate energy efficiency into our everyday lives. The car industry is working hard on developing new and interesting fuels to power our vehicles, the government is constantly creating new schemes to encourage people to reduce their carbon footprint and home owners all over the country are doing whatever they can to do their bit for the environment.
The good news is that when it comes to making your home more energy efficient, it won’t just help save the planet but also help you keep a few more pennies in your pocket and less in the pockets of the energy providers. With the major providers increasing their prices during what has been a long winter, here are a few things you can do to ensure you are not caught out by the next price rise.
Biomass Boilers
It may seem like a drastic operation to change your current boiler for one that runs on [easyazon-link asin=”B000RR5T8E” locale=”us”]biomass[/easyazon-link]but it really could save you money in the long run and therefore it seems a worthy investment. Did you know that the average household could save around £150 just by updating their old, inefficient boiler? And if you are thinking of replacing it then what better time to think about turning to biomass?
Instead of the usual gas, oil or LPG these boilers run on pellets made from wood chippings. These pellets are sourced responsibly and from cheap and sustainable wood sources such as the willow tree. As they burn, they only release as much carbon as the tree absorbed during its life and so no excess carbon is created.
Cavity Wall Insulation
You may not even know it but your house could be losing heat all the time through the space in its cavity walls. Houses built in the last ten years or so will have had their cavities filled but anything built between 10 and 100 years ago could be draining your heating due to unfilled cavities. Just by having this space filled by a simple, non-invasive procedure you could save hundreds of pounds on your heating bills in the years to come.
If you are unsure whether you are in the situation of having cavity walls that are not filled then you can contact a specialist to find out. They will carry out a test using a boroscope in which they drill a tiny hole in your wall to see whether it is filled or not.
Air Leakage Testing
When houses are built there are little gaps left in between the walls and ceilings, mainly so that you don’t suffocate when all the windows and door are closed. Nowadays it is a legal requirement to have an air leakage test carried out during the Building Regulations to make sure that these gaps aren’t excessive but if your house was built more than 15 years ago this may not have taken place.
If there is excessive air leaking from your home then it could be costing you hundreds of pounds in extra heating bills which is totally unnecessary. By having a simple air leakage or air pressure test conducted you can see if this is a problem in your home and make steps to rectify it.
If you are unsure of just how energy efficient you property is then now might be the time to find out. A standard assessment procedure or SAP calculation, which can be carried out by an industry specialist, will be able to tell you this. You will then be given an EPC or energy performance certificate for your home and you can then see whether there’s a need to take some of the steps mentioned above. All of these procedures represent a valuable investment and really are viable options for lowering those sky high energy bills.
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This piece is written by environmental enthusiast Chris Mayhew who is working for http://www.airtestingsolutions.co.uk. Chris is keen on reducing everyone’s carbon footprint and would encourage carrying out an SAP calculation to gain an EPC for your property.