What's the Best Way to Green With Your Green?

The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors have released a guide for consumers which offers impartial expert advice regarding the costs, potential energy savings, payback period and disruptiveness of green improvements to a property. The Greener Homes Price Guide was developed by RICS’ Building Cost Information Service to help consumers through the green jargon, and manufacture claims.

Homeowners rocked by the latest rises in energy bills are turning to green solutions to save money and reduce their carbon footprint.

By using the guide, homeowners will be able to target the areas in their homes where green upgrades would have the most impact.

This will enable them to make informed choices on how best to improve their homes, whether this is with a view to solely reduce their carbon footprint or reduce their energy bills.

Often caught between wanting to be more environmentally friendly and needing value for money many consumers are left confused over which green upgrades offer the best energy savings for the best price.

In addition to offering cost advice The Greener Homes Price Guide also includes practical advice on:

• what grants are available and how to apply for them
• when you need to apply for planning permission
• how to obtain builders or specialist contractors

“We all have a role to play in helping to reduce our carbon footprint, be it through changes to our behaviour or by choosing greener alternatives. The reality is, however, that most people struggle with the cost, time, and effort it takes to make these changes. The Greener Homes Price Guide gives consumers a comprehensive heads-up about the costs and effectiveness of green upgrades, whilst protecting them from being duped into changes that won’t save them money or do little to reduce their carbon footprint. Consumers need innovation and enhanced technology to help in the fight against climate change, not just a guilt trip about living in the world we have created. We encourage governments and companies not just here in the UK, but all over the world to continue to invest more in the research and development of green technologies.”
Joe Martin, BCIS, Executive Director

Unfortunately the RICS are out for their green too, and the guide is not available for free, the Greener Homes Price Guide: Organising and Budgeting for Energy Efficiency and Reducing Your Carbon Footprint, is priced £17.99 and can be ordered online or by calling T +44 (0)870 333 1600 (select option 2 for BCIS sales and quote item code 17012). Also available in all good bookshops. Publication date: August 2008. ISBN: 978 1 904829 67 6


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Tesco Launch Home Insulation Service

Market leading supermarket Tesco have launched a Home Insulation Service offering cavity wall insulation and loft insulation at bargain price. It doesn't matter if you own a 4-bed detached house, or a 1-bed apartment Tesco offer each service for the great price of just £199. In comparison to the guide prices you could save anywhere between £98 and £541.

For those in receipt of certain benefits you can install the measures for free. If you are a homeowner, residential landlord or private tenant and anyone in your property is over 70 or in receipt of one or more of the following benefits, you may be entitled to free insulation (subject to survey).

• Child tax credit
  (with household income less than £15,592)
• Working tax credit
  (with household income less than £15,592)
• War disablement pension
  (must include constant attendance allowance or a mobility supplement)
• Disablement pension
  (must include constant attendance allowance)
• Attendance allowance
• Disability living allowance
• State pension credit
• Income support
• Housing benefit
• Council tax benefit
  (single persons allowance does not apply)
• Income based job seekers allowance

83 per cent of domestic energy is used for heat. Cavity wall insulation can help prevent the 25% - 40% of heat in a building lost through uninsulated walls. The potential savings is about £120 on your annual heating bills and up to 1 tonne of Co2 a year. The cost of installation should be recouped in less than 2 years, however with the Tesco prices this is just over one year. Loft insulation will help prevent the 25% of heat in a building lost through an uninsulated loft. The potential savings are about £155 on your annual heating bills and up to 2 tonnes of Co2 a year.

Overall if all the homes in the UK that are uninsulated at the moment were insulated the annual savings would be equivalent to £2.5 billion and 14.3 million tonnes of Co2 emissions annually.

Tips when Choosing an Installer

• Ensure what you are getting there are many types of insulation used, at the moment the standard is bonded bead, this is available in white and graphite, the graphite is 20% more effective, and slightly more expensive.
• Ask whether they will install ventilation guards, many installers will not mention this, it is essential that these are installed to prevent beads from blocking the vents, this can lead to advanced rotting in floor boards.
• Ensure the company is CIGA registered, check their site and look for the logo

Tesco Home Insulation Service do not operate in every area of the UK, if you are still interested in insulation in your area, you can contact use the Energy Saving Trust search to find details of installers in your area. The Energy Savings Trust can also give further advice on grants available.


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Burning Holes in Government Fuel Payment Scheme

Burning Holes in Government Fuel Payment Plan

At the weekend it was leaked by a senior civil servant travelling on a train, that the government have it laying in the wings for a "Fuel Payment Plan", the one-off payment of £150 would be targeted at those in receipt of child benefits, the total number of people that are set to benefit from this windfall is estimated to be over seven million households, requiring in excess of £1 billion.

Taking into consideration the "Winter Fuel Payments" paid to 11.7m people over 60 years in age, which costs a further £2 billion pounds. A total of £3 billion is effectively subsidising energy, making it cheaper, less expensive to use. In times when we should be reducing energy, friend of the blog and chief executive of the Energy Saving Trust, Philip Sellwood, believes that this money would be better spent and more effectively in terms of energy reduction and environmental benefit (not to mention the 17.5% return to the government from VAT, instead of the 5% on fuel), if this money was invested into energy saving measures.

For example, £3 billion could easily insulate every cavity wall in the country. Saving those householders £720m a year, every year (without inflation of energy costs), saving 4.8m tonnes of CO2 annually.

Philip Sellwood posted his own back of envelope savings on his blog;

Our own stats show that with £150, a householder could:

Draught proof an entire house, saving around £25 a year with an outlay of around £90.
Buy a hot water tank jacket, saving around £20 per year, with an outlay of just £12.
Fully insulate all pipe work, saving around £9 per year, with an outlay of just £9.
Replacing existing light bulbs with energy saving ones. With a typical cost of around £3 per bulb it would be possible to replace every light bulb in the house. This could save around £45 a year or £600 over the lifetime of the bulbs!

My maths was never much good, but even I can see that by spending this £150 on energy saving measures means saving around £100 this year, next year, the year after....well, you get my drift!

My own quick back of envelope calculation suggest that each household would reduce their CO2 emissions by 710kg. £3billion would be enough to offer all these measures to every household in the UK saving 14.91m tonnes of CO2. If the government instead decided to invest all the money into wind turbines, and start their own government wind co-op they could install a minimum of 300 wind turbines with up to 2GW, almost doubling the current capacity, providing, clean green energy for 1.2m homes, or approximately 5% of UK domestic properties.

The scheme has not yet been given final approval. The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (DBERR) confirmed that further help with fuel bills was being considered, but insisted no decisions had been taken. So now is the time to get it right, and make positive changes, so that the money makes a return socially, environmentally, and of course politically.

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What Help is Available for those in Fuel Poverty

With the recent price rises from Npower and other suppliers likely to follow suit, a large number of people throughout the UK now falls into being in fuel poverty. The Energy Retail Association estimates there was 4m people in this category in 2006 with a further 3m classified as vunerable, and this has been increasing year on year from 2000.

You may ask how to calculate if your household is in fuel poverty, the equation below we hope clearly shows how to calculate if you are in fuel poverty.

Fuel Poverty Ratio = ((Unit Fuel Price x Fuel Consumption) + Standing Charge) / Income

You should take all fuels into consideration (Gas, Electricity, LPG and solid fuels). Income is considered before tax and national insurance. For more information on how fuel poverty is calculated there is this very detailed document (PDF). Households are considered to be fuel poor if they spend over 10% of their income on fuel.

There is a range of assistance for those even not in fuel poverty, below is organisations and schemes that could help you alieviate the burden of fuel bills through benefits and grants;

Benefits

Winter Fuel Payments

If you are aged 60 to 79 and you are entitled to receive a Winter Fuel Payment, you will get either £100 or £200, depending on your circumstances in the qualifying week. If you are aged 80 or over and you are entitled to a Winter Fuel Payment, you will get an extra £50 or £100, so you could get up to £300, depending on your circumstances in the qualifying week. You do not pay tax on Winter Fuel Payments.

For more information please visit the Pension Service: Winter Payment Website.

Cold Weather Payment

A Cold Weather Payment is paid automatically when the average temperature is, or is forecast to be, 0 degrees centigrade or below over seven consecutive days. To qualify you must satisfy the criteria for receipt. The Social Security or Jobs & Benefits office will advertise when a payment is applicable.

To receive a cold weather payment you must be receiving Pension Credit / Income Support / Jobseeker's Allowance (Income based) for one day in the period of cold weather and be receiving one of the following premiums:

• Pensioner Premium
• Enhanced Pensioner Premium
• Higher Pensioner Premium
• Disability Premium
• Severe Disability Premium
• Disabled Child Premium
• or have a child under the age of 5

£8.50 when the average temperature where you live is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees Celsius or below, over seven consecutive days during the period from 1 November to 31 March. Specified Meteorological Office weather stations are used to obtain this information.

More information can be found at DirectGov

Grants

Warm Front (England)

Warm Front provides grants of up to £2,700 for heating and insulation measures in low income and other vulnerable households. The maximum grant for an oil central heating system is £4,000. Grants are available to owner occupiers and people who rent their homes from a private landlord. To qualify householders must:

• be in receipt of designated income related benefit or tax credit and have a child under 16, or
• be in receipt of a designated disability related benefit or Disabled Person's Tax Credit, or
• be aged 60 years or over and in receipt of an income related benefit.

Grants are also available to women who are in receipt of a maternity certificate (MATB 1) as well as a designated income related benefit (or their spouses).

The national telephone number for Warm Front in England is Freephone 0800 952 0600
Recent changes include:

• Central heating measures are available for all eligible clients (not just over 60's).
• Eligible customers not connected to mains gas may qualify for oil central heating.
• Clients who have previously received a grant from the Warm Front programme can re-apply to the Scheme Manager. However, they will not receive the same measure again. They will have a new balance, minus the value of all works previously completed under Warm Front.

For further information contact the designated Scheme Manager:

Eaga for enquiries from the West Midlands, South West, London, South East, North West and North East: Freephone 0800 316 6011 or Freephone Minicom 0800 072 0156.


Warm Deal (Scotland)

The Warm Deal in Scotland provides grants of up to £500 for energy efficiency measures and energy advice for those in receipt of one of a range of benefits. A lower level of grant can be claimed by householders aged 60 and over who do not receive these benefits. For more details visit the Scottish Executive or Scottish Gas

There is also the Central Heating Programme, which provides a central heating system, insulation measures, energy advice and an optional benefits check to people aged 60 and over and to tenants of local authorities and housing associations. Claimants must live in a home without central heating or where the existing system is broken and beyond repair.


The Home Energy Efficiency Scheme (Wales)

HEES in Wales provides grants of up to £1,500 for energy efficiency measures and energy advice for those in receipt of one of a range of benefits who have a child under 16.

HEES Plus offers grants of up to £2,700 for heating and insulation improvements to householders who are 60 or over and to lone parents with a child under the age of 16. In both cases claimants must be in receipt of one of a range of benefits. A lower level of grant can be claimed by householders aged 60 and over who do not receive a qualifying benefit. For more details contact HEES Wales: Freephone 0800 316 2815 or Freephone Minicom 0800 072 0156.

The Warm Homes Scheme (Northern Ireland)

The Warm Homes Scheme offers grants of up to £850 for insulation and heating improvements for owner occupiers and those who rent their homes from a private landlord. Claimants must receive one of a range of benefit payments and have a child under 16.

The Warm Homes Plus Scheme offers grants of up to £4,300 for an enhanced package of heating and insulation measures, including central heating. Claimants must be aged 60 and over and be owner occupiers or tenants of a private landlord. For further information contact Eaga Partnership: Freephone 0800 181 667 or Minicom 019 1233 1054

Energy Saving Trust

There is financial help available if you're planning to make energy saving improvements to your home. The Government, energy suppliers and local authorities all provide grants to help you implement energy saving measures in your home. To search for grants visit their grants finder or you can call them on 0800 512 012. There is also information on simple energy saving tips which could save you several hundred pounds annually

Local Councils

Your local council may also offer assistance, as this varies across each council area, you should contact your local council for more information and advice on the help they offer. To find your local council contact details visit DirectGov

Advice Service

Citizens Advice Bureaux

In 2005-2006 Citizens Advice Bureaux in England, Wales and Northern Ireland received 27,000 general enquiries about problems with fuel plus 45,000 enquiries about fuel debt. Following the prolonged series of fuel price rises we are beginning to receive evidence of CAB clients struggling to pay their bills. They can help you too, you just need to ask for advice.




There is also information on how to reduce your energy bills on the following blog posts;
Is it Time to Switch Energy Providers?
Winter Warming Tips
10 Things to Reduce Energy Use
Cavity Wall Insulation Grants
General Energy Saving Tips

Is it Time to Switch Energy Providers

Npower has just announced double digit rises in fuel costs for their electricity and gas customers. Below is a Q&A on should you switch.

Should I look to change providers?

Not necessarily. Before the price rises, Npower was seen as one of the cheaper providers. The independent watchdog Energywatch has said that, given other firms are likely to also raise their prices, it may be worth waiting to see what Npower's competitors do. If you switch to a cheaper supplier today, you may well find that they too put up their prices, as all of the companies have to buy gas in exactly the same international market.

So switching is a waste of time then?

Not quite. The argument goes that savings can still be made, especially if you have never switched before and are still with either British Gas or the company that took over from your regional electricity board. In those cases, you are likely to be on their highest tariff. So you may still be able to achieve a significant relative cut in your bills.

How common is energy switching?

The full figures for 2007 are not yet available, but in 2006 about 4 million households changed their gas or electricity supplier, according to the energy regulator Ofgem. In April 2006, when wholesale energy prices were last at very high levels, and price increases were starting to bite, a record 900,000 customers changed supplier. However about 50% of UK households have never taken the opportunity to switch their provider and it is these people who are likely to have the best opportunity to make hefty savings.

How do you switch energy companies?

In theory, it is relatively easy to switch your energy supplier - and should certainly be less arduous than changing, say, a mortgage provider. Regardless of where you live in the UK, there are several suppliers to choose from. You can opt to have separate firms supplying your gas and electricity - or choose one company to supply both, commonly known as dual fuel. The most common and effective way is to firstly identify the company which can offer the cheapest deal is to use a price comparison service. Energywatch has approved 13 companies providing price comparison services both via the internet and on the telephone. These are;

• www.moneysupermarket.com
• www.energylinx.co.uk
• www.ukpower.co.uk
• www.saveonyourbills.co.uk
• www.homeadvisoryservice.com
• www.theenergyshop.com
• www.uswitch.com
• www.simplyswitch.com
• www.unravelit.com
• www.confused.com
• www.energyhelpline.com
• www.moneyexpert.com/energy
• www.switchwithwhich.co.uk

Most of these companies will deal with your new supplier on your behalf, and also contact your old supplier to organise the switch. It does not cost the consumer anything - with the firms receiving a payment from the energy company which has won the new business. However if you would rather go it alone, you can talk with the firm you want to be your new supplier and agree a contract. Then you tell your existing provider that you wish to end the service - usually having to give about one month's notice.

What if I use a pre-payment meter?

You too can also change suppliers. People using pre-payment are often on low fixed incomes and could really benefit from moving to a less expensive provider, Energywatch says. But despite this, industry figures suggest that just over a third of pre-payment gas users and four out of 10 electricity customers have changed supplier. This compares with more than half of those who pay by direct debit and monthly bills. How much can I save by switching This depends on how much you are currently paying and on your personal circumstances - for example where you live and your level of usage. Firms often offer discounts if you buy both gas and electricity from them. But the industry regulator Ofgem has said that households changing their supplier for the first time can save an average of £100 per year.

Besides switching supplier, how else can I reduce my energy bills?

Changing your method of payment is one way that you may be able to save money. If you can afford to pay by direct debit rather than by cash or cheque, this typically can knock about £40 off your annual bill. But you should regularly send meter readings to your energy company to ensure that they are taking the right amount of money each month. The other key thing to think about is reducing the amount of energy you use, for more advice please see the following blog posts.

Winter Warming Tips
10 Things to Reduce Energy Use
Cavity Wall Insulation Grants
General Energy Saving Tips

HIPs Extended to All Properties

The government announced on Thursday, from 14 December 2007 all properties sold in England and Wales will now require a Home Information Pack. We have followed the roll out from initially being required for four bedroom houses in August, to the inclusion of three bedroom properties in September.

Included in HIPs is an energy performance certificates (EPCs) will give homes an efficiency rating of A - G. To date the average EPC rating has been an "E". Buyers whose homes score badly will receive extra help from the new Green Homes Service announced this week by Gordon Brown.

"Hips and EPCs are already helping consumers to save hundreds of pounds off their fuel bills. All home buyers will be able to benefit from energy efficiency advice, with those receiving low green ratings of 'F' and 'G' especially targeted for support and grants"
Yvette Cooper, Housing Minister

This is the completion of the roll-out of HIPs and I am glad to see that this has been efficiently rolled out in a period of less than six months, as I feared back in august it was going to be a drawn out process lasting in excess of a year. The final 40% of the housing stock affected results in a further 8.4m homes requiring a pack should they be going on to the market. The launch of the Green Homes Service will compliment EPCs, as owners seek to improve their homes efficiency. The inclusion of homes with one and two bedrooms will also be a positive move to reducing the emissions from homes as these are most likely to have a higher footprint per capita.

Video: 10 Things To ... Reduce Energy Use

This simple four minute video clip presented by Naomi Cleaver and Kevin McCloud outlines just 10 simple changes we can make to our lifestyles which will see you reduce your CO2 emisssions and save alot of money in the process. Following all the advice and tips in this video could save you in excess of £500 per year. If you want to find out more on any of the tips included in the video just follow the advice and links under the relevant number.

1. The average kettle uses about 3kWh, and is one of the highest consuming devices in the house. A rule of thumb is if you want to boil a cup of tea but there is no marking on the kettle, fill the cup with water and pour into the kettle. Or purchase an Eco kettle.
   
   
2. The Energy Saving Trust advises reducing your thermostat by one degree can reduce your heating bill by up to 10%.
   
   
3. Prepared to be shocked by standby, switch off devices, never leave a device on standby. And unplug chargers when not in use which can have no load usage.
   
   
4. Loft insulation can reduce your household heating bills by 33%, installation costs around £300, but grants are available up to 100% of the cost. Annual savings are £160 - £200, and up to 2000kg of CO2.
   
   
5. Converting to energy saving bulbs can save you 80% on lighting costs and 14% on your electricity bill overall. CFLs should last up to 12 times longer. Bulbs are widely available for as little as 50p. But they are covered by WEEE and should be recycled.
   
   
6. Replacing your boiler to a new condensing boiler could save you a third off your annual gas bill. Grants are available.
   
   
7. Replacing old white goods with new energy recommended ones can reduce your bills considerably. Fridges older than 10 years could be using twice as much electricity, and those over 15 years old up to four times as much. This could be as much as 2kWh per day and 380kg of CO2 per year, it could save you £75 per year in electricity costs too.
   
   
8. Cavity wall insulation can save you a third off your home heating bills. Installation costs as little as £400 and once again grants are available up to 100%. Annual savings are £130 - £160, and up to 1000kg of CO2.
   
   
9. Washing machines use huge amounts of energy, 90% of which is through heating water, by reducing the temperature from 40 to 30, energy consumption will be reduced by 40%.
   
   
10. By walking and cycling short journeys you can reduce your carbon emissions and save money too. Longer journeys can be made in environmentally friendly public transport, where possible avoid air transport. Eco cars could be one way to be green, still have a car and save a lot of money.

Renewables: Hydro Power

Hydro power systems use running water turning a turbine to produce electricity. A micro hydro plant is one that generates less than 100kW. Improvements in small turbine and generator technology mean that micro hydro schemes are an attractive means of producing electricity. Useful power may be produced from even a small stream.

Hydro power requires the source to be relatively close to where the power will be used, or to a suitable grid connection. Hydro systems can be connected to the main electricity grid or as a part of a stand-alone (off-grid) power system. In a grid-connected system, any electricity generated but not used can be sold to electricity companies.

In an off-grid hydro system, electricity can be supplied directly to the devices powered or through a battery bank and inverter set up. A back-up power system may be needed to compensate for seasonal variations in water flow.

The capital cost is high but the prospect of not having electricity bills or making money by selling energy back to a power supplier may tempt you!

Hydro power systems convert potential energy stored in water held at height to kinetic energy (or the energy used in movement) to turn a turbine to produce electricity.

Energy available in a body of water depends on the water's flow rate and the height (or head) that the water falls. These are divided into low head, medium head and high head, where the height drop is greater. The scheme's actual output will depend on how efficiently it converts the power of the water into electrical power (maximum efficiencies of over 90% are possible but for small systems 60 - 80% is more realistic).

If you are interested in installing hydro , typical installation cost for a small scale system is dependant on the head height however £4,000 per kW for low, £2,000 per kW for medium are realistic with a fixed cost of about £10,000, however grants are available from the low carbon buildings programme (funded by the Department of Trade and Industry, DTI). To be eligible for a grant you will need to use a certified installer and products. The low carbon buildings programme offers a maximum of £2,500 or 30% of the relevant eligible costs, whichever is the lower for Hydro systems.

Cavity Wall Cash Back

As previously stated in my rants I am installing cavity wall insulation to my home. Each year I spend about £600 a year in heating costs alone, this is above average, and is weighing on my own and my household carbon footprint. After contacting the Energy Saving Trust for further information on grants available, I was told that currently they are running a cashback scheme. Those that have cavity wall insulation installed by a CIGA qualified installer can recieve a grant of £150, and if you have an uninsulated loft you can claim an extra £75 towards the cost of loft insulation. If you are on certain benefits you can recoup up to 100% of the cost, so it has never been a better time to have it installed.

In addition to the EST grants, in most areas of the UK, grants are available to households where any person living in the house is in receipt of certain benefits, credits or allowances. This is known as 'Priority Group Funding' because the government and utility companies consider these householders to be a priority. Qualifying benefits include:

* Attendance Allowance
* Income Support
* Council Tax Benefit
* Disability Living Allowance
* Housing Benefit
* Child Tax Credit (household income under £15,050)
* Working Tax Credit (household income under £15,050)
* Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
* Income-Based Jobseekers Allowance
* War Disablement Benefit
* Pension Credit

In some areas, 100% grants are also available to the over 60s and households where there are children under the age of 16.

For more information on how to claim up to 100% of the cost of installation visit Free Insulation.

Cavity wall insulation will help prevent the 25% - 40% of heat in a building lost through uninsulated walls. The potential savings is about £130 - £160 on your annual heating bills and up to 1 tonne of Co2 a year. The cost of installation should be recouped in less than 2 years. Loft insulation will help prevent 25% of heat in a building lost through an uninsulated loft. The potential savings is about £180 - £220 on your annual heating bills and up to 2 tonnes of Co2 a year. Overall if all the homes in the UK that are uninsulated at the moment were insulated the annual savings would be equivalent to £2.5 billion and 14.3 million tonnes of Co2 emissions annually.

Grab those grants whilst they last ...

Steps To Installing Insulation with a Grant

1. Visit the Energy Saving Trust and use the online grants finder
2. Visit CIGA, and find a qualified local installer
3. Call CIGA registered installers to arrange quotes
4. Call the Energy Savings Trust on 0800 512 012 to obtain reference code to begin installation
5. Call your chosen installer and give them the reference code, arrange a time for installation
6. Install product and pay full installation cost
7. Receive invoice from CIGA installer and forward to the Energy Saving Trust with claim form
8. Form will be processed and you should receive your cashback in three weeks

Tips when Choosing and Installer

• Ensure what you are getting there are many types of insulation used, at the moment the standard is bonded bead, this is available in white and graphite, the graphite is 20% more effective, and slightly more expensive.
• Ask whether they will install ventilation guards, many installers will not mention this, it is essential that these are installed to prevent beads from blocking the vents, this can lead to advanced rotting in floor boards.
• Ensure the company are CIGA registered, check their site and look for the logo
  

I will be having my cavity wall insulation installed on Thursday and will update you on the progress with photos and more details.