It’s #enerygsavingweek! From 5th – 9th November, Energy Saving Week will run across Northern Ireland to raise awareness of the simple ways in which you can keep warm this winter without increasing your energy bills.
We are delighted to work collaboratively with other organisations and energy providers to promote this initiative and limit the impact of our energy use on the environment. We have put together the following Top Tips that you could use in your home this winter:
1. Top-Up Your Loft Insulation
The recommended depth for loft insulation is 270mm.
If you have no loft insulation installing 270mm of new insulation could save you up to £135.
Topping up your loft insulation from 120mm to 270mm and installing cavity wall insulation could save you up to £165.
2. Upgrade Your Old Inefficient Boiler
Replacing an old G-rated oil boiler with some controls, with an A-rated oil boiler with a full set of heating controls could save around £230 and 1,400kg of carbon dioxide a year1.
3. Upgrade Heating Controls
Room thermostats allow households to set and maintain the temperature at home. A programmer sets the heating to turn on and off at certain times of the day to suit household lifestyles. Thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) let householders control the temperature of each radiator.
By turning your central heating thermostat down by 1 degree could save you £80 and 420kg of carbon dioxide every year2.
4. Switch to Energy Saving Light Bulbs
By replacing all the remaining standard incandescent and halogen bulbs in the home with energy saving LEDs, the average household could save around £30 a year from their energy bills, and 70kg of carbon dioxide every year.
5. Spend Less Time in the Shower
Spending one minute less in the shower each day could save as much as £6 off your energy bills each year, per person. If everybody in a four person family did this that could mean a total saving of £25 a year3.
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1 Based on an efficiency improvement from 65% to 90% for an oil boiler, assumes original boiler has some controls (programmer and room thermostat) with the A rated boiler has a full set of controls (programmer, room thermostat and TRVs).
2 Based on turning down a room thermostat from 22 degrees to 21 degrees in the main living areas.
3 Based on a power shower with a flow rate of 16 litres a minute.