Becoming more energy efficient benefits not only the environment but also ensures a reduction in our households’ gas and electricity bills.

This compounded by the findings from the Energy Saving Trust that households can save up to £250 per year by following energy saving measures means we all want to know how to use less electricity in our home to achieve such benefits.

From our research we suggest five ways in which households can use less electricity throughout their homes to reduce your energy consumption –

1. Don’t leave electrical equipment on standby. It is recommended that you don’t leave electrical equipment such as televisions and computer monitors on standby as even though the device is on standby it can still use around 90% power in this mode. In cost terms this will mean that a computer monitor left on standby throughout the day will cost more than £50 in electricity in a year’s period, so by switching these off the bill will be cut to just £15. So, make sure you turn off all appliances and entertainment systems when they aren’t in use.
2. Make sure you use energy saving lightbulbs. Use energy saving lightbulbs throughout your home as by replacing an old lightbulb with an energy efficient one can save you up to £11 per year.
3. Look at alternative ways to dry your clothes. Many people use tumble dryers to dry all of their clothes in the winter and this is very energy inefficient. It is recommended that when possible clothes should be hung out on the line to dry. However, if you do need to tumble dry clothes they should be spin dried in the washing machine before being put in the tumble dryer. Also, you should look to fold clothes as soon as they come out of the tumble dryer as this may eliminate the need to iron clothes.
4. Analyse your cooking methods. It is felt that when you need to reheat food or are looking to cook a small portion then you should use the microwave as it will use less electricity than doing this in an oven. It is also more energy efficient to use a convection oven as the fan used in these circulate hot air quicker and therefore reduced cooking times by around 30%. Also, it is suggested that you don’t preheat an oven for roasting and it is important that you are careful not to leave the oven door open when cooking food as each time the door is opened, 20% of the heat is lost.
5. Look at how you use household appliances. You should analyse the way that you use your household appliances such as the washing machine and dishwasher. In respects of your washing machine you should turn down the temperature at which you wash your clothes as this will save electricity (as heating the water in a washing machine is how the majority of electricity is used). Also, when using a dishwasher make sure that it is fully loaded to ensure that it is as efficient as possible.

Finally, when looking to become more energy efficient you should look at how you not only use electricity but how you heat your home. It is felt that you should consider how warm you really need your house to be. It should be noted that if you turn down the temperature in your house by just 1 degree it can save you an average of 10% on your annual heating bill. It is also important to ensure that your home is draught-free as any heat that is lost is a waste of energy. Therefore, windows and roofs should be checked for any draughts.

By implementing these methods then you will notice that you will be using less electricity and your households’ electricity bill should be reduced.

Guest Article by Sarah Wain

It is important to look at ways in which we can reduce water consumption in our homes as this could mean that we can reduce our water bill.

Also, we will help the environment as according the Environment Agency water is becoming a precious resource which is not as widely available as we like to think it is. They therefore recommend that we should all look at ways to save water in our homes and detailed below are five of the top recommended ways in which we can do this.

Tip 1 – Turn off taps

We need to be vigilant when running the taps as it has been found that nine litres of water can be saved per minute by doing so. Some water saving tips include instead of running the tap and waiting for cold water for a drink we should fill up a water jug and cool it down in the fridge for use as our drinking water.

Also, instead of washing our fruit and vegetables under a running tap we should fill a bowl of water and wash them in here. However, if we do need to run the taps we should capture the running water and use it for other means such as watering plants.

We should also check that we don’t have any dripping taps in our homes as this can account of a lot of water wastage. Therefore, mending any dripping taps is essential in helping to save water.

Tip 2 – Use less water in the toilet cistern

Research shows that we flush away as much water in a day as we drink in an entire month. Therefore, when looking to replace our toilet we should replace it with a water efficient toilet. However, if we aren’t looking to replace our toilet there are some displacement devices on the market to reduce the amount of water we use to flush the toilet and we should purchase these to make significant water savings.

Tip 3 – Take shorter showers and consider the amount of baths you take

It is common to assume that taking a shower is much more water efficient than having a bath, but new high pressured showers within five minutes can use more water than if you had a bath. It is therefore recommended that we take shorter showers or look to fit our showerheads with a flow regulator to stop overuse of water. In respects of taking a bath it is felt that baths can take up to 80 litres of water, so the number of baths taken per week needs to be considered and reduced if possible to save water.

Tip 4 – Ensure appliances are fully loaded

When using household appliances such as dishwashers and washing machines we should make sure that they are full before we start the cleaning cycle. It has been suggested that dishwashers are more water efficient than washing by hand but this is only the case if the dishwasher is full. Also, again ensure washing machines have a full load as a full load will use less water than two half loads.

Tip 5 – Consider capturing greywater or rainwater

Any water that has been used in the home (apart from the water used to flush the toilet) is called greywater and we should look at ways to capture and use this water. For example, this water can be reused in garden or can even be used for flushing the toilet or washing the car. Also, you can capture the rainwater through a water butt and reuse the water for similar household activities.

Guest Article by Sarah Wain

When the coalition government came to power they announced the introduction of an Energy Bill which included their plans to implement a ‘Green Deal’.

This ‘Green Deal’ is aimed at getting all homes in the UK to be more energy efficient by making them not only warmer but cheaper to run.

The scheme will try to get homes to be energy efficient by having authorised contractors carry out insulation work on the property and this work would then be paid for by the homeowner through additional charges added onto their energy bills (it should be noted that this cost will also include interest charges). The government therefore believes that homeowners will repay the cost of the work through the savings that they make on their energy bill.

At present there appears to be a number of companies that are interested in promoting this scheme and providing the finance behind it such as Tesco, British Gas and Marks and Spencer. Regardless of which companies do end up running it they will need to ensure robust management of the scheme following the government’s guidelines set out.

Fundamentally, the scheme will work by the chosen company sending out a qualified energy assessor to survey a property to calculate where energy savings can be made. Typically, these savings will be made through methods such as loft and cavity wall insulation, energy efficient boiler installation, draught proofing, lighting alterations and water heating improvements. The work will be then be fully assessed and agreed with the homeowner. Once this has happened the work will be carried out by an authorised contractor and the homeowner will start repaying through their energy bill.

The scheme means that homeowners can receive up to £10,000 upfront payment for energy work that is carried out on their property. Businesses can also benefit as a similar ‘Green Deal’ scheme is being developed for business owners as well.

The ‘Green Deal’ scheme has been met with both positive and sceptical comments. On the downside the financial framework of the scheme is being questioned as it relies on instalment payments not exceeding the projected cost savings from implementing the energy saving measures.

However, the scheme is being touted as the biggest home improvement programme since the Second World War and a scheme that is moving our homes into a more energy efficient future. It is currently being estimated by Ministers that 14 million homes in the UK could be fitted with energy saving measures within the next ten years along with businesses undertaking a similar ‘Green Deal’ for them. The scheme is also helping the environment as less greenhouse gas emissions will be produced and therefore the forecasted goals set out in the UKs climate change commitments should be reached.

The legalities behind the Energy Bill are still being discussed and going through parliament but it is hoped that by Autumn 2012 the first ‘Green Deals’ will appear.

Guest Article by Sarah Wain

Many people see water as our planet’s most valuable resource and I agree with them. Here in the UK we often appear to have bucketloads of water but do we really? In modern day life it is estimated that we use an average of 150 litres daily which is around 32 gallons. That’s a staggering amount when you consider just how precious it is.

Installing both a water meter at your home plus one of the new revolutionary rainwater harvesting systems now on the market can help save you money and the environment. Your local water company will often install a water meter free of charge which is your first financial saving. That’s a good start.

A good rainwater harvesting system can collect water for you to use in running washing machines, flushing toilets as well as showers, baths and even dishwashers. This could save you a lot of money each year if coupled with a water meter.

But what about the grey dirty water you might ask. Any body who can recall the early water collection systems is right. Rainwater harvesting used to result in grey, unappealing water in your WC and it wasn’t advisable to wash your clothes in such water.

Not anymore however. New rainwater systems are very advanced and the water that they yield is extremely clean. Although not fit to drink this water can be used for all the things you previously was paying for drinking water to do.

Water is collected from the roof area as before and goes through a self cleaning filter system before being stored in an underground tank. Such a tank will keep the water cool and safe from tampering but if this is not possible modern overground tanks are now more unobstrusive and can even be wall mounted. Current rainwater harvesting systems employ inlet calmers which ensures that newly collected water being added to the system does not disturb any sediment in the tank. It keeps the water flow into the tank at a rate which allows sediment to remain at the bottom. New tanks now have a floating submersible pump which takes any required water through a floating suction filter. The water from a modern rainwater harvesting system is clean and debris free.

There are several ways to distribute your collected water to your required appliances throughout your home. Gravity feed where the water is stored at such an elevated position as to allow it to fall under gravity to anywhere in your home. A pump feed where obviously extra energy is required to pump water when and where it is needed and finally a header tank where water is initially pumped to the storage tank and from where it can use gravity to feed your home.

Once you begin to investigate the new rainwater harvesting systems out there you can find yourself marvelling at both the technology involved and at how much you can save. Such systems are not cheap but first ask about a water meter to see just how much water you are using daily and start from there.

Guest Article by Caz Williams

Money experts are recommending that people start claiming back their bank charges again.

In what was believed to be a cynical stalling tactic, the banks have spent the last six months arguing in the high courts that their charges are not subject to the fairness ruling.

Millions of bank charges have been reclaimed by disgruntled bank customers who felt ripped-off being charged huge amounts of money for overdrafts (up to £40) and being sent bank letters (average £12).

Having already paid out a fortune (an estimated £1 billion), the banks have won a slight respite by being allowed to appeal to the House Of Lords after both the High Court and the Court of Appeal found against their test cases, ruling that the overdraft charges were indeed subject to fairness rules, and thus could be challenged by customers.

In the meantime, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is conducting an on-going investigation into the fairness of the whole system. In order to speed up the process, the OFT is looking at a small number of banks, including HSBC, to examine the rights and wrongs of the situation.

The House of Lords is due to hear the appeal on 22 June, 2009, and their ruling will be binding, unless the banks lose again and seek a hearing in the European courts. The House of Lords case has been scheduled for three days and observers are hoping that the banks do not go for an adjournment in order to slow the ruling down.

Experts believe the banks are about to receive a double whammy as the Lords rule against them and the OFT concludes the charges unjust.

This will signal another round of blood lettings as customers claim back further billions. A customer can claim all charges that they think unfair and over a six year period, and claim the interest due on the amount under dispute. Before the test case into the theory behind the law, few cases ever reached the courts, with banks usually settling out of court. The potential cases built up to such a point that a test case was inevitable. Claims settled before the test case often involved full refunds, whereas it is thought that future claims will allow the banks to allocate some cost towards the charge. For example, with a £35 charge, the bank might be allowed to justify a £12 charge, meaning that the customer will only be able to rightly claim the difference.

It is thought that the banks are also ready to admit defeat, with millions of pounds having been ear-marked for future claims.

Customers with valid claims are being advised to get their letters lodged, so as to start the process before the inevitable rush. Template complaint letters are available from a number of sources.

Guest Article by Neil Camp