With the ever-soaring cost of Energy as with Gas and Electricity already, financially stretched households in Stratford upon Avon and in the rest of the UK are under strain on how to make the house you live in more energy efficient.

Utility bills are making it very hard for earning families to save any money due to gas and electric bills increasing but there are ways you can start to cut down on the cost of electricity and gas that you use to heat and cook in your house in Stratford upon Avon.

The biggest cost of any household are the heating costs as when winter comes we all want to stay warm and cosy in our house. However, using gas unnecessarily is the main cause of high gas bills using a bit of common sense you will be surprised on how much you can cut down on the use of your central heating system or the use of hot water for baths or showers.

As with gas electricity is also major utility and once again using electricity unnecessarily makes way for bigger electricity bills so here are some energy saving tips that could save you some money.

On average typical UK household wastes, about £300 a year on inefficient use of energy by taking a few simple measures or actions you could save money and make your carbon footprint more useful in saving the planet and the enviroment

Some ways of saving on your energy bill will cost nothing other actions will cost initially but will still save you money in the end.

Actions that will cost nothing.

The following actions will cost nothing to implement and will save energy and money

·        Make sure your heating timer is set correctly

·        Turn down your Thermostat down by 1 degree the overall saving over a year could be a much as £40

·        Turn off lights in a room when you leave and do not leave lights on unnecessarily (i.e. landing lights).

·        By simply closing your curtains and blinds at dusk you will retain more heat in a room

·        Switch off electrical appliances at the sockets instead of leaving them on standby mode as with TVs, Skyboxes, and DVDs.

·        Do not wash half loads in washing machines as with dishwashers wait until you have a full load or use the energy saving settings on your appliance(i.e. mini load wash) if you need to wash a lighter load of clothes or a few dishes.

·        Adjust the temperature on your hot water cylinder to 60 degrees

·        If you decide to buy a new appliance ie a fridge or washing machine etc always opt for a A ++ energy rated type they may cost  more but will save you money on your energy bill in the end.

·        Buy energy saving bulbs for your lighting these might still be a bit more expensive than the ordinary incandescent types but they will last a lot longer in some cases up to 8-12 times longer. The overall saving of using a energy saving bulb could be up to £10 a year on your electricity bill.

Actions that will cost

For these measures to be implemented you will have to spend money in order to save money and energy

Insulating your home is an excellent way of making your home more energy efficient. The main priority is to reduce the heat loss in your home via the loft,walls and windows.By insulating your home it should be warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer months.

·       Insulate the loft ,heat rises so that means that up to 25% can be lost through the roof area alone. By insulating the lofty you could save up to £100 a year on your heating bill .The depth of loft insulation recommended by building regulations currently stands at 10 inches(270mm). Plus a good way to check the insulating properties of the insulation since different materials are used from manmade rockwool to sheepswool is to check the “u” value of the material. The lower the “u” value the slower the heat loss through the material. In addition When employing tradesmen and contractors to carry out insulating the loft you should obtain a least 2 quotations for the work.

·       Cavity Wall Insulation is a excellent way of retaining heat in the home as up to 35% of heat can be lost through walls. Houses that were built after the 1930s should have a cavity wall, the insulation used in cavity walls can range from polystyrene beads to mineral wool fibre. This is simply pumped into the cavity via holes drilled at strategic points in the house.

·       Overall savings from installing cavity wall insulation represented the biggest savings on energy bills. Once again the Stratford District Council recommends that you only use a contractor that can issue a CIGA certificate( Cavity Insulation Guarantee agency)which covers both the work and the materials used for the insulation.

·       Fit Thermostaic Radiator Valves to radiators(TRVs) these vavles detect the air temperature around the radiator and therefore switch  the radiator on and off accordingly. This allows the temperature in each room to be controlled separately as with rooms that are not occupied therefore saving valuable heat and costs.

·       Draught Proofing is relatively easy to install as you can buy strips to fit under doors and around windows where gaps exist to stop rooms from losing heat.The cost is minimal and it could say you money on bills in the end.

Major Improvements to save energy

These improvements to your home are going to cost quite a lot but  over a period of time should make your house more energy efficient and reduce your energy bills quite substantially

·      Single glazed windows and badly fitting or worn out external doors are a major source of heat loss so fitting Double Glazing and replacing your external doors with UPVC doors is imperative if you want to make your home more energy efficient. If you want to reduce the cost of Double Glazing then you might consider secondary glazing this is where a second pane of glass or plastic is fitted in front of the existing pane.

Useful contacts for Energy Efficiency in Stratford upon Avon

Grants are available for insulation for your home in Stratford the Stratford upon Avon District council is committed to helping out vulnerable residents so that no one should suffer fuel poverty. Especially older residents or those having to live on benefits in the town.

You can get more information on how to save on your utility bills and see if you are eligible for a grant for insulation and make your house in Stratford upon Avon more energy efficient by contacting the Stratford upon Avon District Council

Contact Tel: 01789-267575

And ask for Housing and Information on Energy Saving Tips and Insulation Grants  

Plus contact Act On Energy this is an independent organisation that are based in Warwickshire their aim is to give impartial advice on how to save energy not only to householders but to small businesses based in the Warwickshire and Worcester and Coventry areas you can get information and advice on the following

·        Grants for Home insulation for loft and cavity walls

·        Gas Boilers that are energy efficient

·        Improving the energy efficiency of your home(Call direct: 01789-842898)

·        Approved installers and contractors for cavity wall insulation and loft insulation as well as approved plumbing and heating contractors

·        Information on grants for renewable technology.

So by taking a on these actions in your home whether they be minor actions or major ones you should start too see a saving in your energy bills as well as lowering your carbon emissions and doing your bit to save the planet.