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Energy

WHO ARE WE?

 

We are a small group of group of people interested in helping people reduce the energy use of their homes and community buildings. Our main activity is raising awareness of how home-energy consumption can be reduced (see information below).

The main ways we are trying to achieve this are;

- leaflet distribution at key points in the community 

- a regular stall at the Repair Café three times a year

- Green Homes-open days (usually autumn) and other community events.

We also have two thermal imaging cameras which can be borrowed to assess heat energy loss from your home. 

A longer-term project that we are currently on the early stages of is community energy generation.

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HOW CAN WE HELP?
 
We know that rising energy bills are a real worry for many people at the moment and we all need to use less energy. We can help! 

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Easy Measures you can do today:

  • draw your curtains at night

  • turn lights off when not being used

  • bleed your radiators

  • optimise boiler and heating controls

    • reduce boiler flow

    • schedule heating on/off times

  • turn heating thermostat down by one or two degrees Each degree will save roughly 10% on your heating bill.

  • Identify drafts and leaks where you know cold air is getting in

  • wash your lightly soiled laundry at 30 degrees (or the lowest temperature possible for the task)

  • Know your numbers:

    • check your energy bill

    • display your smart meter in a prominent position - you will soon start turning off appliances when you see the £££s accumulating 

  • If you do not have a smart meter, get one. 

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Medium Term Measures

  • You can buy and fit yourself

  • fit low energy (LED) lightbulbs

  • Find and fix draughts from doors, windows and floors:

    • draught excluders

    • silicon sealants

    • foam strips

  • upgrade to double or tripe glazing

Thermostatic Radiator Valves: wireless valve (£35-£70), Mechanical valve (£15-£30)

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Roof and loft insulation

Installation costs are generally between £400 and £1,200 and the measure could last up to 42 years, meaning potential total savings of up to £11,340.

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Long Term Measures

Will require 3rd party to install

Photovoltaic/Solar Panels -  install solar panels on your roof to save up to £580 per year. Installation costs are generally between £5,000 and £8,000 and the panels could last around 25 years, meaning potential lifetime savings of up to £14,500.

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Cavity Wall Insulation - installation costs are generally between £1,000 and £3,000 and the measure could last up to 42 years, meaning potential large savings.

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Heat Pumps - replace your boiler with a heat pump with the help of a government grant. Note bigger radiators may be required. 

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How Energy Efficient is Your House?

An EPC is a standard document used to assess the energy efficiently of a property, It provides an energy efficiently rating from A (most efficient) to G (lease efficient) and includes recommendations for the potential improvements. The assessment is typically based on factors like insulation, heating systems, and lighting. 

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Evaluations by Professional Organisations

Invest in a comprehensive home retrofit assessment. a good retrofit assessor will spend a few hours surveying your home, talking to you about how you heat it and what priorities are. some organisations will build a baseline energy model and propose scenarios or stages to carry out the work and can support you with the detailed design or some of the elements and the suply chain. 

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The information above contains general information and is not a substitute for specific advice. any cost savings are estimates only, based on information available to our volunteers. Please seek your own independent advice. 

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Additional References

Advice

Energy Saving Trust :  https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/

Centre for Sustainable Energy:  https://www.cse.org.uk/resource/101-energy-tips-2/

Advice leaflets on any part of retrofit:   https://www.cse.org.uk/my-home/advice/

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Grants

General help with household energy: 

www.gov.uk/browse/housing-local-services/household-energy 

Cheshire east :  https://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/housing/help-with-heating-your-home.aspx

ECO4 (for recipients of benefits) 

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-and-social-schemes/energy-company-obligation-eco

NB Please seek independent advice in parallel, or let us know if we can help.

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Local training and services:

Carbon Coop :   https://carbon.coop/

People Powered Retrofit : https://retrofit.coop/

The Retrofit Hub : https://theretrofithub.co.uk/training/

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Further resources

Experiment with boiler temperatures:

https://www.theheatinghub.co.uk/articles/turn-down-the-boiler-flow-temperature

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All things heat pump, and boiler optimisation:

Heat Geek :  https://www.heatgeek.com/category/knowledge/

 

Blog:  humblebee - a whole house retrofit in Wilmslow​

 

 

​If you would like to have a free home or business energy survey, done with a thermal camera, please let us know. This is a free service but we do appreciate donations. 

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We have recently established an energy group - please contact us if you would like to find out more.

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