Energy Saving and Home Improvement. |

It has been recently estimated that up to 30 Million businesses and homes will have been fitted with the latest ?Smart Meters? by the end of 2019, This estimate comes quickly on the heels of a recent declaration from Charles Hendry (UK Energy & Climate Change Minister) outlining that the benefit of the consumer is at the centre of the progamme.

The idea of having a smart meter installed is for consumers to be able to get accurate information on energy uses and stop bills being haphazardly estimated.

Recently, the UK?s Energy and Climate Change minister declared that in less than 3 years there will be a ?mass roll-out? of smart meters. In essence, this is all part of the governments? drive for the UK to achieve the treasured ?low carbon economy? status.

It?s clear then, that the folks at the top are starting to work on lowering the consumption of energy across the whole of the UK, and bit by bit, they are trying to pull us along with them towards taking energy savings measures seriously.

Already in the UK, there are clear indications that energy inefficiency in residential properties is being frowned upon, legislated against and in the some cases, such as with eligibility for the full rate of Feed in Tariff for Solar Panels, financially penalised.

(Source:http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/news/pn12_010/pn12_010.aspx)

Building regulations and planning permissions in the UK are now intrinsically linked to the energy efficiency of the proposed home improvement. With discussions already going on at government level to impose even more planning permission restrictions ? in my opinion, these proposals could be interpreted as saying:??If the rest of your home is not energy efficient, we won?t give you permission to do this new work?.

How can I tell how energy efficient my home is?

The simple answer is to check your property?s Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). This is a report which every home in the UK should have. If you don?t have one already, it?s probably because you have been in the property since before the EPC came into being. Anyone who has recently bought, sold or rented a property in the UK should have had the property surveyed by an accredited Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA) and have been issued an EPC.

The EPC gives your property a rating from A to G (A is the best rating) and also sets out the ?best actions? you can take to improve the efficiency of the property and the potential improved rating after the work has been done. If you are the person buying or if you are person renting from a landlord, then it is the seller or the landlords? responsibility to sort out the EPC.

You can find an example of an energy efficiency report here:

www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/2116821.pdf

What type of energy efficiency home improvements can I make?

If you are thinking of doing some home energy efficiency improvements there is quite a lot that can be done some quite ?cheap & cheerful?, some are more complex and require a higher initial financial investment.

In terms of the cost of this type of energy use improvement, there is soon to be some financial help from the UK government under the proposed ?green deal?.

10 energy efficient home improvements you can make to your home.

• Install a Smart meter
• Energy saving lighting systems
• Draught proofing for existing Windows & Doors
• Insulate water tanks & Pipes
• Loft insulation / Floor Insulation
• Cavity Wall insulation / Solid Wall Insulation
• Modern Water Boilers with effective thermostats and controls
• Secondary Double Glazing / Replacement Double glazed windows / Triple Glazed Windows
• Composite Doors / Upvc Doors
• Heat Pumps (Air source Heat Pumps / Ground source Heat pumps)

There are literally dozens of other things which could be added to this list.

It?s understandable to look at the list and think ?it?s going to cost me a fortune to be green?, but think about how much energy costs are rising ?

British Gas announced a rise in gas and electricity prices of up to18% in 2011

This kind of increase can double the size of your bills every few years, and if you don?t start to act now, you may find yourself being ?held to ransom? by the energy companies in the not too distant future.

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