Low Energy House - Green Makeovers - Energy Efficient Home

The Green Makeovers section of the Low Energy House website provides information to make Householders and Home Providers aware of the measures available to make homes more energy efficient, more comfortable to live in and cheaper to run

Green Makeovers - Energy Efficient Homes

Household energy accounts for more than a quarter of all energy used in the UK but the typical household wastes about a third of that energy each year.

Energy use in the home is split between heating and hot water at 77 per cent and power for appliances and lighting at 23 per cent.

Green Makeovers - Lifestyle Changes

Making your home energy efficient can mean either making changes to the building or adjusting your lifestyle, in order to save energy.

Some energy saving ideas may involve significant initial expense but in the long run the reduction of energy consumption will save money through reduced fuel bills.

Green Makeovers - Energy Efficient Measures

The following list links the energy saving measures to the pages that give information on the recommended energy saving solutions:

Fitting draught proofing to homes will improve thermal comfort and reduce heating bills. External doors will benefit greatly from door draught seals
To comply with current standards, new or top-up loft insulation will be required in existing roofs. Loft Insulation fitted to current standards can save up to 25 per cent of a home's heating cost (Grants are available).

Retro fitting cavity fill insulation is the most economical way of insulating external walls. Approximately 35 per cent of heat lost from a home is through the external walls. (Grants are available).

The amount of heat lost through an un-insulated solid wall is more than double that of an un-insulated cavity wall. Insulated dry lining board can be applied to the inside face of an external wall to make the wall more energy efficient.

If you are planning to install or replace an existing heating boiler you should choose an efficient boiler. Replacing an old central heating boiler with a new 'A' rated condensing boiler can save about a third on heating bills (Grants are available).

The installation of a sophisticated domestic heating controls package on a central heating system can save up to 40 per cent on fuel costs. Domestic heating controls may be upgraded at any time but the most cost effective time is when the boiler is being replaced or when work is being carried out on the heating system.

The amount of heat lost through the windows and doors of a home can be as much as 25 per cent of the total heat loss. Expertly designed, assembled and installed triple glazed windows or double glazed windows will significantly reduce energy usage. Modern energy efficient windows offer extraordinary thermal performance.

Artificial lighting accounts for over 15 per cent of electricity use in most houses. Money can be saved by replacing the traditional, general lighting service bulbs, with the latest compact fluorescent low energy bulbs (Free bulbs and Offers are available).

These measures require monetary investment but all of them should give a reasonable return on that investment, through energy savings and lower energy bills, over a period of time