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Saving Energy and Water

Go to Local Directory of suppliers for energy and water conservation and renewable energy technologies.


Our homes are contributing as much to climate change as road and rail transport. Our insulation, heating systems and many appliances are becoming more energy-efficient, but trends towards plasma screen TVs and air-conditioning are offsetting the gains. When buying a home, ‘green morals go out of the window when compared with considerations such as location, image and parking spaces’, to quote a developer. Prove him wrong. Energy performance certificates and star-rating of the sustainability of new homes are coming – insist on higher standards. From 14 December 2007 all homes put up for sale will need a Home Information Pack including an energy efficiency rating and recommendations for its improvement.

Saving energy not only helps to reduce climate change, it saves you money. In Wales householders waste £360 million a year - £120 per person. The Energy Saving Trust provides lots of domestic energy efficiency information and you can click here for tips from the South East Wales Energy Agency. An £80 Electrisave or similar meter will tell you a lot about how much electricity you are using.

But take care not to undo all the benefits of your energy savings by spending them on goods or activities that consume more energy.

Always turn off lights and appliances, including computers and monitors, when they are not in use (‘stand-by’ on the TV uses a third of that uses if turned on – an average home could save £130 a year by turning off all standby products). Laptop computers use one-tenth of the power of a desktop model. Turn down your central heating thermostat by just 1°C, saving an average of £50 on your bills, and set the timer to turn it off half an hour before bedtime; draw your curtains even if you have double-glazing; put a foil reflector behind radiators on outside walls.

Microwave cooking uses much less energy than a conventional oven.

Only heat as much water as you need when it is needed, above 60° (to avoid risk of Legionnaires Disease) but not so hot that you have to add cold water; have a good jacket on your hot water tank; avoid small loads and high temperatures in the washing machine (30-40° is usually enough) and dishwasher; avoid using a tumble drier if you can (they are spectacular energy users); shower rather than take a bath; boil cooking water in a kettle.

When replacing appliances consider the energy-efficiency rating (opt for smaller LCD TVs rather than larger plasma sets); and replace your light bulbs with energy-efficient ones (they cost more to buy, but use only about 20% of the electricity and last much longer).  The EU Energy Label must be shown on all 'white goods', even on the internet, and grades items from G (least efficient) to A; the Energy Savings Trust logo is awarded to goods that are rated even higher than A or to items like the most efficient domestic boilers and TVs.

Replacing a 15 year old boiler could cut your energy use by nearly a third. All new boilers must now normally be condensing boilers.

Apart from these economies, you should consider installing at least 270mm (10ins) of loft insulation (preferably recycled newspaper or UK wool), and cavity wall insulation. Loft insulation will save the average householder around £200 a year, so may pay for itself within a year if the installation cost is discounted (see next paragraph). Cavity wall insulation savings are likely to be £130-160 a year. Double glazing may save you £50 a year and draught-proofing another £10-20.

Home Insulation Grants may be available. If you are on certain benefits, allowances or tax credits you may be able to have the work completed free of charge (and central heating installed where none exists, or central heating repairs or conversions from solid fuel), and over 60s may be eligible for up to £500 worth of insulation measures. Contact the South East Wales Energy Agency Energy Efficiency Advice Centre on 0800 512012 or your energy supplier - discounts may be available even if you are not in the above categories, reducing the cost of loft or cavity wall insulation in a 3 bedroom semi to around £200.

If the boiler for your domestic heating system is more than 10 years old, it is probably time to think about investing in a more efficient new one, preferably a condensing boiler that could reduce your energy use by nearly a third. Which? magazine or www.boiler.org.uk  will help you make comparisons.


You can specify that your electricity be generated from a renewable source, such as wind turbines, by choosing the right supplier. Despite the huge potential for reducing carbon emissions, surprisingly few of us have yet done so, and it may not be more expensive. Visit www.greenenergyhelpline.com. Go to www.electricityinfo.org  to check how much of suppliers’ power is renewable and to www.greenelectricity.org  to check the green tariffs available. Use www.energywatch.org where there is a 'mix disclosure' table. The National Consumer Council recently concluded that Good Energy, offering customers 100% renewable energy for about 12% more than the standard tariff, offered the greenest deal. Others that did well were Scottish and Southern's RSPB energy deal and EDF's Green Tariff, but check the above sites or for up-to-date information. Green Energy UK is also well-reviewed. Scottish and Southern (includes Swalec) are planning an incentive scheme whereby credits are earned by taking efficiency measures.

Two thirds of the energy input into our centralised generation and transmission system is wasted by the time it reaches your home. You can generate your own renewable energy by such means as solar water heating, solar voltaic cells, small wind turbines and hydro systems. Visit www.lowcarbonbuildings.co.uk  to find out more about these microgeneration technologies and government grants (up to £2500) that may help you meet installation costs. You will need to check whether planning permission is required. Be sure that wind turbines on your property will produce enough electricity to justify the cost.

Micro CHP (combined heat and power) units are about the size of a washing machine and turn the heat that normally escapes through flues into electricity. For more information go to www.chpa.co.uk 


Wales is less threatened by water shortages than many other parts of the UK, but we should still consider conservation measures - climate change could soon lead to more frequent bans in Monmouthshire on the use of hosepipes, car washing, etc. Showers usually use less water than baths; dripping taps waste water (and energy if it’s a ‘hot’ tap); buy a toilet that allows you to vary the volume of the flush, or try reducing it by putting a water-filled plastic bottle in your cistern; buy a water-saving washing machine; collect rain water in butts connected to downpipes for gardening or car washing.


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