Energy Advice

Act on Energy is dedicated to providing clear and practical advice for home owners looking to:

• Improve the energy efficiency of their home
• Make homes more comfortable
• Reduce energy bills
• Improve their environmental impact

All of these are inter-linked and actions which are undertaken for one area invariably have a positive effect on the other two areas.

For example loft insulation

Loft insulation will improve the energy efficiency of your home. As a result your home retains heat which means you will need to use less energy to keep your home warm; this reduces your energy bills. By using less energy you will release less CO2 into the atmosphere therefore helping the environment and climate change.

For more energy advice please click on the links below:

Things you can do

There is so much information available to home owners it is difficult to know where to start and in what order to make changes. There are also many schemes which may provide funding to you for some of the higher investment options.

We are here to help you decide what to do and provide advice as to the most suitable options for both your budget and your home.

However there are many things you can do straight away which will help achieve the three goals mentioned above and they will cost little to nothing.

Here is a list of small but effective measures you can take to save up to £250 or more per year.

Draught Excluders

• Buy draught excluders and proofing devices for your doors and windows.

• Make sure you cover your locks and have a draught excluder in your letter box. This could save you £20 per year

Lighting

• Use energy saving light bulbs and always switch off your lights when not at home or in a room. This could save you £18 per year per bulb.

Heating

• Only have your heating on when you are at home.

• Install reflective panels behind your radiators to push heat back into the room rather than allow it to be absorbed by the walls.

• Turn off radiators in rooms which are not used regularly. Turn down radiators rather than open windows if it's too warm.

Fridges and Freezers

• Keep the doors closed as much as possible. Letting heat into your fridge or freezer means that it has to work harder to remain cool. It takes three minutes to cool your fridge for every minute the door is open.

• Defrost them regularly to ensure maximum efficiency.

• Let hot food cool down before putting it in the freezer, again, the freezer has to work harder to keep the temperature down.

Washing

• Wash at 30 degrees not 40 degrees.

• Always wash full loads and hang clothes outside or on a drying rail, rather than using the tumble dryer

Shower

• Always shower and try to keep your shower between 3-5 minutes long. This could save you up to £50 per year

Toilet

• Install a Savaflush device. This reduces the amount of water used to flush your toilet and will save you money on your water bills.

Collect Rainwater

• Use collected rainwater to wash your windows and car

Water

• Only boil as much water as you need in your kettle and pans. This could save you £30 per year.

No more Stand-by

• Leave none of your appliances (where possible) and entertainment systems on standby this could save you £20 per year.

Insulate

• In order to really make a difference to your bills insulate your loft and walls. The current cost through subsidised schemes is around £200 each but each will save you up to £200 per year.

There are many more actions you can take to improve the energy efficiency of your home. Click on some of our other useful pages

• Saving Electricity
• Energy Saving Device
• Saving Energy
• Reduce Carbon Footprint
• Loft Insulation