Despite the current economic climate and threats of a double dip recession, research by energy saving advice website, thinkinsulation.com, has found that although money saving is the main driver for the majority of home energy saving improvements, one in four households are prompted to improve the energy efficiency of their homes by concerns about climate change and the environment.
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The research also found that strong eco credentials were one of the purchasing criteria for 23 per cent of households when choosing energy efficient products such as loft insulation.
The research was released to mark this year’s World Environment Day (5th June 2012), which aims to highlight how the small changes that individuals make can play a huge part in delivering a sustainable green economy.
The report found that although over half of households had already made some energy efficiency improvements to their home, smaller home improvement measures are being overlooked in favour of higher value investments.
According to the research, 59 per cent of households invested in double glazing compared to just 30 per cent that had topped up their loft insulation and 26 per cent who had draught-proofed their home.
Lydia Sharples, from thinkinsulation.com, comments: “Our research highlighted that although some people are taking action to improve the energy efficiency of their properties, they aren’t always aware of the value of smaller home improvement measures such as installing loft insulation. It’s actually an easy DIY job that can be completed in less than a day, costs between £50 and £350 depending on the size of the loft, and it could save up to £175 per year on the average homes fuel bill.
“Other improvements that require a relatively small investment and little expertise had similarly little uptake - less than a quarter of households had insulated their hot water tank with a jacket and only a quarter had draught-proofed their home. Although home improvements such as installing double glazing or cavity wall insulation will provide a great return on investment, it’s important that smaller jobs aren’t overlooked as they can offer payback too.”
Thinkinsulation.com has compiled some top tips for World Environment Day to highlight small changes that can be made to improve the eco-credentials of a property, reduce carbon emissions and make it more attractive for a future buyer, whilst also reducing the day to day costs of running the home.
Thinkinsulation.com’s top five World Environment Day tips:
Draught-proof your home. Draught-proofing blocks up unwanted gaps that let cold air in and warm air out and is one of the cheapest and most efficient ways to save energy and money in the home. Full draught-proofing will save you on average £55 per year. Draught-free homes are also comfortable at lower temperatures – so you’ll be able to turn down your thermostat. This could save you another £60 per year.
Insulate your hot water tank. This is one of the easiest ways to save energy and money. It’s an easy DIY job that will cost around £15 if you do it yourself and will save around £40 per year on your fuel bills.
Install a room thermostat. Whatever the age of your boiler, the right controls will let you set your heating and hot water to come on and off when you need them, heat just the areas of your home you want, and decide how warm you want each area to be. If you don’t already have one, install a room thermostat – it will save you around £70 per year on your fuel bills.
Insulate your loft. About 25 per cent of heat in an un-insulated house escapes through the roof. Loft insulation is low cost and easy to install and the job can be completed yourself in a day. Opt for loft insulation with strong eco-credentials and great thermal performance. Space Insulation is a range of energy saving loft insulation products. All of the glass mineral wool insulation products in the range offer many superior environmental qualities as they are made using recycled glass bottles and with ECOSE® Technology, a unique formaldehyde-free binder based on rapidly renewable materials instead of petro-based chemicals.
Upgrade your shower head. If a family of four replace their inefficient shower head with a water-efficient one they could save around £72 off their gas bills and around £72 off their water bills (if they have a water meter) each year. That’s a total saving of £150.
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