Posts Tagged energy

Save on those energy bills

August 13, 2008 at 1:07 pm · Filed under combi boiler ·Tagged ,

Energy economy and reducing energy use is essential to us all in present-day times. Ever increasing gas costs make it essential to get the most out of your boiler and central heating system. Whilst you use electricity and gas throughout your house you may find that up to one 50% of your energy charge relates to your central heating energy use. Every household should be able to contract its heating system bills by following out some of the tips we have outlined below.

turn off boilers in areas where you do not need it :
Gas central heating radiators are made to be switched on and off. Have a look at whether there are any rooms in your home which are not being used and switch off the radiator there. If an area of your home is not used frequently it really doesn’t need heating. closing the door to these rooms will also stop warm air leaking into them and chilled air flowing out.

turn off a fire if you are using the central heating :
The fire is not as efficient as the gas boiler and it will not heat the rest of your home. With coal or wood fires most of the heat disappears up the chimney, modern central heating systems are much more cost-efficient in heating your home than using an electric fire.

Stop those draughts with the correct insulation
Stop being cold air flowing into your home means that you do not have to pay for energy to continually heat the air. The first place to look will be your doors and ensure that any visible gaps are blocked off. There can be gaps between the window and door frames and a wall which are easily sealed with a foam based sealer. These type of gaps happen often in aging houses as the foundations settle. drafts can be hunted down by using a candle flame and checking when it flickers as you move around the room taking care not to spill any hot wax.

Don’t turn up the heating, put on more clothes :
Putting on a sweater will keep you warm rather than turning up the heating. A ten% reduction in your gas consumption can easily be achieved by reducing your room temperature by 1°.

Make best use on your curtains to control temperature :
The sun is very effective at heating your home in the wintertime, when shining, if you keep the drapes opened to allow it in. Outside temperatures drop at night time and your house can lose a lot of heat through the windowpanes. Drawing the drapes provides an insulating layer which helps stop this, this can can save you real money in the longer term. The thicker the drapes in the better.

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You must insulate your central heating hot water tank if you have one. A cylinder which is not insulated will quickly lose its heat and require you to pay to heat the hot water again.

The use of silver foil on the wall by your radiator can be used to reflect heat into the room rather than out into the wall and the outside.

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Calculate your carbon footprint

July 17, 2008 at 8:02 am · Filed under plumbing ·Tagged ,

You can calculate your carbon footprint at this site. Knowing how much carbon you output is the first step towards reducing your impact on the planet.
clipped from www.energysavingtrust.org.uk

The carbon cutter

We’ll help you calculate your carbon footprint and give you a personalised action plan so you can do your bit to help fight climate change. The carbon cutter uses the official data and carbon factors used in the ACT ON CO2 Calculator to give you your carbon footprint based on your lifestyle.

Before you start we recommend you have your energy bills, annual mileage and miles per gallon (if you drive a motor vehicle) to hand. You don’t have to have this information to answer our questions but it will help us to provide you with an even more accurate carbon footprint.

Act on CO2
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Heating System efficiency ideas

July 15, 2008 at 1:50 pm · Filed under plumbing ·Tagged ,

Central heating is the norm in most houses in the UK. With a couple of limited modifications to the heating controls the system can be made much more energy efficient. Firstly, a time switch or central heating programmer enables you to set central heating and hot water to come on only at periods when required. Your charges will be significantly reduced as you will only be using gas when it is actually needed.

Energy usage is cut by adding room thermostat to more finely control the universal temperature in the household. You will only be warming the room to keep it at the ideal heat level. TRV valves can be supplied to each radiator to finely manage individual room temperatures. This will enable you to give heating to rooms that need it rather than the whole house being heated to the same heat level.

Older central heating boilers have higher energy consumption charges when compared with the younger varieties. After fifteen years your boiler has seen its better days. All modern gas boiler systems are more energy efficient and use less fuel to run as they now integrate highly efficient designs and heat exchangers. The most efficient boilers in terms of saving money are called condensing heating boilers which use 30-40% less fuel. Exhaust gas warmth is used to warm cold water trimming the gas consumption profile of the heating boiler. Government awards are oftentimes obtainable for houses that install one of these form of new heating boilers.

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Fight back on expensive gas costs

June 26, 2008 at 1:49 pm · Filed under combi boiler ·Tagged

Trimming energy consumption is a popular theme in the press and tv. Gas expenses seem to be perpetually on the rise and it is therefore also financially helpful to make greater use of the gas you buy. The typical UK house spends close to 50% of it’s gas costs on gas heating system energy use. Every home should be able to cut its heating system charges by carrying through some of the tips we have outlined below.

Only use boilers when and where you need it :
Central heating radiators are made to be turned on and off. Have a look at whether there are any rooms in your home which are not being used and switch off the metal radiator there. If an area of your home is not used often it really doesn’t need heating. Seal the room off by shutting the door and you will have effectively shrunk your home and contracted your heating charges.

Prefer the combi gas boiler in preference to using a fire :
A fire is far less efficient than the central heating system. If you think about it the design of a fire incorporates a chimney which allows heat to escape to the outside, an electric fire is nowhere near as efficient as the gas heating system.

Cut down on drafts by use insulation
energy is wasted in homes due to poor insulation and drafts bringing chilly air into the home. The first place to look will be your doorways and ensure that any visible gaps are blocked off. Use a foam based sealer to close off any gaps between your door frame and the window frames where these meet the exterior wall. These type of cracks happen often in aging houses as the foundations settle. draughts can be tracked down by using a wax candle flame and checking when it flickers as you move around the room taking care not to drop any hot wax.

Ensure you are wearing warm clothes indoors :
If you are going to turn up the heating thermostat stop and consider whether it could be better to put on some extra clothing. You may not recognise it but a small 1° reduction in the room temperature can save a large ten% on your heating consumption.

Use the drapes effectively :
During the day time if the sun is shining keep the curtains on the sunny side of the house open to heat the interior of your home. Your windowpanes can be the cause of a lot of heat loss at night as outside temperatures decrease. Curtains can be an incremental form of insulation and this time and trim heat loss if they are closed, this can can save you real money in the longer term. The heavier the drapes in the greater.

Advice around the home :
Some combi gas heating systems have a hot water tank and this must be insulated. Do not pay to heat water and then permit it cool down during the daytime.

Don’t heat the walls of your house immediately at the rear of the radiators, aluminium foil can be used to reflect the heat cutting this heat loss.

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Central heating system cover options

June 16, 2008 at 1:32 pm · Filed under plumbing ·Tagged , ,

Having a gas boiler repaired after an unexpected problem can be really expensive. You will also be without heating or hot water while you wait for an engineer to turn up. To avoid these problems many people take out central heating boiler and heating cover.

You should check exactly what is covered before you buy one of these central heating system care plans. Provided you pay the monthly fee and a plumber will be available to visit and attempt to fix your boiler if you have a problem. Most central heating boiler care suppliers aim to do this within twenty four hours of your call, this is a best endeavours goal, no supplier will guarantee this response time although the service can be improved if you pay an extra regular fee. If you have young children or are elderly you may also find you are given priority without the payment of any extra regular fee.

While some policies provide only central heating insurance, many offer an array of extra options such as repairs for central heating, plumbing and drains even your electrical wiring. Including extra components will increase the monthly charge.

Choosing the appropriate central heating care care for you will depend on your circumstances. You may want to include care for your full central heating system rather than just the gas fired boiler. If your wiring is old you might want to incorporate wiring cover.

a twelve month central heating boiler service is included within most plans. Irregardless of whether your boiler plan incorporates a 12 month service or not we recommend that you ensure one is carried out. As badly maintained boilers can produce deadly carbon monoxide gases it is absolutely essential that you have a twelve month gas boiler service.

The lifespan operating costs of your boiler can be reduced through regular servicing and maintenance. Some gas fired boiler care suppliers will only offer cover if you have your central heating serviced regularly.

If you do decide to take out central heating cover check your policy for the after exclusions:

One hour parts and labour is all that is offered in some circumstances. You will have extra costs with this type of care if you have a serious breakdown.

Sometimes all the boilers are not covered by some types of plan. Obviously you need to check this before you purchase the care.

Current customers should also be wary. Your cover may cease once your central heating system has gone past a certain age.

Although changing boiler care providers is relatively easy, it is recommended that you select one that does not include a restriction on the age of the central heating boiler on renewal. With an older heating boiler you will have a restricted number of providers but probably a greater need for care.

The cover in some policy only extends to two gas boiler failures in any 12 months. If you can choose a boiler care plan with unlimited call outs.

To reduce your regular charge some suppliers offer a reduced monthly charge but charge an excess if you call them out. This could be a good alternative if you have a relatively new gas fired boiler.

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Save with a gas combi boiler

June 6, 2008 at 10:24 am · Filed under combi boiler ·Tagged , ,

Gas costs are up around the planet and it appears that gas bills cost more each year. One way of reducing heating costs is to review how you are wasting gas in the home. You could trim your gas costs by up to 35% if you put in a new gas-saving condensing combination boiler. Combi Boilers are efficient.

A central heating gas fired boiler needs to be able to deliver sufficient hot water to heat your house and furnish hot water for washing. Boilers have a life of fifteen years. If your boiler is nearing the end of its lifetime it could be very uneconomical in comparison to younger models. You can appraise the relative efficiency of boilers by looking at their SEDBUK evaluation, SEDBUK A ranking is the most efficient at 95% efficiency in pulling heat from the gas consumed. Combi Boilers are typically A rated.

Exchanging an aging heating boiler could save you in the long run through the elevated efficiency you will get. A new heating boiler should lead to a large reduction in your gas costs. The most familiar boiler type is a condensing combination boiler which is well suited to smaller families who don’t need large amounts of hot water in a short space of time. Your hot water storage cylinder becomes redundant with a combi boiler which heats water on demand. The slight disadvantage with immediate hot water is that there is a limited capacity meaning that large families may not be able to run multiple baths or showers at the same time.

A normal heating boiler heats the water and channels it to a storage cylinder for fast access. You will get heat loss and energy releases even though the hot water tank is insulated. Whilst storing the water means that great amounts of hot water are available from the tank it will take up precious space in your home.

60 % heating efficiencies are accessible to you by changing to a combi boiler which will heat water on need and not require the inefficient hot water storage tank. Another variant of the combi boiler is the combi condensing boiler which is able to extract waste heat from the exhaust gases and use this to heat water when called for. Clever use of this gas to heat the water on need means that this type of central heating boiler can further save on your heating bills.

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