How to: Eco-up your home

Making your home more ecologically friendly means introducing measures that mean you use less energy. Some ways to eco-up your home are cheap and easy while others are more expensive and only cost effective over the longer-term.

The key areas where you can improve the energy efficiency of your home are hot water, heating, insulation, water conservation and lighting. These are the areas that affect your utility bills.

To cut heating and hot water costs householders can install solar panels. The two main types of solar panel systems are solar water heating and photovoltaic (PV) solar panels.
A solar water heating system uses solar panels fitted to your roof to heat water for use in the home. A typical system is able to provide you with around a third of your hot water needs - a saving of about £50 to £80 on your water heating bills each year.

An unshaded, south-facing location is necessary to install solar panels and the system will cost between £3,000 and £5,000. Some households will be able to cut the cost of installation with a grant from the Low Carbon Buildings Programme.

Adrian Kitching of solar panel firm Myplanet says a typical affordable solar thermal system can provide enough hot water for a family of two. "It's usually in the form of a flat plate collector that is simply installed on the roof," he explains, "You generally lose only one tile or slate for the pipe to go in to the loft.  The size is approximately 2m x 1m and this will save you 50% to 70% of the water heating part of your gas bill."

Alternatively, photovoltaic or PV solar panels generate electricity from the sun's energy rather than just heating your water. A PV solar electricity system is more expensive than a solar water heating system - between £8,000 and £14,000 depending on the type and size of the system - but the savings are greater too. The Energy Saving Trust estimates that a 2kWp-sized system can save you around £200 on your annual electricity bill and provide 40% of your electricity needs a year.

If you install PV solar panels you can also benefit from the Government's Feed-in Tariff initiative (also called the "clean energy cashback scheme"). This means that if you generate enough electricity to be able to feed some into the National Grid you'll receive a cashback payment.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change says a typical 2.5kW well-sited solar PV installation could offer a homeowner a reward of up to £900 and save them £140 a year on their electricity bill.

You can cut the amount of water you use by installing a rainwater harvesting system by a supplier such as Stormsaver. Rainwater harvesting systems work by taking the rain from roofs, filtering out leaves and debris, and then storing the water in a main storage tank, which can then be used for internal uses, such as in washing machines and toilet flushing, as well as outside uses like garden watering and vehicle washing.

Stormsaver manager director Michael Farnsworth says: "With mains water becoming an increasingly precious resource, due to increases in demand from our ever-growing population, rainwater harvesting can provide around 50% of a family's water needs. This not only saves water, but also saves money and reduces our impact on the environment."

Useful websites
www.energysavingtrust.org.uk
www.stormsaver.com
www.decc.gov.uk
www.myplanetuk.com
www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk
www.warmfront.co.uk

Expert opinion
By Jon McGowan - head of marketing & communications at the Energy Saving Trust

Moving in to a new home is a perfect time to think about how energy efficient your new property is. By using the information provided to you in the Energy Performance Certificate, part of the Home Information Pack, it can guide you to what areas around your home need improvements.

Through making your home more energy efficient it will not only help you reduce carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) but it will also save you money. In fact the Energy Saving Trust estimates that by making energy efficient improvements in your home you can save up to £300 year on year on your fuel bills.

Advice

• Insulating cavity walls, lofts, tanks and pipes can give you significant savings on your heating bills as well as reducing CO2 emissions. Even simple draught proofing to fill the gaps around your windows can help. There are also grants and offers available for people who want to make their homes more energy efficient.
• Consider a condensing boiler if you have a boiler 15 years or older. These boilers are the most energy efficient on the market and upgrading to a condensing boiler and full heating controls could save up to £235 per year.

Top tips

Turn the thermostat down
Turn down the thermostat wherever possible. Most homes are comfortable at about 21 o C. Make sure you don't have the heating on when you're not at home and put extra clothing on instead of turning up the heating.

Install double-glazing
Check that your windows are double glazed where possible - this can save you up to £135 a year on your heating bill and reduce the heat lost through your windows by half. If you live in a period or listed property, secondary glazing may be an alternative option.

Lighting
Lighting accounts for around 15% of the average electricity bill in the average home. Fitting just one energy saving light bulb can save you on average £2.50 a year - by swapping all the light bulbs in your home for energy saving ones you could save around £37 per year.

Use less water
Use less water by installing a low flush toilet or low water showerheads. Turn the tap off while you're brushing your teeth and take showers instead of baths. Also only use the washing machine or dishwasher when it's full rather than half-full.

Appliances
If you're buying a new kitchen appliance check its energy efficiency rating. The most efficient are A rated. Also, don't leave electrical items such as TVs or stereos on standby and don't leave gadgets such as mobile phones or ipods on-charge for longer than necessary.

Grants
Under the Warm Front initiative, the UK Government funds schemes providing up to £3,500 to households on certain benefits to improve their heating and energy efficiency. Visit warmfront.co.uk to check if you're eligible. Similar schemes run in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.