Savvy Ideas... to beat the energy price hike

POWER TO THE PEOPLE
A new concept in affordable, clean energy has been launched and aims to reduce the cost of solar power by up to 50%.

Installing solar panels offers significant benefits including reduced fuel bills and a guaranteed income from the sustainable energy generated for the next 25 years. Before now, upfront costs, which can often be in excess of £10,000, have been a major barrier to fitting the panels. Sunny Britain is the first company to apply the group-buying idea made popular by Groupon to the solar energy market. By building online communities who live in the same area, Sunny Britain promise to offer significant discounts on the upfront cost and installation of solar panels, and in certain cases it will halve the cost.

By using the power of group buying, Sunny Britain hopes to generate clean, renewable energy, which will be accessible to a far larger number of environmentally minded, cost conscious homeowners.

How does it work?
To join a buying group online, go to sunnybritain.co.uk or call 0808 178 2454. If the scheme is open in your area, you will be contacted by Sunny Britain who will arrange a home assessment to check whether the roof is suitable for solar panels. Once enough homes have signed up to the scheme, it will start installing the panels. If the scheme isn't yet open in your area, Sunny Britain will get in touch once it is up and running.

 

THE OXYVENT TANK
It might sound like something a deep sea diver would use, but the Oxyvent Tank promises to cut fuel use, heating bills and carbon emission while heating a home more effectively. Small enough to fit into an airing cupboard, it also reduces maintenance costs in any home, either new or old, with a water-based system.

What does it do?
It forces radiators to radiate more heat into the centre of a room so you get the benefit of the heat, not the walls or a ceiling as happens with conventional systems. It forces heated water through radiators around three times faster making them heat up more evenly and warm rooms much quicker.

It enforces boiler temperature to be set below 60°C (65°C when heating water) so it uses much less fuel and will therefore reduce the cost of heating bills.
The tank also increases the efficiency of condensing boilers as the cooler water running through the system means the boiler will be in condensing mode much more of the time, once again saving money and fuel.

It makes hot water flow around the central heating system much faster, which fixes problems such as odd radiators in a home that don't work or radiators with cold areas.
It takes the air out of a central heating system so there is no need to bleed radiators, and it radically reduces corrosion in the radiators, reducing the build up of sludge, which will need power flushing.

HOW MUCH ENERGY AND MONEY DOES IT SAVE?
The Oxyvent was tested by Trinity College Dublin and they found that people felt 30% more comfortable in a room heated by a boiler with the tank installed set to 63°C than when the boiler was set to 74°C without Oxyvent. Figures show that Oxyvent could save up to 30% on energy bills, which is good news for homeowners.

The Oxyvent Tank costs £560 plus VAT and is simple for a professional plumber to install.
oxyvent.com

 

GET INSULATED
Houses built before 1930 usually have either solid masonry walls, concrete walls or metal or timer panelling. These homes can lose around 45% of their heat if the walls are not insulated. Saving money on heating bills and reducing the carbon footprint must be high on the list of priorities as winter approaches. The National Insulation Association has published an advice leaflet that has everything you need to know about solid wall insulation, including the different types available, financial savings and all the advantages. National Insulation members offer a free home survey and can advise on the most suitable type of insulation for the home, as well as give details of any grants or subsidies householders might be entitled to.

To download a copy of the leaflet, go to nationalinsulation
association.org.uk or call 01525 383313 for a paper version.

ALL LIT UP
Energy-saving lightbulbs use up to 80% less electricity than a standard bulb but produce the same amount of light. B&Q has just launched a new range of LED bulbs that will last between 15 and 25 years and are far cheaper than they used to be. You can get six LED lightbulbs for just £8.98, and they will last for 25 years! B&Q also do a dimmable LED lightbulb and a colour changing bulb, which was never possible to produce in the past.

Bulbs pictured above, left to right:
GLS 2W ES warm white, 15W equivalent, £8.98; GLS BC warm white, 50W equivalent, dimmable, lasts 25 years, pack of four, £32.98; GLS ES warm white, 50W equivalent, dimmable, lasts 25 years, £32.98; GLS 0.5W ES colour changing, lasts 25 years, pack of six, £7.98; Round 0.5W colour changing ES, lasts 25 years, pack of six, £7.98; GLS 2W ES warm white, 15W equivalent, lasts 25 years, pack of six, £8.99; GLS ES warm white, 40W equivalent, pack of six, £8.98; GLS 2W ES warm white, 15W equivalent, lasts 25 years, pack of six, £8.98.