Dolmens Climate Action Network, in partnership with Action Renewables, held an excellent workshop last week exploring ways that homeowners can improve their homes to save energy. The workshop was designed to help local homeowners take their next step towards a warmer, more energy-efficient home. It was specifically aimed at those who have received a free Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) and home energy audit through the project to date, as well as members of the public who are eager to explore the benefits of retrofitting their homes. This work is part of the wider Sustainable Energy Communities Northern Ireland Project, funded by The National Lottery Community Fund and led by Advice NI.
Tommy Boyd from Action Renewables said that “while Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) are not perfect, they do provide recommendations on how to make your home more energy efficient.” He went on to say that “the main recommendations are usually around better insulation for doors, walls and roofs; replacement of old and draughty windows; replacement of old incandescent lightbulbs with LEDs; and smart heating controls such as ‘Hive’ that allow you to control the temperature of each room in the house and work via wifi so you can turn them off and on from anywhere.” Tommy gave an example, stating that “a house that added 4kW solar with a 5kW battery, heating controls and replaced thirteen windows would cost around £15,090, and would produce a yearly saving of £1,796, so would take about eight years to pay off.”
There was a lively Q&A session with questions on specific issues such as heat pumps and open fires. Tommy advised that ‘heat pumps replace heat lost and is how they are sized, working best with underfloor heating in well insulated houses’. ‘Open fires lose 28% of their heat up the chimney, and stoves or inset fires can reduce the heat loss’. However, the key questions were around grants and funding for upgrades. Michael Donnelly from Dolmens said that “Northern Ireland lags way behind England as we do not have as many grants available.” Tommy Boyd provided an information sheet outlining potential grants, explaining that “many are means tested but can be found on the energysavingtrust.org.uk website.”
Anita Watts demonstrated the Dolmen’s Energy Saving Kits, which can be borrowed free of charge from Castlewellan Library. Anita said, “It is important to understand how much energy each appliance uses, as I found I had an old freezer that was using a sixth of my energy!” Anita demonstrated each part of the kit, which includes a thermal leak detector “to find where you might be leaking heat to the outside”; a home electricity monitor “to see how much energy you are using each day”; and a plug-in monitor “so you can check on each appliance.”
Anita informed the audience that “the average shower takes eight minutes; cutting that down to four to five minutes saves energy and water, so the kit includes a shower timer to help the family realise how much hot water they are using.” She also explained that “the kit includes remote-control sockets that allow you to turn off all your plug-in appliances so you don’t leave them on standby, which can save you up to £55 a year.” Anita added, “if your radiators are cold then you may have an air bubble, so there is a radiator key to bleed the radiators to make them more efficient.” Anita promised that the kit comes with full instructions, so it is easy to use.
The Energy Saving Trust calculates that you can save £368 a year if you follow their top ten energy-saving tips. One tip is to put on a jumper – as that will make you up to three degrees warmer!