New data reveals that Edinburgh North and Leith residents would be able to save an estimated average of £1,294 through Government-funded home insulation and heat pump installation
On weekends throughout February and March, Greenpeace Edinburgh spoke to people in Edinburgh about their energy bills, and the solutions to the cost of living and climate crisis.
Residents wrote eight messages to Deirdre Brock, MP for Edinburgh North and Leith, about their worries. These messages will be delivered next week, as part of the Warm This Winter mass lobby.
Local people also used the Affordable Energy Calculator [1] to see how much money they would save on their energy bills if our homes were well insulated and had cheaper, cleaner energy.
Carrie from Newhaven wrote: ‘Help to combat energy costs has helped but costs are still too high. Funding for new home-owners to help insulate windows is needed.’
Mark, a resident in North Edinburgh, wrote: ‘It would be great to see someone in the government stand up for lower energy bills and preparing homes for becoming sustainable and economical to maintain.’
Another local, Ros, wrote: ‘We need to prioritise those who need help during this time and make the cost of living crisis a lot more manageable than it currently is.’
Ian, a volunteer from Leith said: ‘The messages that people in Edinburgh North and Leith have written to Deirdre Brock MP show how people are still having to choose between heating and eating.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. We need the Government to commit more money for home insulation and heat pumps to make our homes warmer, our bills cheaper and our carbon emissions lower.’
Keeping the Energy Price Guarantee at £2,500 per month rather than raising it to £3000 is welcome but 7.5 million households in the UK will continue to be in fuel poverty from 1st April. If the Government makes the investment necessary to meet their currently unfunded 2030 targets for insulation, and support a UK heat pump programme, a typical UK home would see a difference of £1,832 a year, with savings ranging from around six hundred to several thousand pounds.
Data from the Affordable Energy Calculator shows that people in Edinburgh North and Leith could save an estimated average of £1,294 on their energy bills by 2030.
Hugh who lives in this constituency said: “‘I live in a rented flat in Leith and I was amazed to see that I would save £1,083 on my energy bill in 2030 if my home was properly insulated and was powered by a heat pump.
“I’d definitely recommend checking out the Affordable Energy Calculator to see how much you could save if the Government funded a UK-wide home insulation and heat pump programme.’
Ian added: “On 31st March, Greenpeace volunteers and other constituents have invited Deirdre Brock to meet as part of the Warm This Winter Coalition’s mass lobby.
“We are asking Deirdre Brock to pledge to call for the expansion of Government-funded home insulation schemes, heat pump installation, more investment in renewable energy, and further support for vulnerable households with their energy bills.
“If you live in Edinburgh North and Leith, we’d love for you to join us in inviting Deirdre Brock to meet, or if you live elsewhere, check out the online map [below] to see if a meeting has already been organised with your MP.”
In partnership with the leading environmental charity Changeworks, the City of Edinburgh Council is helping homeowners transform the energy efficiency of their homes.
Making 166 homes in Oxgangs warmer and fit for the future by improving external wall insulation, more than 50 properties have already received major improvements with over a hundred others to be completed by the Spring.
Funding is provided by the Scottish Government through the Energy Efficient Scotland; Area based Scheme (EES:ABS). These area-based schemes are designed and delivered by councils with local delivery partners. They target fuel-poor areas to provide energy efficiency measures to a large number of Scottish homes while delivering emission savings and helping to reduce fuel poverty.
The schemes in Oxgangs are helping households make major improvements to their home at a significantly lowered cost. Some households even qualify to have the work done for free, completely removing the financial burden for households at a time when that relief could not be more needed. Installing insulation makes it cheaper and easier to heat the home, meaning householders can expect to save on their heating bills.
Oxgangs is an area that does suffer from a higher rate of poverty than other areas of the city and all houses included in the project are in Council Tax bands A to C. This project, with a total funding of £1.9 million, is targeted at reaching those most in need. The EES:ABS scheme is open to private householders and mixed tenure blocks have been targeted too, benefitting both social housing tenants and private householders. The Council is directly funding the works to Council homes.
Councillor Jane Meagher, Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener, said:Most of the homes in the area are receiving external wall insulation which means their homes will keep more heat in. This is important because it means more Oxgangs residents are going to see their homes stay warmer for longer, at a time when temperatures are low but energy bills are worryingly high.
As people become more conscious of their energy use, these projects will have a real impact – both on the planet and Edinburgh’s net zero goals and on the lives of homeowners and tenants who need this support now, more than ever.
One resident who received the external wall insulation is Catherine Murray, who says she’s “delighted” with the difference it’s made. She said:“My house is warmer, much warmer, it’s really noticeable. I don’t need the heating on as much, I put it on in the morning and then the house is fine until I put it on again at about 7 or 8 until I go to bed. If I’m in the living room, it contains the heat.
“We’re on the main road and the people that pass stop and look, it’s amazing. People stop to comment on it.
“It really brightens the place up, I don’t get out much anymore but when I do, it makes you feel better when you do come into the area, you can really see the difference between the ones that have been done and the ones that haven’t been done, it’s great. I really appreciate the work that’s been done.”
Most of the homes in the area are receiving external wall insulation installed by contractor SERS. Not only does this mean that their homes will keep more heat in, keeping them warmer for longer and requiring less energy to heat, it provides a complete refresh of the outside of the property too.
With it being an external insulation measure, there’s no work done inside the house.
Alongside the Oxgangs project which is currently underway there are four other retrofit schemes in Edinburgh which form part of the EES:ABS 2022/23 programme.
These include an external wall insulation and solar PV scheme in Gilmerton, a fabric improvement programme in Murrayburn and Drumbryden, a citywide internal wall insulation roll out and hard-to-treat cavity and solar PV works across the EH16 and EH17 postcode areas.
To register your interest in similar schemes should they become available in your area, fill in this simple online form.
With daylight saving time due to end this Sunday 30 October and with the colder months edging closer, it is worthwhile for homeowners to carry out a few basic checks around their properties now and pre-empt any problems further into winter.
Darran Smith, technical manager for home heating expert Alpha, shares a simple checklist for homeowners to use and help keep their homes warm and cosy throughout the longer nights and winter season …
“Homeowners are advised to get their boilers serviced once every year, however latest research from the Gas Safe Register reveals that almost one third (31%) of UK homeowners skip their annual gas safety checks.
“Whilst it might be tempting to forgo this vital check when faced with the impulse to cut households costs, an annual boiler service can actually ensure that your home heating system is operating at its most efficient through the winter months. Just be sure that the inspection is carried out by a qualified gas safe registered engineer.
“Alongside this, homeowners can carry out a few simple checks in and around the home, especially in preparation for the upcoming longer nights. Worryingly, almost two thirds (63%) do not check and replace batteries in their home carbon monoxide detector.
“Carbon monoxide leaks have been known to cause 40 deaths a year in England and send an additional 4,000 to A&E annually. This is just an example of how important regular safety checks are, not only regarding carbon monoxide detectors, but smoke alarms too.
“Inside the home, examine window and door frames to ensure they remain weathertight and use weather stripping or caulking to combat any draughts, cracks or leaks.
“Check the loft to make sure it is weathertight and top up the insulation where needed. Inspect your entire plumbing system for leaks and insulate any exposed pipes to reduce the risk of them bursting when temperatures dip below zero. Warm air can even escape through your chimney, installing a chimney draught-excluder could save you some extra money on the energy bill this year.
“Outside, visually inspect your roof for damage and clean gutters and downpipes to prevent the build-up of leaves. Make sure windowsills are clear so water will drain away properly and check outside drains for pooling of water or blockages. Consider turning off exterior taps and draining/disconnecting hose pipes when the freezing temperatures set in. And with the nights now drawing in, it’s a good idea to inspect any outside lights to keep pathways safe and visible.
“Finally, there are additional routine tasks you can carry out beyond the boiler service to keep everything within your home heating system running smoothly and efficiently. Bleed radiators and review thermostat settings to save energy and money while keeping the temperature in your most frequently used rooms at a comfortable level.”
For more practical tips to reduce your heating bills, check out Alpha Heating Innovation’s handy online guide.
From small jobs to big changes, here are our top tips for cutting your energy bills
WHICH? consumer research found that in August 2022, 65% of households cut back, dipped into savings or borrowed money in order to cover essential spending. And with most people’s gas boilers whirring into action this month as the temperature drops, outgoing expenses are only increasing.
Our experts have identified a variety of ways to reduce your heating energy bills this winter.
The big things can drastically change how much energy you use every year, while the small things can cheaply make an immediate dent in your bills during a time where a bit of help goes a long way.
Sometimes it’s simply a matter of using a new boiler setting or spending 15 minutes plugging a gap in your home that provided a welcome breeze during the summer heatwave. We’ve also listed a few more expensive, longer-term fixes. If you do feel able to, it’s worth thinking about whether any of these could suit your home.
Read on for our top tips for getting ahead this winter.
Emily Seymour, Which? Energy and Sustainability Editor, said:“Many people will be looking to save money by reducing their energy use this winter. Some easy ways to cut your bills include using radiator valves to make sure each room of your house is only ever as warm as you need it to be.
“If your home has a single room thermostat, it should be set at the lowest comfortable temperature as heating bills will rise by about 10 per cent for every additional degree you turn it up.
“Combi boiler owners can try turning its flow temperature down and the preheat setting off. Tap water will initially come out cool before it heats up, but you’ll be wasting less energy.
“If you have a hot water cylinder, you can’t make use of low flow temperatures. Instead, insulate your hot water tank with a jacket no less than 75mm thick and make sure you’ve got lagging on pipes.
“Simple steps like placing weatherproofing tape over gaps or putting down a draught excluder can guard against heat loss.”
Boilers are easy to cast as a cost-of-living villain. They’re big, sometimes noisy, most of them run on fossil fuels, and they can have a big impact on your energy bills – in fact, in most homes the boiler is the one single thing that uses up the biggest portion of your annual energy bill.
But a central heating system that’s working efficiently and using energy proportionate to your home’s heating need is still the best way to heat your home during the coldest months of the year.
For most people, the priority should be making your boiler cost less to use, and not deferring to replacements like portable heaters.
There’s a lot you can do to make your heating run more efficiently:
Get your boiler serviced. This will reduce the chance of a costly emergency repair and keep a new boiler in warranty. Plus, a well-maintained central heating system will run more efficiently, and you can ask your boiler engineer about whether your boiler’s settings can be toggled to run more cheaply. If you rent, you are within your rights to ask your landlord to arrange a boiler service every year.
Toggle pre-heat off. Combi boilers use water on demand, but sometimes they pre-heat water so it’s ready to get to taps quicker. This is nice, but it will keep your boiler burning more than it needs to.
Bleed your radiators – or ask an engineer to do it if you prefer – and install thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) onto them so you can turn radiators off in rooms you don’t often use (more on this below).
Combi boiler owners should look at their flow temperature. You can save up to 8% on your heating bill by turning down the temperature of the water that gets circulated around your radiators. If your boiler heats this water to its max, your boiler won’t even condense, which means it’s running inefficiently.
The Heating & Hot Water Industry Council (HHIC) recommends that people adapt their boiler settings with the advice of a boiler engineer. This is particularly true if you have a system or regular boiler that keeps water stored in a tank. Because stored water needs to be heated a certain amount to avoid Legionnella bacteria, you should only change settings with professional advice if you have one of these.
However, if you have a combi boiler, you’ve made sure it’s safe and you’ve checked your boiler’s technical manual, you can adjust these settings yourself.
This setting is accessible to anyone and it can be changed using your boiler controls. The flow temperature for heating is generally symbolised by a little picture of a radiator, and for hot water, a picture of a tap. Up and down arrows will change the temperature settings.
It recommends a 55°C setting, but we suggest starting a bit higher initially to see if you’re comfortable with the change.
3. Insulate your boiler’s hot water cylinder and pipes
if you have a boiler with a hot water tank, the advice above doesn’t apply. That’s because boilers that store water in a tank usually can’t manage the efficiency gains of combis as they’re not well suited to running low flow temperatures without modification.
You shouldn’t change the flow temperature of a regular or system boiler with a hot water cylinder without consulting an engineer, because your boiler must be able to pasteurise stored water effectively to avoid bacteria such as Legionella developing.
However, that doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can do to improve your boiler’s efficiency. You’ll be using a lot of energy to heat up the water in your storage cylinder, and you don’t want to lose out on any of that. So make sure the cylinder itself is well insulated. This can be as easy as buying a jacket for about £20. It should be no less than 75mm thick according to industry standards.
You can also lag the pipes that carry water around your home for around £5 a metre. Water loses a lot of heat in transit, so it’s a small expenditure for a good long-term saving. It’s particularly useful to do it for the pipes coming in and out of the cylinder.
Lagging pipes will also reduce the risk of them freezing in a cold spell, which can be costly to repair.
Smart technology isn’t for everyone, but if you do like using your phone, tablet or voice assistant for managing your home, then a smart thermostat will give you easy and precise control over your central heating.
They’re designed to provide automation to help you use your heating at the best times. Whether it’s toggling your boiler when you’re nearby to benefit from it, learning your routine so it can predict the optimal times to run or even checking the weather forecast to anticipate increases and decreases in heating need, smart home heating is becoming increasingly clever.
While many of these features are designed for your comfort, rather than your wallet, smart thermostats really come into their own when it comes to making savings if you set up zonal heating with compatible radiator valves.This means you can vary the routine and temperature of different rooms so you’re not wasting energy by heating rooms at the wrong times.
For example, you might want to programme your kitchen to get a burst of heating in the morning before you put the kettle on and your living room to be warmest in the early evening, while you’re happy for your bedroom to stay cold all day until you’re about to go to bed. All of these adjustments mean you’re saving crucial kilowatts by never heating a room you’re not actually using.
Since the introduction of new legislation in 2018, new gas boilers need to come with one of four energy-saving add-ons. Smart heating controls are one of them. But if you have an older boiler you can still buy and install a smart thermostat separately.
If smart tech isn’t for you, you can still make significant improvements by installing manually operated thermostatic radiator valves, or TRVs. They control the heat of your home by adjusting how much hot water flows through the radiator they’re fitted to, so you can make sure each room of your house is only ever as warm as you need it to be.
It works by sensing the room temperature and opening or closing the valve as appropriate.
The numbers on TRVs determine how much a radiator is allowed to heat up. They correspond more to a level of comfort than a specific temperature, but as a rough guide the following applies:
0
Off
* (the maintenance setting)
The radiator will turn on as a protective measure when the temperature nears 0°C.
1
Approximately 12°C, a low room temperature for an unoccupied room
2
Approximately 16°C, a lukewarm heat for an occupied room.
3
Approximately 20°C, a comfortable heat for an occupied room.
4
Approximately 24°C, a warm heat for an occupied room.
5
The valve is fully open.
Use trial and error. We recommend using settings two and three to try and cut heating use, knowing that you can go higher if you’re feeling chilly.
If you’ve also turned down your boiler’s central heating flow temperature, you might find you need to open your TRVs to higher settings to reach comfortable temperatures.
Smart radiator valves can work with smart thermostats to do this automatically. Some of them also take temperature readings to fine-tune your thermostatic system.
6. Turn your thermostat down a little
It’s age-old advice, and for people who are already frugal with their heating it may not apply. But each degree you turn your thermostat down is energy saved. According to the NHS, temperatures as low as 18°C are healthy for most people.
The Energy Saving Trust claims that turning your thermostat down by one degree can save you up to 10% off your heating bill. Realistically, a lot of variables affect this, but even one degree lower will move your bills in the right trajectory.
For older people, Age UK reminds that very low temperatures can increase your risk of flu or other breathing problems, and can raise your blood pressure. When you’re older, your blood pressure takes longer to return to normal once you get cold. Try to make sure you’re keeping at least one room at a comfortable temperature for you, and keep the doors closed as much as you can to keep that room as warm as possible.
7. Only use electric heaters sparingly
We’re often asked whether people should turn off their heating completely and replace it with electric heaters. Unfortunately, it’s unlikely to be cost effective over long periods of time.
Portable electric heaters use electricity to warm the air by convection, either with an exposed heating element, or with a radiator design that transfers heat from the element through a system of fins.
They are great at providing a quick heating fix for a short period of time, such as for a 10-minute blast on a particularly freezing morning. And if your central heating system isn’t working, they’re reliable back-ups.
It’ll take a portable heater between 15 – 30 minutes to raise the temperature of a medium-sized room by 10ºC at full blast. After that it will toggle on and off as needed to maintain temperature, based on its thermostat.
Remember that you pay for energy by the unit. With the current price cap, electricity is much more expensive than gas. So be prudent when you use your electric heater in place of gas.
They usually have rated outputs of 2 or 3kW – that’s how many they’d get through in an hour on full blast. For reference, that’s about the same amount of energy as a kettle. Heaters do generally have settings that let them run at lower outputs too.
If you’re on a standard variable tariff, the average unit price for dual fuel customers is 34p per/kWh for electricity and 10.3p per/kWh for gas. That means that a 2kW portable heater at its full output would use 34p of electricity every half an hour.
If you’re short on cash, there are things you can do right now to plug in gaps in your home and hold onto your heat.
You can draught proof any gaps in your home, whether that’s keyholes, postboxes, door cracks, cavities near doors and windows, or gaps around electrical outlets and pipes. Just remember that homes do need some ventilation, so make sure you leave any purpose-built vents clear, such as window trickle vents or grills in wodden flooring.
Draught-proofing may involve putting down tape or a draught excluder where there’s a draft. Even something basic like a door snake is a help in the war against heat loss. Many of these solutions cost less than a tenner, or can be homemade.
Other tools include:
Adhesive weatherproof tape made of PVC or foam to go around doors and windows.
Threshold seals to go on either side of doors.
Letterbox excluders with brush pile material.
Thermoplastic rubber (TPR) to fit flexibly into door and window cavities.
Pillows designed to fit inside an open chimney to block off draughts when it’s not in use.
One visit to a DIY shop can provide you with several small solutions that don’t break the bank and can be installed yourself.
While individual draught-proofing measures are unlikely to save huge sums from your energy bills in isolation, collectively they will make your home feel more pleasant and cosy to be in. You might even find you can comfortably turn your thermostat down a degree.
In the long run, the key way to keep energy bills low is to trap as much as possible of the heat we generate inside our homes.
If you have the money to do it, insulation is a very good long-term investment. As energy bills go up, the time it takes to see a return on your investment becomes shorter. The Energy Saving Trust estimates that having a professional install loft insulation in a typical semi-detached home would cost around £480 in October 2022, but once it’s done you’d save £355 a year on your energy bills. So in less than 18 months you’d be making a saving.
Professional installation in a detached home would cost more – around £630 – but the savings are as much as £590 a year. And you’ll be saving around 1,000kg CO2 emissions from being released.
So it’s a win-win: you’ll waste less energy and be able to run central heating more cheaply – and break even relatively quickly.
Plus, you’ll be ready for whatever comes next. The central heating options of the future will operate more cheaply if homes can retain heat. Technology like heat pumps are able to operate efficiently because they’re designed for well insulated properties.
Floor insulation usually comes next, and it can reportedly reduce heat loss by 15%.
Cavity wall insulation is useful for properties built in the last century. It’s injected into the gap between your outer and inner walls.
Solid wall insulation can be placed within or outside a wall that’s not eligible for cavity wall insulation. It’s very expensive to install, so a longer term investment.
The energy efficiency of your home or of the home you’re renting is quantified by an EPC certificate. Find out how to get assessed and what the ratings mean here.
10. Update windows with double glazing or alternatives
Windows are a source of heat loss in any home. But if you have single glazing, you’ll notice you need much more energy to heat your home sufficiently. Double or even triple-glazing windows will reduce your heating needs dramatically.
Installing A-rated double glazing could save between £95 and £115 a year on the heating bill of a typical home. However, it doesn’t come cheaply.
We ask Which? members to rate the double glazing companies they’ve actually used.
If you need a quick fix and don’t have the money to spend, window foam seal, foam sealant or metallic brush strips can all help.
We’ve tested secondary glazing film in the past, like clingfilm for your windows, but we thought it wasn’t very resilient. It also needed re-stretching with a hair dryer periodically.
Thick curtains across windows can make a big difference too. Drawing them creates a barrier between your room and the elements and keeps your heat inside.
11. Explore home grants
If you’re replacing your heating system, the government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme helps you to decarbonise with a heat pump if your home has no outstanding insulation recommendations.
With the latest price cap, a heat pump needs to run at an efficiency of 280% to have parity with a gas boiler’s running costs. Heat pumps can run at 300-400% efficiency, so they can prove cheaper to run.
Other grants can help if you’re in a vulnerable situation, such as:
Cold weather payment to top-up your energy bills during cold snaps.
Winter fuel payment to help people born before September 1955 pay their energy bills.
Fuel Direct lets you deduct essential bills directly from income support, Universal Credit and other assistance available to you. The amount is decided by Jobcentre Plus or your pension centre.
The government’s 2022 Energy Price Guarantee and Energy Bill Support Scheme will both provide households in the UK with a bit of extra help this winter.
An additional £18 million will be available this year to help householders install energy efficient measures and reduce their heating bills, bringing the total support available through Home Energy Scotland to £50 million in 2021-2022.
People in Edinburgh and across the country are being urged to seek support and advice from Home Energy Scotland to help make their homes warmer and reduce their heating bills, on average by up to £300 per year.
Financial support worth up to £5,000 is also available to make homes more energy efficient through improvements like home insulation or a new heating system.
Home Energy Scotland also supports households with practical advice and, where appropriate, install energy efficient measures – making homes more energy efficient and saving householders money.
Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings Patrick Harvie, said:“As the colder weather returns and given the concern around rising energy bills, we want to ensure people living in Edinburgh and around Scotland are aware of the support available to keep their homes warm this winter.
“Home Energy Scotland offers advice, support and funding to help people make energy saving improvements, helping them reduce their energy costs.
“The free impartial advice and support is available for anyone concerned about paying their energy bills and we would urge people struggling with their fuel bills to get in touch with Home Energy Scotland.”
Recent research by Home Energy Scotland shows that 70% of people in Scotland feel concerned about energy bills rising, with almost two thirds using more energy than usual during the first 12 months of the pandemic. The research also found that 59% of Scots have noticed a worrying rise in their energy bills already.
Harry Mayers, Head of Home Energy Scotland said:“24,000 households across the country including Edinburgh have already benefited from new energy efficient measures, like a new heating system or insulation, by getting in contact with Home Energy Scotland.
“But with people spending more time at home over the past 18 months due to coronavirus, energy usage has been greater than ever. We therefore want to be able to help even more people to make energy saving improvements to their home.
“A home that isn’t well insulated can lose more than 50% of its heat through its roof and walls so making improvements can help your finances and make your home more energy efficient, comfortable and cheaper to heat while helping lower emissions in Scotland”.
There is no doubt that making simple changes in our everyday lives can reduce our impact on the environment.
Currently, around 15% of Scotland’s carbon emissions come from gas boilers in our homes being used for heating and hot water. However, cutting down on your carbon emissions and energy usage is much easier than you think.
From minimising household waste to installing eco-friendly heating solutions, there are plenty of ways to help reduce your impact on the environment, and if you’re looking to make a long-term investment, a heat pump could significantly reduce your bills and your carbon footprint.
Richard McLaren from The Natural Energy Company in Fife, which is part of eco-heating brand Daikin UK’s Sustainable Home Network, shares six easy tips to help you become more sustainable:
Insulate and draught-proof your home
Insulation and draught-proofing your home are the most effective ways to save energy and costs, as your heating system will then need to use less energy to keep your home warm and cosy. You can stop cold air coming in and warm air escaping by using items draught excluders, which many high-street and online stores sell. Insulation of your home to as high a level as possible will result in lower bills and higher comfort levels.
Swap your light bulbs to LEDs
Old school incandescent bulbs use up a lot of energy and are no longer manufactured. Instead of buying old stock, why not try using energy-saving LED lightbulbs? They are the most energy-efficient bulbs and use 90% less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs. There is no need to worry about brightness – they are just as good as other bulbs and can even save you money on your energy bills.
Install a heat pump
Investing in a greener alternative to your oil or gas boiler, such as a heat pump, could significantly cut your heating bills and lower your carbon footprint. A well designed and skilfully installed heat pump system will save many tonnes of CO2 per year and is a fantastic way of reducing your carbon footprint.
Heat pumps are a well-established technology that can be installed efficiently and quickly into your home. Homeowners can also apply for an interest free loan through Home Energy Scotland to help with the installation of a heat pump, along with 75 per cent cashback to the value of £7,500, so now is the perfect time to consider switching to an eco-friendly alternative for heating.
Reducing water usage
Typically, the less hot water you use, the lower your energy bills will be. There are many ways to reduce your household usage such as installing a timer that turns off your electric water heater at night or when it’s not in use. Simple changes such as turning off the tap when brushing your teeth, taking shorter showers, repairing leaking pipes and doing a cold clothes wash, will all help reduce the amount of water and energy you’re using.
Consider eating less meat
Eating less meat is crucial for a healthy planet as meat production creates large quantities of greenhouse gases. Reducing meat and moving to a more plant based diet will make a positive contribution to combating climate change, and will reduce soil, air and ocean pollution.
Recycle, Refill and Reuse
The main benefit of recycling is that it saves energy by reducing or eliminating the need to make more materials from scratch. Brush up on your local council’s recycling rules and investigate local refill stations where you can refill your cleaning products and food containers, therefore removing any packaging or additional waste. Investigate eco alternatives to chemical based cleaning products which further harm the environment.
“Too many children across Scotland are growing up in cold homes, with fuel poverty affecting four in every ten households.” – Martin Crewe, Barnardo’s Scotland
An alliance of civic organisations has called on the Scottish Government to end the blight of Scotland’s draughty, unhealthy homes by 2025. The call has been welcomed by the Scottish Greens, who say the government must go ‘further and faster’ to address the issue.
The Existing Homes Alliance, whose membership includes the Church of Scotland and the Federation of Master Builders, says the Scottish Government must take a long-term approach to improving the energy efficiency of Scotland’s buildings.
By doing so many benefits will be realised, including helping to reduce fuel poverty, cutting household fuel bills, lowering climate change emissions, creating jobs and preventing ill-health.
The call follows a June announcement by the Scottish Government that it intends to make home energy efficiency a National Infrastructure Priority.
The Alliance groups are calling for the Scottish Government to set an ambitious goal for that project, by committing to a goal that by 2025 all homes in Scotland are at least an Energy Performance Certificate band ‘C’.
Alan Ferguson, Chair of the Existing Homes Alliance said: “It was great to see the Scottish Government’s commitment to make energy efficiency a National Infrastructure Priority. This is vital if we as a nation are to end fuel poverty blighting our homes and step up to the challenge of climate change. However, we now need to see concrete proposals and clear goals from the Scottish Government to make this happen. These should include a goal of helping all homes reach a C energy performance standard by 2025, and a commitment to major long-term funding to support investment in energy efficiency.”
Martin Crewe, Director of Barnardo’s Scotland said: “Too many children across Scotland are growing up in cold homes, with fuel poverty affecting four in every ten households. The comprehensive Marmot review showed that this more than doubles their chances of suffering respiratory conditions like asthma, as well as impacting adversely on mental health, educational attainment and emotional wellbeing.
“Supporting all homes to reach a C standard will improve the physical and emotional health of families across Scotland and help to improve the life chances of Scotland’s most vulnerable children.”
Grahame Smith, STUC General Secretary added: “Improving the energy efficiency of Scotland’s homes is a huge opportunity to build a stronger economy and a more just Scotland. Research shows that bringing all homes up to at least a C energy performance standard would create 8-9,000 jobs a year distributed across communities in Scotland, new training and skills development opportunities and offer an excellent return on investment in generating employment and economic growth compared to other infrastructure investments.”
Alison Johnstone MSP, Health and Wellbeing spokesperson for the Scottish Greens, welcomed the call from the alliance to radically improve the energy efficiency of Scotland’s housing.
She said: “This call is very welcome and shows the need for government to go further and faster to tackle the blight of Scotland’s draughty, unhealthy homes.
“Last year Scottish ministers agreed with me that energy efficient housing should become a national infrastructure priority. During discussions on the 2015-16 budget Scottish Greens pressed for action, resulting in an extra £20million for fuel poverty measures. This was welcome but still way below what is required. 40 per cent of Scottish households are in fuel poverty.
“At the Scottish Greens conference at the weekend we announced our intention to push for 6,500 apprenticeships to support the delivery of this national priority. The Existing Homes Alliance aim that by 2025 all homes are at least an Energy Performance Certificate band ‘C’ is ambitious but necessary if we’re serious about tackling fuel poverty, climate change emissions and preventing ill-health.”
How much money could you save by turning your thermostat down by 1°C, or not leaving your electrical appliances on standby? How much electricity can you save by washing your clothes at 30°C?
Answer correctly and you could cut £155 or more off your energy bills, and have a chance to win £100 or £50 in gift vouchers, in a prize draw being run by Home Energy Scotland.
The answers are among five useful tips included in a quiz leaflet, ‘Your chance to win – and reduce your energy bills.’
Watch out for the leaflet in Council mailings or call Home Energy Scotland free for a copy on 0808 808 2282.
Jill Fenton, Manager at Home Energy Scotland advice centre in the South East said “This quiz shows how easy it is for people to make simple changes to save energy, reduce their fuel bills and cut their carbon emissions. It’s a fun way to help people to remember.”
Home Energy Scotland is funded by the Scottish Government to offer free, impartial advice on making your home cheaper to heat. For in-depth advice on how to reduce your energy bills or become more energy efficient, freephone Home Energy Scotland on 0808 808 2282 or text WARM to 81025.
Nikki, a young mum of two, who called Home Energy Scotland said “If I had a friend who needed help with heating their home or paying their energy bills, I’d say call Home Energy Scotland on 0808 808 2282 and find out what they can do to help”
