Energy Conservation at home 

In the UK 20% of all carbon emissions are from our homes and we all know how expensive heating them can be. Here are a few ways you can improve on this.  

Better home insulation
Add extra insulation to your loft and walls to make sure your home retains more heat during the winter and stays cool in summer. Install double glazing everywhere. Check out these Home insulation options.

Buy energy efficient  
Electrical appliances are becoming more efficient by the year. Whether it’s buying energy-saving light bulbs or choosing appliances with a high energy star rating, you can make your home more eco-friendly and save money.

Install a smart meter  
Monitor your energy use in real time. See what appliances are using most and adopt energy efficiency measures to save money on energy bills and offset price increases.
And…

• turn off the lights when you leave a room
• switch to use LED lights
• unplug devices; avoid leaving on ‘standby’
• lower the temperature on thermostats
• use smart automated devices

Switch to a Heat Pump  
A good local example is the is the seven new houses built at Snower Hill, Betchworth. Rather than installing traditional boilers, their occupants are kept toasty warm by heat pumps, which typically deliver four units of heat for every unit of electricity consumed.  With over 40million already installed across Europe, heat pumps are hardly a new technology.   

Our friends in Buckland’s Low Carbon Network organised an excellent briefing on heat pumps.

Generate your own energy  
Install a PV array, or other renewable energy system, and you could generate your own electricity. This will help heat your home, reducing your energy bills and your reliance on fossil fuels.  

There are lots of renewable energy systems available. The Energy Saving Trust offers a useful starting point for researching the right one for you, your home and your lifestyle.

Switch to renewables
Many energy providers now offer greener tariffs. By switching to a company that provides electricity from solar, wind, or hydroelectric energy, you can reduce your household emissions and often save money on your energy bills.

Refurbish or retro-fit
Some of Betchworth’s older houses have evolved from very modest dwellings, extended and reconfigured over many generations and multiple owners. Even so, any and all of the above measures will reduce emissions to a degree.

If you want to know how good your home energy performance scores are, you can check on the Government website. How does it compare to others locally?