| Sat 4 Jun 2011 |  Paul Lucas |
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The Government is aiming to help UK residents with the costs of home insulation and other energy saving measures by introducing its Green Deal scheme – which will launch in autumn next year.
| Under existing plans, authorised companies will pay for the insulation work and homeowners will repay the money, plus interest, through additional charges on their energy bills. It is hoped that people will repay loans of up to £10,000 over a period of 25 years with firms such as Marks & Spencer, B&Q, Tesco and British Gas among those expressing an interest in marketing the scheme and providing finance. |
How will the Green Deal work?
It is expected that the firms that eventually market the Green Deal will employ assessors to estimate how much a householder can save with different insulation and heating measures. These measures could range from condensing boilers to draught proofing, solar panels, double glazing or loft insulation.
Once the work has been agreed and carried out the homeowners start paying, with the key feature being that they save on their energy bills meaning they will have more money in hand to pay back – ultimately these savings will surpass the money taken out in the loan and so it will be financially beneficial for consumers.
Energy saving tips
You don’t have to invest in expensive products such as loft and cavity wall insulation to bring energy bills down, as there are a host of energy saving techniques you can employ around the home in everything from cooking to heating, refrigeration, the way you use electrical items, appliances and hot water.
For example, set your heating to go off 30 minutes before you leave the house and then 30 minutes before you return rather than leaving it on all day. Also consider turning the room thermostat down by one degree as this can save you around £30 a year; and make sure your radiators are not obstructed so you’re capitalising on the heat available. Try to turn electrical appliances off standby and switch to energy efficient light bulbs; while you should ensure you defrost your freezer regularly and never leave your fridge door open longer than necessary. Look for low temperature settings on washing machines and consider economy programmes; only boil as much water as you need in a kettle each time; and fit a lagging jacket to your boiler.
In addition to energy saving, make sure you’re money saving too by switching to the most competitive gas and electricity tariff available in your area based on your monthly usage. Online direct debit deals are usually much cheaper than standard rates and you may be able to apply utility bill promo codes to bring costs down further.
