Some simple tips about how to save energy in your home:

Heating 

• Turning your room thermostat down by 1C could cut your heating bills by up to 10 per cent and save you around £30 per year.
• Is your water too hot? Your cylinder thermostat shouldn't need to be set higher than 60C/140F.
• Install thermostatic radiator valves to cut heating bills by as much as 17%.
• Electric Storage Heaters - use with off peak electricity rate.
• Input control – only set to maximum during coldest weather, reduce in milder weather. The higher the setting the warmer your heater will get and the more energy will be consumed.
• Boost Control – normally leave boost setting at minimum. Turn up if more heat is required later in the day. Leaving the control on a higher setting will provide an automatic boost each day.

Lighting  

• Fit low energy lightbulbs in lights or lamps that are used most frequently.
• Get into the habit of switching off lights when you leave a room.
• Adjust your curtains or blinds to let in as much daylight as possible.

In the Kitchen

• If you're not filling up the washing machine, tumble dryer or dishwasher, use the half-load or economy programme.
• Washing clothes at 300C or 400C rather than 600C uses 1/3 less electricity.
• Only boil as much water as you need (but remember to cover the elements if you're using an electric kettle).
• Purchase "A-rated" domestic appliances when replacements are needed.
• Choose the right size of pan for the food you are cooking and use the lid.
• Open the fridge or freezer door for as short a time as possible.
• Defrost your fridge regularly to keep it running efficiently.
• Try to avoid placing your fridge beside the cooker or boiler.

Water

• In just one day, a dripping hot water tap can waste enough water to fill a bath. Make sure they're turned off.
• Only heat the water when needed – it is NOT cheaper to leave on all the time.
• Put a plug in a basin or sink. Leaving hot water taps running without the plug is both wasteful and expensive.
• Having a shower uses around 75% less hot water than a bath.

General Tips

• Don't leave appliances on standby and remember not to leave appliances on charge unnecessarily.
• Close your curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping through the windows.
• Draught proof doors and windows to stop cold air getting in. 

This Rough Guide to Community Energy is well worth a read: click here

Get Warm Stay Warm Herefordshire

The Department of Health has awarded the Private Sector Housing Team at Herefordshire Council, in partnership with 10 voluntary and community groups, funding for a project called Get Warm Stay Warm. This involves providing assistance to reduce the effects of cold weather on vulnerable Herefordshire residents this winter.

For more details of this offer, please scroll down to the bottom of this page, and click on the 'Briefing Get Warm Stay Warm' attached document.

The offer ends on the 31st March 2012.

Green Deal

For those of you who are interested, please follow the link below to the Green Deal Consultation Document.

Cold Weather Plan for England

The Department of Health has recently announced the publication of the Cold Weather Plan for England, a cross-Government initiative.

Details of the scheme include:

  *   making an extra £10 million available to support existing Government schemes for those at risk of fuel poverty - for example grants for insulation or heating improvements provided through the Warm Front scheme;

  *   creating a new £20 million fund - supported by Age UK - for local authorities and charities to address cold housing. Bids will be invited for innovative new ways to help vulnerable older people, people with disabilities or families with young children - reaching those falling through the gaps of existing schemes.

If the £10 million were used to support Warm Front it would be expected that around 5,000 low income households would get improvement to heating and insulation worth up to £3,500 (£6,000 where oil central heating and other alternative technologies are recommended).

The new £20 million scheme for energy efficiency insulation and heating improvement could help around 10,000 households.

To download the press release visit: http://www.wired-gov.net/wg/wg-news-1.nsf/0/CB1BDBC0FEA002798025793B00268E5C?OpenDocument

To view the report visit: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_130564

Chance to get your home insulated for free 

Herefordshire Council is supporting Domestic & General Insulation Ltd in a new scheme where 3,000 county households can gain free home insulation.

The offer is open to all privately renting tenants or homeowners and people will be entitled to either cavity wall insulation or loft insulation free of charge.

Hereforshire Council used to offer grants to fund the cost of installing insulation measures and have already helped more than 12,000 households reduce their energy bills. This funding has now been withdrawn by the Government but we remain fully committed to making the county cleaner and greener by reducing carbon emissions from domestic homes. Insulation measures have proved to be one of the easiest and most effective ways to achieve this and have the added bonus of reducing fuel costs as well.

Domestic and General Insulation Ltd has been able to secure funding from energy companies to install insulation for 3,000 county households for free and we are delighted to be able to support them in promoting this initiative.

The company has a long record of working in the county and the insulation measures will not only improve the environment but, with fuel bills set to increase even further, this will be an excellent way to reduce those household bills. The offer is on a first come, first served basis so I would urge all people who do not have cavity wall or loft insulation to contact DGI on 01432 377050.

Paul Simpson, Domestic and General development manager, said: "We have installed more than 19,000 energy efficient measures to Herefordshire properties since 2006, including loft and cavity insulation but also energy efficient boilers, double glazing and solar systems. We're excited that we have the potential to add to that figure with this special offer and help more Herefordshire householders to reduce their carbon emissions."

Any residents who get a free installation of insulation can also have a second measure installed for the special price of £99.

All residents over the age of 70 or in receipt of benefits can also get these insulation measures free of charge.

Free installation is subject to property size, suitability and a technical survey.

For further details about this offer please contact Domestic and General on 01432 377050. 

A Victorian Cottage becomes a Passivhaus in Hereford

Grove Cottage is a two bedroom, detached cottage located in Hereford. The cottage was built in 1869 for a railway inspector, and originally stood amongst open countryside.

In summer 2007, Simmonds Mills Architects began work on the refurbishment of the property. Plans included a new rear extension, which would allow the addition of a new bedroom, along with maximisation of storage and work space. The refurbishment was to use Passivhaus principles, in order to maximise thermal performance, with the aim of achieving radically improved energy efficiency.

The ambition was to reach a space heating demand of between 15 - 25 kWh/m2.yr and a targeted reduction in CO2 of 80-85% over a typical existing house of the same size, without the aid of renewable power  generation technology. Underpinning these ambitions was the desire to ensure that the finished result was in keeping with the cottage's original character.

For more details click here or email kate@herefordshirenewleaf.org.uk for a copy of the full report. 

Attached below is an important, challenging report 'Less is More' that examines our current energy strategy, and suggests an alternative aproach. The report is written by Herefordshire based experts David Olivier and Andy Simmonds.

"'Less is More' offers an alternative to the emerging orthodoxy of large-scale electrification of heat and road transport as a way to achieve or beat the UK's 2050 CO2 emissions target. This is based on more vigorous and systematic pursuit of energy efficiency throughout the economy; on technologies such as large-scale solar heat, piped to urban buildings; a road and air transport system synthesising liquid fuels in part from renewable electricity, supplementing the biofuel resource; a small electricity supply system, supplied largely by despatchable sources, assisting with network security; and the more vigorous pursuit of carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration options, particularly in the biosphere".