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Installing a Wind Turbine at Your Home

Housing Energy Advisor — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:53:22 +0000

Wind turbines are a great way, in the right conditions, to harness “free” energy from the wind. Their operation is simple, the wind turns the blades which are connected to a shaft which turns a generator which in turns produces electricity. They can be connected to the mains power supply for properties on the National Grid or can power batteries for properties are not.

A wind turbine is expensive to install and it will probably still be necessary to import some electricity from the National Grid but thanks to the introduction of the Feed-In Tariffs it should pay for itself and start making a profit in around 8 – 10 years, though this is subject to change !

How Much Will a Wind Turbine Cost to Install?

Depending on the size of the wind turbine the cost of buying the product itself and having it installed will range from as little as £500 to as much as £50,000, though for a 6kW system, which should be sufficient for domestic purposes, it should cost around £23,000.

Is a Wind Turbine Suitable For My Property?

For a wind turbine to be effective it must be placed in a location with an average wind speed of no less than 4.5m/s. The good news is that 40% of the wind that blows throughout Europe blows across the UK. Nonetheless in urban or suburban areas man made obstructions will often reduce wind speeds unnaturally and prevent a turbine from being effective. There are many tools on the internet which will provide an estimated average wind speed for a particular post code but there are a number of local variables that these tools cannot take into account.

If you are seriously considering investing in a turbine then it is advisable to measure the actual wind speed with a meter, over a period of say three months. The best locations are exposed rural locations, particularly on a hill.

How Much Energy Will a Wind Turbine Produce?

Again this depends on the size of the turbine and of course the amount of wind, but a 6kW system might produce around 10,000 kWh of energy per year on average. It is important to get a more accurate estimate before deciding whether to invest in a domestic wind turbine and you should speak to at least two installers.

Will a Wind Turbine Only Produce Energy on Windy Days?

Obviously a wind turbine can only produce electricity when the wind is blowing. It does not have to be blowing a gale, a wind speed of 5m/s is sufficient, but in still weather it will not produce power. If the property is connected to the National Grid then electricity will need to be purchased during these times, if it is not not then electricity can be stored in batteries for use in still weather.

Will I Be Able to Use all of the Energy Produced?

There will often be times when the turbine is producing more power than is needed. If the property is not connected to the National Grid the surplus energy can be stored in batteries for later use. If it is connected the surplus can be exported to the grid, in which case, if the owner has signed up to the feed-in tariff, he will be entitled to a payment of 3p per kWh.

Could I Get a Grant Toward the Installation Cost?

Although a grant scheme was in place, this has unfortunately come to an end, though its replacement, the Feed-In Tariff, which pays you for the energy you produce, is almost certainly more financially beneficial.

Could I Get a Loan To Cover the Installation Cost?

There are a number of schemes being discussed but for now, if you have enough equity, you may consider increasing your current mortgage. Interest rates are very low at the moment and a mortgage, although riskier because it is secured against your property, will always be cheaper than an unsecured loan.

How Much Would I Save in Fuel Bills?

This is difficult to estimate since it depends entirely on how much wind the turbine is exposed to, which is obviously variable, however a turbine in a suitable location might be expected to produce at least half of your energy needs. The average home will use 4,400kWh of electricity per year. At a current average cost of 13.5p per/kWh this equates to a total bill of £594, so saving half of this would equate to almost £300. On its own this saving is not enough (from a financial standpoint) to justify the initial purchase and installation costs however the feed-in tariff (see below) could make a significant difference.

What is the Feed-In Tariff and How Much Could I Receive?

The feed-in tariff is a state incentive introduced to encourage us all to produce our own renewable energy in order to help the government to meet its carbon emissions reduction targets. It works by paying people a fixed amount for every kWh of renewable energy used. Once a renewable energy source, such as a wind turbine, is installed a proper owner can register it with Ofgem and he is then entitled to be paid an annual sum equal to the number of kWhs used multiplied by the tariff, which in the case of a wind turbine between 1.5 – 15 watts (which will cover domestic installations) is 26.7p.

If half the energy produced in used by the property then this should equal around 2,200 kWh or a payment of almost £600. In addition the excess of around 8,000kWh can be sold back to the National Grid at 3p per kWh. This equates to around £240.

Is Installing a Wind Turbine Cost Effective?

A 6kW system will cost around £23,000 and this is the probably the maximum you can expect to pay, in fact a cheaper system may well be sufficient. If half your annual electricity usage can be supplied by the turbine this equates to a feed-in tariff payment of around £600 per annum and a fuel bill saving of around £300. Added to this is a payment of perhaps £240 per annum for electricity sold back to the National Grid giving a total annual profit of £1,140. This is potentially a very conservative estimate but even so the system would pay for itself in the 20 years for which the tariff is guaranteed. Thereafter any fuel savings are pure profit.

Do I Need Planning Permission to Install a Wind Turbine?

Planning permission will be required and a planning application should be made before commissioning a system. You will need to know the location, height and blade diameter as a minimum. The good news is that councils have been issued a directive to take a positive view when it comes to applications involving the installation of renewable energy systems.

What Maintenance Do Wind Turbines Need?

Very little maintenance should be required. Maintenance checks should be carried out every few years.

How Long Do Wind Turbines Last?

A well maintained turbine should last over 20 years.

Are Energy Efficient Home Improvements a Waste of Time?

Housing Energy Advisor — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:35:18 +0000

In the modern world, especially in a time of economic hardship, we are all suffering. Money is tight and getting even tighter as bills rise, so why should we be bothered with pointless measures for energy efficiency. Why should we waste our hard earned cash on measures that don’t bring any direct return? This article aims to give an overview of why energy efficient measures are important to everyone now.

Isn’t it worrying how much our utility bills have risen in the last few years? Even now the utility companies are fighting to gain new customers by offering new rates. Sometimes you can actually make savings by swapping suppliers, but you can’t actually cut your usage without making real changes at home.

We’ve all had it drilled into us about making sure lights are switched off, electronic devices not left on standby, and the dreaded mobile phone chargers switched off after use; just as we’re encouraged to turn the thermostat down by a degree. All of these measures, and more, do have an impact on how much energy we use, but it relies on us changing how we live. Sometimes we are too stuck in our ways, sometimes we just can’t make the change, sometimes we just don’t want to and sometimes we have made the change and just want to go further, this is where actual improvements to your home can help to save you money.

Improvements to your home can help to permanently reduce your utilities expenditure, not just saving you a few pounds on a tariff now, but saving you on actual usage and ongoing costs forever. Don’t be put off by the ‘green credentials’ attached to products and improvements, or by counting the CO2 that your efforts will save. Don’t even expect it to add value to your home. Whether you are a green convert or apathetic, these improvements can save you money over time.

There are numerous measures available on the market from the low cost, such as Smart Meters which help you to keep an eye on your energy use, low energy lighting, cavity wall and loft insulation through to the high cost measures such as replacing your boiler with a modern, more efficient, one or even to go to renewable technologies, like solar panels.

And these measures don’t have to be expensive, in many cases the improvement is subject to being subsidised or even free under a grant system, depending on your circumstances. Some measures, such as loft and cavity wall insulation, don’t even need maintaining, once they are in, they are in and they are saving you money year upon year.

For those with more income and resources there are other improvements that can be paid for which will return on investment over a much longer period, but even these will make savings.

So the question really is this. Do you want to spend your life running from utility supplier to utility supplier, trying to get a slightly better tariff and rate to reduce your energy bills, or do you want to make some changes now that could actually cut the amount of energy that you use for good and save money permanently?

Does that sound like a waste of time to you?

Photo by Dave Dugdale

Commercial EPCs – Reading The Recommendations Report (Part 2)

Housing Energy Advisor — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 12:41:55 +0000

In this briefing we will look at the Recommendations for improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon footprint and energy costs contained in the Recommendations Report attached to the EPC.

The recommendations listed are ways of improving the energy performance of the building. By energy performance we mean energy efficiency and carbon footprint. Energy efficiency is the amount of energy required to ‘condition’ (heat up, cool, ventilate) and light the internal space, and how quickly that energy needs to be replaced through loss from the building fabric. Carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide produced by the energy used, and hence the increase in global warming resulting from the building’s use. It’s very easy to see an EPC as simply a bureaucratic exercise, but the bottom line is that its part of the efforts to pass on the planet in a habitable state to our children.

The recommendations are divided up into sections according to how quickly the cost of carrying out the measures can be recouped through savings in energy costs. These are changing continuously as energy costs rise. SHORT PAYBACK is classed as less than 3 years and will most often include ways of reducing the loss of heat, such as insulating the roof and the hot water tank and the installation of secondary glazing or window shading. It may also cover improvements to controls on the building’s heating and lighting systems so that energy is not wasted and is directed only where and when it is needed. Within the Payback sections the POTENTIAL IMPACT of each recommendation is listed as HIGH, MEDIUM or LOW depending on the reduction in carbon emissions gained by adopting it.

MEDIUM PAYBACK covers recommendations that may take from 3 to 7 years to recover investment, such as installing multiple glazing or replacing an old boiler with a new condensing boiler.

LONG PAYBACK covers improvements requiring a high initial capital investment which may take more than 7 years to recoup the outlay. In this section you may find items such as solar water heating to reduce the energy required to heat domestic hot water, or photovoltaic systems (PVS) to generate electricity from sunlight. Because of the high initial outlay, this is an area where Government schemes to encourage the investment may be directed.

You may also find OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS which have been added by the Energy Assessor where he/she feels potential improvements not generated by the software may be made. For instance the assessor may notice that your air conditioning is in dire need of servicing which could result in significant savings in running costs. Although recommendations are generated by the SBEM protocols in the software the assessor will always review them to ensure that they are appropriate to the building. For instance, you shouldn’t find a recommendation to install uPVC double glazing or a wind turbine on your beautiful Grade 1 listed hotel!

Whilst the recommendations in the RR are not (yet!) required to be adopted, they are well worth considering. For instance, in many commercial premises the energy used by lighting can be significantly greater as a proportion of total energy costs than in your home. Simply replacing dozens of tungsten or halogen lamps with low-energy compact fluorescents can have a significant and immediate impact of your very next energy bill. As a commercial landlord trying to let a building (often not easy in the current economic climate) the RR will indicate ways you can make the building more attractive to cost-conscious prospective tenants. As a prospective tenant, always ask to see a copy of the RR as it can form the basis of negotiations on improvements before you enter into a long-term commitment.

If as a landlord you decide to make improvements to the building after reviewing the RR, it is always worth approaching the original energy assessor to commission a new report incorporating the improvements, as you shouldn’t have to pay them anything like the original fee to have the building re-inspected and a new EPC lodged – and if you do, don’t forget to make sure your agent updates the sales details.

Written by Simon Burton, a Level 4 Commercial Energy Assessor with Burtons.

British Gas gets smart with Smart Meters?

Housing Energy Advisor — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 12:31:02 +0000

In these current times of austerity, every one of us is keeping an eagle eye on the money we spend and finding ways to cut costs and reduce outgoings. One of our biggest household expenses is gas and electricity with the cost of running the average household in Britain standing at approximately £1335 – Dual fuel Bill. (Ofgem Oct 2011)

Smart meters are one potential way to drag down those hefty bills, they can help improve the efficiency of your usage, enabling customers to make more informed decisions by seeing consumption of energy such as by appliances, heating and lighting of the home.

The installation of a smart meter in every home and business across Great Britain will be a major undertaking; it was agreed following lengthy consultation by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), Ofgem and the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority (GEMA). The government agreed that there would be a comprehensive programme incorporating all domestic households and all small to medium non-domestic dwellings.

British gas are certainly flying the flag for smart meters, as one of the UK’s leading energy efficient supplier they have also installed solar panels, ground source heat pumps and combined heat and power boilers to over 1.5 million homes in the last 5 years. To date British Gas have successfully fitted over 120,000 smart meters free of charge, a fantastic achievement but only a fraction of the 1.5 million they hope to have installed by the end of 2012 and the 10 million by 2019. British Gas are taking a phased approach to installation and will first tackle homes where existing meters have come to the end of the life.

So, what is a smart meter and what benefits will it bring?

The wireless, touch screen meter has an in-home display and enables you to see the amount of gas and electricity you consume in real time, that’s by the hour, day, week and year; in addition and possibly more importantly, the meter will tell you exactly what your usage is costing you. The information relating to your usage is automatically forwarded to your supplier; readings are recorded every half hour and forwarded to your supplier once every 24 hours.

Gone are the days of estimated bills, in simple terms you’ll pay for exactly what you use, no more building a reserve with your supplier, the cash will remain safely in your pocket rather than theirs.

The meter can be plugged in anywhere in your home, ideally it should be somewhere you can cast your eye over with relative ease, this will ensure you are alerted to any major fluctuations in usage and push you to questions what can be switched on or off.

The meter will enable you to take more control of your usage and manage your home in a more cost effective manner. It’s a very common sense approach, if you’re unaware how much your central heating is costing you, you may be inclined to leave it running continuously during these cold winter months, on the other hand, with the information a smart meter provides you could be more willing to pull on that Christmas jumper and rely less on those radiators.

It’s the simple changes that could make savings, things like ensuring mobile phone chargers, lap tops and PC’s are switched off, only boiling the amount of water you need rather than a full kettle and switching off lights in rooms that are not in use.

Smart meters will play a key role in Britain’s move to be a low carbon economy and will certainly support the need to have an affordable, sustainable energy supply in the longer term. The government has set 2019 as the target for all British homes to have a smart meter so make sure you get yours.

This is a sponsored post on behalf of British Gas. For further information on British Gas Smart Meters visit http://www.britishgas.co.uk/energy-efficiency/smart-meters.html

Energy Efficiency Ratings and Logos

Housing Energy Advisor — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 13:59:11 +0000

There are quite a few Energy Efficient Accreditation Schemes that lend their logos or ratings graphs to products that help to improve the Energy Efficiency of the home. This article covers the five most common logos and rating graphs that you might come across.

These are ratings graphs and logos that help to identify the best of a certain type of products and encourage the home owner to partake of the product or service in the knowledge that it will help to save them money and help to reduce their carbon footprint on the environment.

Some schemes take a holistic approach to the whole building, some just for certain products or product ranges, but all of them are designed to help inform the purchaser of the best products for them or to point them in the direction of the best future improvements that they can make. So what are these schemes and what do they cover?

Energy Saving Recommended Logo

This is potentially the most common logo you will come across, found on most household electronics and appliances. This logo is issued by the Energy Saving Trust and is only awarded to the most energy efficient products that they have tested and recommend.

The Energy Saving Trust website has a searchable database where you can look for products that have been tested and rated.

The Energy Performance Certificate

You might be aware of the multi-coloured ratings graph from estate agents details, but there is a full report behind this which consumers rarely get to see. The energy performance certificate ratings graph provides accurate information on how energy efficient a whole house is and what could potentially be done to the property. In the main report there are the specific measures that make up the ‘potential’ column included in a recommendations section. This is invaluable information if you are looking to know where to begin with improvement measures to your house and roughly what the costs and savings might be.

SEDBUK Labels

All boilers installed in the UK having ratings that are covered under the Seasonal Efficiency of Domestic Boilers or SEDBUK. This is a main database that carries information on all modern boilers as to their efficiency and allows for comparisons between different models, manufacturers and fuel types. Only the most efficient boilers carry an Energy Saving Recommended logo. The more efficient the boiler, the less fuel it uses to operate correctly in your home.

BFRC Window Energy Rating

The BFRC energy rating is a voluntary scheme used in the glazing installation and manufacture industry. The whole window, frame and glass, is rated based on the thermal efficiency, or how well it helps to retain heat. The best products will likely be Low E or Low Emissivity designed to keep heat in for longer. These products will likely also display the Energy Saving Recommended logo too. There are other schemes but this is the most common.

The European Union (EU) Energy Label

This label can be found on all appliances and tells the consumer detailed information on the potential product, including the exact energy consumption of the product. This has to be shown by law on all household white goods, such as fridges, freezers and washing machines, as well as on electric ovens. It’s even on light bulb packaging! The European Union are even acting on the results of these ratings and are looking to remove the least efficient models from sale. For example, since 1999, manufacturers have had to stop making fridges and freezers below of a D rating or below.

These are the most common schemes you will find on Energy Efficiency. Most of these graphs run on a very similar basis from A – G with A being the most energy efficient and G being the least. This information is invaluable in helping a home owner or consumer to make informed decisions that are right for them and hopefully will save them money. Every little helps, right? Making sure you use the information you are given will should make things easier in the future!

Written by Symon Silvester

Rogue EPC panels the battle continues

Housing Energy Advisor — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 16:47:31 +0000

The battle against the rogue EPC panels which have been bringing the energy assessment industry into disrepute is still going on – though sadly with more losers than winners amongst assessors and members of the public at present.

Despite a string of stories about some of these panels in Energy Assessor Magazine, customer continue to sign up with them, and amazingly there are even some assessors who are prepared to go on working for them.

It needs to be emphasised that it is a minority of online EPC panels that cause these problems – most of them operate with no problems – but the problems that minority create for all energy assessors are considerable.

In the past month I have had the usual crop of emails dropping into my inbox from energy assessors who have been fleeced by panels, and this is not because they are dumb. One DEA told me that a panel paid him for the first EPC he did for them, which gave him the confidence to do more.

They then gave him £260 worth of work in a month and by the time he realised they weren’t going to pay it was too late.
That panel was Express-EPC (not to be confused with another existing panel of a similar name), one of the businesses run by rogue EPC panels boss Christopher Whatcott, and sadly I have just learned that his businesses were run by companies, which have been wound up.

Since it also emerged in the past month that he was declared bankrupt earlier this year, there is no possibility now of any of the many assessors owed money by his businesses getting a penny.

He may be out of business for the moment, but the problems go on elsewhere.
During this month I heard from Sylvia in Manchester who was conned out of her fee for an EPC by PayOnTheDay, the dodgy panel claiming to be at an office in Leicester where they aren’t based and never have been.

She was very happy with the energy assessor who did her EPC assessment, but when she received an EPC it wasn’t for her address and had another assessor’s name on it.
Despite three weeks of phoning and emailing she never did get an EPC from the business she has christened ‘Get Ripped Off On The Day’. Instead she got it from the assessor, and complained to Trading Standards – for all the good that that will be.

An assessor elsewhere agreed to do two EPCs for POTD on condition he received payment before he released the EPCs. That was readily agreed, but after he had done them he found himself coming under increasing pressure to release the EPCs before he got paid. He refused and didn’t get paid.

Another assessor who I know is owed hundreds of pounds by NextDayEPC emailed me because he is now getting harassed by agents and property companies over EPCs he did that NextDay did not supply to his clients.
In both cases these assessors released at least one EPC to a client they felt sorry for, without any payment.

There are clearly a lot of good, decent people within this industry, which makes it all the more galling that the people running these dodgy panels are so easily doing damage to the reputation of the industry.

But the fight goes on…

Written by Terry Wardle, Editor of Energy Assessor Magazine

Commercial EPCs – Reading The Recommendations Report (Part 1)

Housing Energy Advisor — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 11:31:00 +0000

Every commercial Energy Performance Certificate is actually a 2-part document. The first part, fronted by a graph looking rather like a domestic EPC is the one which receives the most attention, because it look familiar, but in fact legally it must at all times be accompanied by a Recommendations Report. If the one you come across isn’t, be wary, it may not be genuine.

The Recommendations Report (RR) contains, not surprisingly given its title, recommendations! They are not compulsory, merely advisory, but there is a fair likelihood that any grants available for improving the energy efficiency of commercial properties in future will be tied to the RR.

OK, let’s start reading the report. Starting at the top is the Report Reference Number (RRN). This is 20 digits in 5 blocks of 4, separated by hyphens. This is not the same as the EPC Certificate Reference Number (CRN), (if it is the report is not genuine), which is given on the middle of the first page.

Next is the ADDRESS. This is the address as listed on the national Landmark database and may not be quite the same as the address currently in use, as it starts with the trading name in use last time the database was updated. If the premises have changed hands several times and Landmark has not been updated during the conveyancing process you may find the name of a former business there.

Remember to instruct your solicitor to get it changed to your business trading name when you take over the building. Or even better, revert to a simple postal address without a trading name.

Below the address is the BUILDING TYPE. This now uses the Local Authority classification used for Business Rates, so you may see, for instance A3/A4/A5 Restaurants & Cafes, or B1 Offices & Workshop Businesses. Older reports don’t have this level of detail. If the RR doesn’t have the Business Rates classification required for the type of business you intend to conduct there, you may have to apply for change of use.

The ISSUE DATE is the date when the report was created and the report is VALID until 10 years later, unless changes are made to the building fabric or environment which affect its energy consumption characteristics.

TOTAL USEFUL FLOOR AREA is the total internal area of the building measured to the internal faces of the external walls in square metres. It includes spaces with sloping ceilings etc, like stair wells, which may not, in fact be very useful!

The ENERGY ASSESSOR DETAILS section is mostly self-explanatory. It identifies who the Assessor is, and who he is accredited with. Every assessor must state if they are connected in any way with the owner. Curiously, assessors are allowed to carry out assessments where a clear potential conflict of interest exists, as long as they declare it! So a large property consortium can get their own directly-employed energy assessor to survey their buildings. Hmmm.

BACKGROUND tell you the legal regulations requiring the report to be produced. These are EU Regulations enshrined in UK statute.

BUILDING ENVIRONMENT tells you the type of space heating used to ‘condition’ (heat or cool) the building’s internal environment. This gives you an idea of how naturally of artificially the air is condition. Typically, a traditional building with gas-fired central heating and windows which can be opened to vary the airflow and temperature will be described as ‘Heating & Natural Ventilation’ , a building in which the air is processed to be heated or chilled has an ‘Air Conditioned’ environment. Sometimes the only means of heating discovered by the assessor will be portable convector heaters hidden in a cupboard and the building will be described as Heating & Natural Ventilation and the EPC will offer the additional information that the heating method uses ‘Grid Supplied Electricity’.

Some buildings are described as ‘Unconditioned’ which means that the assessor could find no means of heating present at all when the building was assessed. This does not mean that the building didn’t need an EPC! Commercial buildings often use large amounts of power in lighting and this forms part of the assessment. Only a building which cannot be conditioned due to being open to the elements on one side, such as a barn would be exempt on the basis that it was unconditioned and couldn’t be conditioned.

In Part 2 we will look at the Recommendations for improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon footprint and energy costs contained in the RR.

Written by Simon Burton, a Level 4 Commercial Energy Assessor with Burtons.

10 Tips When Undertaking Wall Insulation

Housing Energy Advisor — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 08:49:23 +0000

There has been a lot written about wall insulation and the virtues of having it fitted into your property. Wall insulation can undoubtedly save money when done correctly and it doesn’t take long to claw back the initial investment, particularly in the case of cavity wall insulation. However there are some issues that you should always be aware of before making any decision to get wall insulation fitted to the property. Anyone wishing to get insulation should always seek professional advice before installing.

Here is our list of ten tips that you should look at before getting Wall Insulation.

1. Check Wall Types

Find out what wall types you have as this will affect the type of insulation that you can have fitted. Solid walls will require external or internal insulation. Cavity walls can be injected with insulation.

2. Is Insulation Already Present?

The normal signs to look for on retrofitted Cavity Wall insulation are a series of drill holes under the windows of the properties which are in a series of two or three and have been subsequently filled over. If this has been repeated on several windows it is a fair bet you already have insulation in the walls. Again, seeking professional help will confirm if that has been done or not.

With Solid Wall insulation it is likely to have been installed internally or externally. If it is external it will be fitted on the walls and will stop short of the bottom of the wall so as to not cover the damp proof course. Internal insulation will involve the wall being battened and with insulation laid between the battens before being covered in plasterboard. If you suspect you have insulation tap on the walls gently and you should hear a hollow sound.
Always make sure to get a professional opinion before undertaking any insulation.

3. Is the Cavity Gap Clear?

Sometimes in properties with cavity walls the cavity gap, which is the gap between the inner and outer skins of brick. This gap should be clear and free of debris, however, if it isn’t then installing insulation might cause the cavity gap to be bridged. If the cavity gap is bridged then water from the outer skin of brick can travel across to the internal layers of brick, creating damp issues.

4. Are there existing Damp Issues?

If the property suffers from damp and condensation issues then you should consider identifying the cause of the damp issues first. This might indicate a simple cause or be the symptoms of a problem with the wall, particularly in cavity walls. It may indicate that the cavity has been bridged. Installing insulation into walls with damp might alleviate the problem, but might also make it much worse. Seek to identify the causes of the damp issues first. Where possible seek professional advice.

5. Access

A very simple thing to forget but installing wall insulation on your property will require access to all the external walls and access to your property by vehicles and equipment. If access to the walls is required through a neighbour’s property you should seek their permission.

6. Check the Condition of the Wall

If the wall is in a poor condition, mortar crumbling, gaps in the brick work, then it might not be possible to install insulation. A professional insulation survey will let you know if this is an issue.

7. Exposure.

If the property is in an exposed location, for example on top of a cliff or hill, where the external walls are subject to bombardment from rain and high winds then wall insulation might not be the right solution for you, particularly with cavity wall insulation. Insulation might actually create a bridge in the cavity gap and create damp issues.

8. Look for Leaks

If the guttering or roof is leaking onto the brick work, or inside the brick work, then you might need to address that problem first before seeking to add wall insulation.

9. Find a reputable installer

There are many companies that are registered as installers for home insulation. It is always best to contact your local authority and see who is on their recommended list. These will be approved companies who are likely to meet good standards of workmanship. The local authority should also be able to tell you what grants and schemes that may be available.

10. Have a professional survey done

When you have found a number of installers invite at least two or three around to give you a survey for your insulation requirements. They should be able to confirm whether your property is suitable for insulation and what the costs of installing would be. They should also be able to advise you whether you qualify for any grants or subsidies. It is important to find a company that you feel you can trust and work with. Do not be pressured into signing up there and then.

Wall insulation can say you a lot of money, but it isn’t suitable for every property. Be sure to get professional advice and if you are in any doubt then don’t proceed with it.

FIT Rate Cuts, Is Now Still a Good Time to Buy Solar PV

Housing Energy Advisor — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 08:14:26 +0000

Following a review of the feed in tariff rates paid for electricity generated from small scale solar panel installations, the Government recently announced that from 12 December this year the feed in tariff rate would be cut from 41.3p per kilowatt hour to 21p. This has caused alarm among the solar sector and sparked fears of a collapse of this fledgling industry as people turn away from solar panels to look for a more profitable way to invest their money, but is it really all doom and gloom?

The answer seems to be, not really. It was always the intention after all that the tariff rate would be reviewed in two ways. First, it was intended that it would be reviewed and increased in line with inflation. This happened earlier this year and as a result the rate was increased. Second, it was intended to review the rate separately to maintain an 8% return on investment for buyers of solar panels. It was expected that this would mean a decrease.

Why Is the Feed in Tariff Rate Being Reduced?

The perception seems to be that the rate is being cut as part of the general package of austerity measures being put forward by Government to reduce the national debt. In fact this isn’t really the case. The purpose of introducing the feed in tariff was to help Britain meet its carbon emission reduction targets by kick starting the renewable energy industry, which prior to the feed in tariff was really only a cottage industry.

Prior to the feed in tariff, installing solar panels would of course have reduced electricity bills, but not by enough to offset the hefty installation cost, so for most people they were not an option. By introducing the feed in tariff they were made to be profitable however. As was the Government’s goal, the industry grew in response to demand and this led to increased competition and better efficiency, therefore falling installation costs as well as improving the technology.

The effect of this initial boost to the market was that the target return on investment figure could still be achieved with a much lower tariff payment.

Feed In Tariff Rate Cut – the Logic

At the time the Feed In Tariff was introduced, a 4 kilowatt peak system would have cost you around £14,000. Today you can get the same system for less than £10,000 (some even claim to offer it for less than £9,000). Of course the FIT rate has been halved and even at £9,000, solar panels are not half their earlier price, so was halving the rate justified?

There are three things to consider here. First, one of the aims at the outset of the Feed in Tariff scheme was to make solar panels irresistible to as many people as possible. This necessitated paying a certain amount over the odds. The more people that took up the offer, the easier it would be to convince other to follow. So the original rate was very generous. The second point to consider is that as well as installation costs coming down, the performance levels of solar panels have gone up, in the way that all technology improves, so panels bought today will produce more electricity for longer than panels bought two years ago.

Thirdly, the feed in tariff is only one of two financial benefits of solar panels, the other being lower electricity bills. The cost of electricity has risen appreciably since the start of the feed in tariff and so the savings for those with solar panels or other renewable electricity generating equipment have increased, meaning there is that little less reliance on the FIT to ensure the 8% ROI is achieved.

So Is Now a Good Time to Buy Solar Panels?

Of course it would be better to get solar panels installed and registered before the 12 December rate cut however even if this deadline is missed solar panels are still worth buying and will still turn a profit. Any investment has an element of gambling about it but it might be worth hanging fire on solar panels for a while.

The longer you wait, the better the technology will be, meaning the panels you could buy in, say, a year’s time will produce more electricity than the panels you could buy today. Furthermore, installation costs will fall, both as a result of improved technology and increased competition. Some are predicting that a 4 kwp system (currently £9,000 – £10,000) will cost as little as £7,500 by Easter. A useful barometer of when it might to time to buy solar panels again is when companies start once again to offer free solar panels through “rent a roof” schemes. Companies will do this once there is a serious profit to be had.

Don’t delay too long however, as the feed in tariff scheme will not be around forever and there will be more rate cuts in future.

Consumers living in fear of their energy bills

Housing Energy Advisor — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 08:15:44 +0000

The gas and electricity companies have done it again. Increasing their prices just before winter when everyone’s consumption will be at its highest.

On average gas will be rising by 17.4 per cent whilst electricity will see a rise of 10.8 per cent. This has led to many too scared to turn their heating on during the colder months due to the fear of what their energy bill might be.

According to a poll by price comparison site MoneySupermarket.com, six per cent of people say they cannot afford to turn their heating on whilst seventeen per cent say they will wait until it gets really cold.

Scott Byrom, energy expert at the price comparison site said “With the cost of living soaring, particularly driven by higher energy bills, now is not the time to be apathetic, especially as we head into winter where bill payers typically use around 40 per cent of their annual energy consumption during these months”.

How to save on your energy bills this winter

The heat you produce in your home typically escapes via the roof and the walls. A great way to combat this is to install cavity wall insulation and/or loft insulation. Whilst these methods are not cheap there are government grants to help with the cost.

The governments CERT scheme helps those people who are on benefits, over 70 or whose incomes are lower than £16,190 a year by paying the full cost of this type of insulation.

In total having both cavity wall and loft insulation can save the average consumer nearly £300 a year of the gas and electricity bills.

Double glazing is also an effective way of trapping the heat in your home therefore reducing the amount of time you need your heating on.

For those of you with a bit of money spare money you may want to think about home energy production. To install a solar PV system, it can cost between £6000 and £15,000 which will allow you to produce your own electricity and your energy supplier will pay you per KW that you produce.

You will have to move quickly however as the government has just announced that as of the 12th December the amount paid on these feed in tariffs will be halved. Those already on the scheme before that date will remain unaffected.

An easier way to save money is use an energy comparison site to compare prices. “Finding the right tariff means bill payers could save on average £237 per year. For example, the cheapest online tariff available is npower’s Sign Online 24 with annual bills of £1,050 on average, but, for the same price, consumers can protect themselves against future price rises with either EDF Energy’s Fix for 2012 tariff with bills fixed at £1,050 until December 31st 2012, or OVO Energy’s New Energy Fixed product which is a set price for 12 months from the point the deal is taken out” said Scott Byrom.

If you are worried about your energy usage this year then invest in a home energy monitor. In this video from MoneySupermarket, Les Roberts discusses the benefits of having the monitor at home and how it can save you money.