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Affordable warmth 2018-2019 Energy-saving advice for tenants

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Becoming more energy efficient is not only for those of us who want to save the environment. It can also really help your wallet. Regardless of your reasons, cutting back on the amount of energy you use at home has many benefits.

Some energy-efficient changes are one-off investments. Others are small things you can do every day. Whether it is something as big as installing solar panels or insulating your loft, or something as small as turning off the lights, when you’re more energy conscious, you save money.

The average house uses nearly three times as much of its energy (37%) in the winter, compared with in the summer (13%). For example, if you spend £1,400 a year on energy, you will spend approximately £43 a week in the winter compared with £15 a week in the summer.

You may face the following challenges:

• Low household income

• Poor energy efficiency in your home

• High fuel prices and energy bills

• Not enough money to pay energy bills, or to pay them on time

• Not enough money to heat your whole home

• Indoor temperatures constantly too low

• Mould and damp condensation

• Not sure how to save energy and cut down costs

Your housing association and housing manager or landlord

want you to stay warm throughout the year, affordably.

Government health guidance recommends a minimum indoor temperature of 18°C. For older people and those with certain medical conditions, this may need to be warmer. The Government-funded Affordable Warmth Scheme, part of the Affordable Warmth Obligation, makes this achievable for everyone. The obligation provides financial help for home improvements, with the purpose of making homes more energy-efficient. The scheme offers free grants to help low-income households pay for a new boiler, and loft and cavity-wall insulation.

The aim is to help you:

• make your home warmer;

• reduce your energy bills; and

• reduce your carbon footprint, for example use public transport.

The Low Income High Cost (LIHC) indicator was developed in 2013 to measure the extent of fuel poverty, which is when people have fuel costs that are above average, taking them below the poverty line. The LIHC also measures the depth of the problem (how far above reasonable costs people’s energy needs are). This is known as the fuel poverty gap.

Be smart with your heating

• Upgrade your heating system

• Apply for improvement grants and loans

• Insulate your loft and cavity walls to reduce heat loss

• Shop around to find the cheapest energy supplier

Use appliances efficiently

• Wash full loads of clothes and dishes each time

• Replace old appliances with low-energy alternatives if you can

• Buy low-energy light bulbs

How to use less energy

Find out if you’re eligible for a grant:www.affordablewarmthgrants.co.uk/affordable-warmth.htm

Save energy Save money

How is the heat lost?

Affordable warmth | Fuel povertyWhat do they mean?

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Heating and cooling is the number-one cause of energy use and costs in the home.

Save money on your heating bills with our top 10 heat-saving tips.

1. Set your heating and hot-water timer If you’re out at work for most of the day, set the timer to come on for a few hours in the morning and evening, while you’re at home.

2. Set the boiler thermostat to 60°C (140°F).

3. Move furniture away from radiators. Valuable heat is absorbed by furniture in front of radiators, making rooms feeling colder.

4. Close the doors inside your home to keep the heat in the rooms you are using.

5. Use your curtains. Draw your curtains when it starts to go dark and hang a curtain across your front and back doors to keep the draughts out. Lined or thick curtains are best.

6. Use thermostatic radiator valves.

7. Turn the central-heating thermostat down to control room temperatures.

8. Turn the temperature down in rooms you rarely use to reduce the total amount of energy you use.

9. Tint your windows to help keep heat in or out when needed. Window films are designed to allow in visible light, while blocking infrared light. This helps keep the heat from the sun out in summer and helps trap in warm air during winter. You can always tint your back windows if you think it is not attractive on the front of your home.

10. If you have a prepayment meter, it is a good idea to top it up with a little extra money in the summer to build up credit for the colder winter months.

Modern central-heating boilers provide hot water more efficiently than older ones. They save energy and money by using less coal, oil or gas to power them.

Homeowners and private tenants in the UK can apply for a grant to replace their old, inefficient gas boiler with a brand new boiler (rated A for energy efficiency), under the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme.

Do you qualify for a boiler grant?

You may be eligible for a grant to replace your boiler if you:

• have a low household income;

• are receiving benefits; or

• are a pensioner and are receiving benefits.

Your existing boiler must be more than five years old or have an existing fault which is uneconomical to repair.

Why not try a water heater that only heats the water you need?

Have you considered switching to a high-efficiency on-demand water heater? They only fire up when you use the hot tap. The water heats up quickly and then the heater stops burning fuel when demand for hot water stops. An added bonus is that they are really easy to maintain.

If your radiators are cold at the top, but hot at the bottom, try bleeding them to release the trapped air.

See if you qualify for a grant: www.affordablewarmthgrants.co.uk/info-grant-boilers

Energy-saving tips 1Heating

Smarter heating

Upgrade your boiler

Energy-saving tips 2Boiler efficiency

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Use less energy with your appliances

Turn appliances off when you’re not using them. Appliances left on standby still use energy. Or, use a standby saver mode, if your appliance has this. Avoid charging electrical goods such as your mobile phone unnecessarily.

When making hot drinks, only boil the amount of water you need, rather than filling the whole kettle. If you are only having one or two cups, use the stove to heat the water. Or, invest in a hot-water dispenser or an ‘ECO’ kettle. They can boil and dispense a single mugful of water at a time. ECO kettles also have three temperature settings and a dual chamber for storing cool water at the same time as boiling water. The Energy Saving Trust (EST) has given ECO kettles an ‘EST recommended’ sticker because they reduce energy use by at least 20% compared with an average kettle. Read more: www.which.co.uk/reviews/kettles/article/hot-water-dispensers-how-to-buy-the-best - Which?

Since your fridge is the one appliance in your home that’s always on, make sure it is working as efficiently as possible by turning the temperature to the energy-efficient setting or to 3°C (fridge) and -18°C (freezer).

Choose low-energy appliances

When it’s time to replace your kitchen appliances (washer, dryer, water heater or boiler), research the various models and features so you’ll know which ones are the most energy efficient.

When shopping, look for models that are labelled as Energy Star Certified to make sure you’re getting an energy-saving (and money-saving) appliance. This will go a long way towards saving energy and reducing your electricity bills.

Always consider the efficiency rating (the AG colour scale), when you buy new electrical items. The ratings are designed to help you identify appliances that will cost you the least to use. A is the most efficient (least expensive) to use. G is the least efficient (most expensive) to use.

Get low-flow fixtures and appliances as they can save a lot of water and energy. For example, low-flow toilets, shower heads and washing machines.

The average household leaves 10-15 items on standby. Each item on standby costs about £10 per year.

Be energy-smart when doing laundry or washing the dishes.

• Always fill up your washing machine, tumble dryer and dishwasher. One full load uses less energy than two half loads.

• Washing at 60°C? Turn the dial down to 30°C. Washing clothes at 30°C reduces energy use by up to 40%.

• Dry clothes outside whenever possible. Tumble dryers cost around 45p an hour to run. If you have to dry washing indoors (due to the Great British weather!), use a well-ventilated room. Try not to rely on a radiator to dry clothes as this can cause damp and mould in your home. If you do have to dry washing indoors, make sure a window is slightly open to release the damp air.

Fully load your washing machine and dishwasher before using them.

Energy-saving tips 3Appliances

Switch off the telly

Fully loaded laundry

Energy-saving tips 4Appliances

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Insulate your home, especially your loft and wall cavities

A quarter of a typical home’s heat is lost through the roof and around a third is lost through the walls. Insulating the loft and wall cavities (if you have them) is one of the best things you can do to keep the heat in and reduce your bills.

Draughtproof your windows and doors using sealant or weather stripping. Make sure windows and doors are properly sealed to prevent cold drafts, and help to keep warm air inside during the winter. When the weather heats up, these same improvements will also help keep your home cooler in summer.

Even if you have some insulation in your loft, you may need to top it up. The recommended depth for mineral wool insulation, the most common material, is 270mm (about 1 foot).

Check whether you are eligible for a non-repayable loft-insulation and cavity-wall insulation grant (see pages 9-10 for links).

Get the temperature right

The recommended temperature for all rooms is 18°C during the day and at night. However, for people aged 65 years and over, or with certain medical conditions, temperatures slightly higher than this may be beneficial for health.

If you cannot afford to heat your whole home, keep at least your living room warm and heat your bedroom before you go to bed. If it is very cold, do not leave the bedroom window open at night.

For more information go to: www.energysavingtrust.org.uk

• Lighting accounts for 7% of a typical household’s energy bill. Cutting down on your use of electric lighting is one of the easiest ways to save money on your energy bills. Start by turning all the lights off when you leave a room, even if it is only for a short time.

• Open the blinds, turn the lights off and let some sunshine in. Lighting your home with sunlight is completely free.

• Save by switching to LED light bulbs or fitted spotlights. You can make savings of £55 a year or even more by doing this. LEDs use 90% less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs, they last a long time and they give out light instantly.

• Fluorescent light bulbs last 8 to 12 times longer than incandescent bulbs. Although compact fluorescent bulbs cost more initially, they lead to considerable savings.

Let the sunshine in, it’s free!

LEDs use 90% less energy than a traditional light bulb.

Turn the lights off in rooms you aren’t using.

Energy-saving tips 5Insulate to help prevent heat loss

Insulate your loft

Low-energy lighting

Energy-saving tips 6Lighting

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• Shop around for the best energy deal and switch your energy supplier if necessary.

• Compare energy tariffs and suppliers.

Consider switching companies to get the best possible deal. If you choose a fixed tariff, it can also help protect against future price rises.

• Use Citizens Advice’s website to compare energy deals and choose the right tariff for you.

They provide a simpler and clearer way to compare and switch both for gas and electricity, or combined tariffs.

For more information go to: https://energycompare.citizensadvice.org.uk

Benefits Calculator www.gov.uk/benefits-calculators

HM Revenue & Customs Tax credit helpline 0345 300 3900

Pensions Credit www.gov.uk/pension-credit www.gov.uk/pension-credit-calculator

Citizens Advice 0845 404 0506 www.citizensadvice.org.uk

Energy Saving Advice Service England and Wales 0300 123 1234 (national rate call) Monday to Friday, 9am to 8pm

Home Energy Scotland 0808 808 2282 Mon-Fri, 8am to 8pm Saturday, 9am to 5pm

Energy Savings Trust UK www.energysavingtrust.org.uk

Energy Shopping and Switching www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy/energy-supply

Home Energy Team 0800 082 2234 (free to call from a a landline) home.energy@cse.org.uk www.cse.org.uk/loveyourhom

“Consumers who have never switched could save £300 per year on their energy bills.” (Ofgem, August 2016)

The Affordable Warmth website has all the grant information you need. Copy the links below and paste them to the end of the Affordable Warmth website address and search in your browser, for example www.affordablewarmthgrants.co.uk/government-grants

Government grants /government-grants Warm Front Scheme /grants/warm-front-scheme.htm Renewable heat /renewable-heat-incentive Heating grants /info-heating-grants Central heating grants /heating-grants/info-central-heating-grants Home improvement /info-home-improvement-grants Insulation grants /info-insulation-grants Boiler grants /info-grant-boilers Solar panel grants /info-solar-grants Double glazing grants /info-double-glazing-grants Warm Home Discount www.gov.uk/the-warm-home-discount-scheme

Disabled facilities grant www.gov.uk/disabled-facilities-grants

Winter fuel payment www.gov.uk/winter-fuel-payment

Cold weather payment www.gov.uk/cold-weather-payment

Pension credit www.gov.uk/pension-credit

The British Gas Energy Trust www.britishgasenergytrust.org.uk

EDF Energy Trust www.edfenergytrust.org.uk

Energy-saving tips 7Shop around

Switch and save

Grant eligibility Check online

Further information Websites and numbers

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This guide was created by the Monarch Partnership

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