Arrowvale
Environment
Group
Assisted by
Ways of reducing the amount of heat needed to keep your home
comfortable
In the table below there are three columns. The first column shows an element in your house. The second shows, in percentage terms, how much of the total heat required inside your home leaks out across that element; the figures are typical for a fairly old house, say 50 years. The third column shows what can be done to that element to reduce the heat flow, which will save you money, and reduce your need for energy.
Element Percentage Action needed
heat loss
of total house
Air in house 21 All the air in your home has to be heated for you
to feel comfortable. In an old house, but much less in a house built since 2000,
a very high proportion of the heat needed for comfort is used heating the air. If
your house is leaky – the doors and windows do not fit tightly into the frames leaving
gaps through which cold air can enter -
Roofs 14 The easiest way of insulating a roof is to lay insulation over the ceiling joists. The current Building Regulations require at least 225mm (9”) of quilt. The insulating materials are available from builders' merchants, and are relatively easy to lay. If you do it yourself, and you are using a quilt, then make sure you use a mask over your nose and mouth, because the fibres are very irritating if inhaled. There are other materials (expanded and aerated plastics) available in board form. These have to be cut in between joists so that they fit tightly, and then an additional layer has to be fitted over the top to build up the thickness to 225mm.
It may be that your roof is so old that it
needs re-
It is important to draught-
Walls 32 The insulation in houses built with cavity walls can be substantially improved by introducing insulation into the cavity; there are now well tried methods of doing this, but it does need a specialist, and one with a good track record. Get references from any firm which is quoting for you.
The walls can also be improved by adding insulation
on the inside of the walls, but this is quite disruptive, and will reduce the floor
area of all the rooms insulated. An alternative is to place insulation on the outside
of the house, which can be done very easily with some of the very efficient multi-
Windows 14 First of all, draught proof any opening parts.
Secondly, try to introduce double glazing into the existing frames; if that is not possible, introduce another frame with double glazing into the window recess, called secondary double glazing. Bear in mind that the Scandinavians have triple glazing as standard, which has been developed because of their harsher winters. However, we should adopt this practice, as the cost and availability of fuel – all fuel – is going to escalate.
Thirdly, consider fitting shutters on the outside, or inside, which can be closed at night; these have the advantage of reducing the heat loss, and increasing the security.
Outside with windows As with windows, draught proof all round. Brush seals at
doors: the cill should not be forgotten.
If your doors are glazed, then fit double glazing if the door is thick enough.
When you open a door in cold weather, then a large amount of cold air enters your house, and warm air escapes. Houses built today have to have draught lobbies inside the external doors so that, providing that only one door is open at a time, the loss of warm air is reduced to the volume of the lobby. If your house could have room for a lobby, consider fitting one. It’s also a good place for hanging coats, etc.
Ground floor 19 A lot of heat goes out through the ground floor in old houses which are not insulated. Often these floors may also have no damp proof membrane, making them damp as well. The optimum recommendation here is to replace the whole floor to include lots of insulation, a solid slab to hold heat, and an underfloor heating system. Underfloor heating systems were used by the Romans, so they are old technology. A heated floor is more comfortable – your feet are warm – you do not need so much heat, and there are no draughts.
Alternative sources for energy
This is not an inclusive listing of what is available, but they are alternatives to consider if you are thinking of getting a new boiler, extending or altering your house, or installing a heating system.
Solar panels. Solar panels which collect the suns energy can be installed in the roof (facing south, preferably), and this energy can be pumped to your hot water cylinder for use at baths, basins and sinks. This is tried technology, very efficient, and there are grants available. In the summer, late spring and early autumn, all the heat you need for hot water may be provided by the solar panels, and, in the winter, the panels will substantially reduce the load on you boiler or electricity supply. The pay back period can be as little a two years. Grants are available from the Herefordshire Council.
Heating. To heat your house, you need a supply of energy which is there in the winter. There are two sources in this category which are not dependant on fossil fuels: firstly, there is the energy which is there all the time in the earth’s crust, and secondly, there is the energy available in subterranean water courses. The first can be tapped by introducing a coil into the ground adjacent to the house at a depth of between 1.5 and 2.0 metres through which a refrigerant liquid flows. This liquid passes through a heat exchanger, similar to the heat exchanger in your refrigerator, and this heat is distributed in the house. The second can be tapped by taking heat from an adjacent stream, by using water in a well, or using water from a bore hole. If you have a swimming pool, then the water in the swimming pool can absorb the sun’s energy during the day, and this can be used as a heat source, again through a heat pump.
Boilers. If your boiler is coming to the end of its life, then make sure that it is replaced by a condensing boiler with any energy efficiency rating of at least 80%. These boilers pass the burnt flue gases through a heat exchanger to extract the energy which is still there; this accounts for their increased efficiency.
Lights. Make sure that all your house lights are using low energy lamps, normally in the form of compact florescent tubes. These will reduce you lighting bills by about 75%. However, when you throw away used lamps, make sure you take them to the tip, and put them in the special container for florescent tubes – they need special treatment. If you find that some of your rooms have lights left on when there is no one there, and this happens frequently, then consider fitting a passive infra red switch. This will turn the light on when there is movement in the room, and let it go out when the room is empty. (Not certain about the dogs and cats).
Heat recovery. There is a growing awareness of the amount of energy we waste when releasing hot bath, basin and sink water, and water from domestic machines, into the drains. There are systems available which extract this heat from the waste water, called ‘grey water’, and reuse either to heat the house or the next bath, etc.
Showers. Consider using a shower instead of a bath. Water and energy consumption in a shower is about 20% of a bath, a great saving in resources, and bills.
More information
There is much information available from the Energy Saving Trust, 21 Dartmouth Street, London SW1H 9BP, or on the web www.energysavingtrust.org.uk
“Our planet is our house and we must keep it in order and take care of it if we are genuinely concerned about happiness for ourselves, our children, our friends and other sentient beings who share this great house with us”.
