Your house is threatening the environment

Posted by Jaimie Kanwar on Wednesday, October 05, 2005

Most people now recognise that the way you use energy in your home can contribute to global warming and so threaten the environment. The trouble is we're using more and more energy in our everyday lives because it makes life more comfortable and entertaining. But some of it is being wasted and that's where we can all help.

Picture this scene in the year 2050 as envisioned by the Energy Saving Trust: It's a cold and dark winter's morning. You get up and switch on the light, powered by energy stored from solar electric cells and the mini-wind turbine on the roof. The central heating comes on, using an energy efficient 'A' rated condensing boiler and heat pump, which turns waste heat into electrical power.

The house soon becomes warm and snug, thanks also to the triple glazed windows fitted with special heat insulating glass, draught-proof automatic doors, and thick insulation in the walls and roof.

The tiny amount of heat that leaks out into the outside world will be picked up on a satellite in space, monitoring any waste heat from homes, offices and factories. If you leak too much heat it sends a message to the local energy office and they'll send you a bill for harming the environment.

It's an alternative view for sure, but maybe not far off the mark and for my money you can bet on an earlier date that 2050 for many of the predictions. But what about 2005?

New research from the Energy Saving Trust and the UK Climate Change Impact Programme shows a clear link between climate change and how we use energy in the home. UK homes contribute to 28 per cent of all carbon dioxide emissions in the UK. Carbon dioxide is released by burning fossil fuels and this gas is the leading cause of climate change. By being more energy efficient we can reduce the need for generated energy and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

What's more, with gas prices on the rise, insulating your home will help you to save money on your fuel bills in the long term.

It's Energy Efficiency Week in October (24^th - 30^th October), so why not try and do your bit to save energy and money by making your home more energy efficient this winter?

In the UK we spend £2.4 billion a year on running appliances and heating our homes. One of the causes of global warming is carbon dioxide, and more is produced in an average home than by running a car.

Simple steps such as not leaving TVs and videos on standby, switching off lights in unused rooms, switching to energy-saving light bulbs and turning down the central heating by one degree not only save money but help cut carbon emissions which contribute to climate change.

The average house loses about 35 per cent of its heat through the walls, 25 per cent through the roof, a further 25 per cent through draughty doors and windows, and 15 per cent through the floor.

Insulating all these areas will save you money on your fuel bills in the long term. The initial cost can be fairly high, however, it is important to prioritise – The DIY store B&Q says start with a few relatively inexpensive measures, such as insulating your hot-water cylinder and draught-proofing windows and doors, then do the more expensive things bit by bit – for example, insulating the floor, roof and walls or installing double glazing. Mind you, up to 60% of your home heat loss could be through your roof and walls so don't leave it too long to tackle those more expensive bits. Grants are available to help with the cost too, see below.

It is well worth lagging your hot-water cylinder by fitting it with a jacket made from mineral-fibre insulation. If you are buying a new cylinder, choose one with foam insulation already fitted. Lag cold water pipes in the loft and any exposed hot-water pipes running through unheated areas of the house with split foam tubes. You should also insulate the cold-water cistern and the small feed-and-expansion tank (if you have one.) The cistern can be wrapped in a purpose-made jacket or a glass fibre blanket. But don't insulate the area underneath it – any heat rising from the room below will help to prevent the tank from freezing.

Fitting draught excluders to all gaps around doors and windows will keep your home warmer and reduce fuel bills. Self-adhesive foam strips of draught excluder are inexpensive, easy to fix in place and suitable for casement windows and interior doors. Make sure you don't stretch the strips when fitting them as this impairs their efficiency.

Clean off all dirt and any loose paint from the window frame, using a damp cloth. When the frame is dry, peel off the backing paper from the self-adhesive foam draught excluder a little at a time. Press it on to the outside of the window frame where the opening casement window will press against it when closed. Cut the ends of each length at a 45-degree angle to form a neat join at each corner. Close the window to press the strip firmly in place.

For doors, there is a variety of types of draught excluder to choose from, in different colours, and there are also complete sets for internal and external doors. The simplest is a self-adhesive foam strip – polyurethane foam for interior doors or vinyl-coated polyurethane, rubber or PVC foams for exterior doors. V-shaped strips are good for irregular gaps around doors. Sprung strip, in metal or plastic, is pinned to the rebates of the door frame. This is how to use self-adhesive foam to insulate your doors:

Clean off all dirt and any loose paint on the door frame rebate using a damp cloth. When the frame is dry, apply self-adhesive foam draught excluder all the way round the edge in the same way as for a window and cut it to the correct length.

Make sure you attach the strip to the frame rather than the door stop, or it will be rubbed off when the door closes.

The loft is the best place to start insulating your home, as much of the heat in a house is lost through the roof.

If you have access to the loft space, laying blanket or loose insulation between the joists will reduce heat loss by about a quarter. Blanket insulation is available in different thickness and widths. Use rolls that are the same width as the gap between the joists and simply lay it between them. Loose-lay insulation comes in bags and can be tipped between the joists and levelled using a straightedge. It is ideal for topping up existing insulation. Remember to wear a protective breathing mask while laying loft insulation.

Insulating walls to reduce heat loss is a bigger, more expensive job than insulating the roof. Newer houses may have had insulating panels inserted between their cavity walls as they were built. This is less likely in older properties. Cavity walls can be insulated – the insulating material is blown through holes drilled in the outside wall – but this is definitely a job for a professional!

You can insulate solid walls by dry-lining them, that is, by adding an extra layer of plasterboard to their inner faces. This is up to 50mm thick, so you will reduce your room space by this amount. The plasterboard is simply cut to size and glued or screwed to the existing wall but you may have to move electrical wiring, sockets and switches, radiators, doors and windows.

Secondary double glazing - the sort you fit on an additional frame inside your existing windows - won't have a dramatic effect on overall heat loss, maybe 5% or so, but it will make the room warmer and quieter near the windows. Simple secondary double glazing kits, usually made from aluminium and plastic, are available in a range of sizes that are trimmed to fit.

If you've ever seen new double glazed windows being fitted, you'll realise the job is a cinch for many DIY enthusiasts. The big trick is making really sure of the sizes before you order the windows. (And of course, this is done before the old frames are removed)

Windows may then be ordered from a range of suppliers, who normally supply the trade, but will be only too pleased to supply to DIYers and offer technical help too. Important considerations are whether you need toughened glass for some of the locations, for instance, where anybody could accidentally fall and use the glass to support themselves.

Most of the grants and offers you can benefit from are provided by three main groups:

Government
The UK government funds schemes providing up to £2,500 to households on certain benefits to improve their heating and energy efficiency. In England the scheme is known as Warm Front, in Northern Ireland it is Warm Homes, in Scotland Warm Deal and in Wales it is the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme. Please note that grants levels vary.

Energy suppliers
The government's Energy Efficiency Commitment means energy suppliers of a certain size operating in Great Britain are obliged to help achieve targets for improving home energy efficiency. The suppliers therefore provide a range of offers which significantly reduce the cost of installing energy efficiency measures. What's more, you can take up offers from any of the energy companies, regardless of who supplies your gas and electricity.

Local authorities
Local authorities provide grants and offers for local residents to install energy efficiency measures in their home.

The Energy Saving Trust website has a grant calculator that can assess the level and type of grants available to you in your area. Visit: http://www.est.org.uk/myhome/gid/ to find out more.

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