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Energy efficiency

Introduction

The Council’s Housing Energy Action Team (HEAT) can help owner occupiers and tenants in privately rented properties make their homes warmer, more comfortable and cheaper to heat.

Making your home more energy efficient has numerous benefits:

• Improved thermal comfort
• Lower energy bills
• Reduced carbon emissions.

Rising energy bills

Average energy costs are now in the region of £1300 per property for dual fuel households which use gas and electricity (figure based on a 3 bedroom semi-detached home). Longer term predictions suggest these costs will continue to rise to fund carbon reduction and infrastructure investment that is needed to achieve the Government’s energy targets.

Some estimates suggest that average households bills could increase to £2000 by 2020. Others forecast that energy costs could increase up to £4000 per household by 2020 over the same time period.

Why wait until then to take action? By becoming more energy efficient now, you will start to make immediate savings whilst everyone else might have to pay increasingly more for their energy bills.

Check your energy use

Using an energy monitor could help you save as much as 15% on your electricity bills.

Energy Monitors are available on loan from local libraries in Calderdale. If all the meters are on out on loan at any library, you will be able to reserve one free of charge, and the next available meter will be held for you.

The monitors show how much electricity you use in the home and how much it is costing. By seeing where you spend the most money on electricity, you can take steps to use less energy and reduce your bills by as much as 15%.

For more information on how to borrow an Energy Monitor contact the Housing Energy Action Team or your local library.

Make your home as energy efficient as possible and reduce your energy costs

• Use a heating system that’s as efficient as possible.
  For further advice see Heating your home
  
  
• Reduce energy usage and possible wastage.
  For further advice see Insulating your home
  
  
• Review your energy usage and shop around for the best deal.
  There are numerous price comparison services which are available on the internet and over the telephone. For more details see Consumer Focus' advice on switching suppliers| or download Changing Your Energy Supplier [PDF file 51KB]| .

  To help you get an accurate idea of costs you will need information on your actual consumption over a set period, normally the last 12 months. This information might be available on your energy bills. However, the most accurate pricing will be based upon actual meter readings if you keep a record of these.

  You might also wish to consider buying your gas and electricity from the same supplier as dual fuel deals are generally more competitively priced.

• Choose the lowest cost tariff and payment option that’s right for you.

  The lowest tariffs come with Internet based accounts with paperless billing. You submit your own meter readings and your energy company will email you to remind you when these are due.

  The cheapest way to pay your bill is by monthly direct debit through your current bank account. Your monthly payment will be determined according to how much you might typically use in 12 months and averaged out to help you spread the cost of the energy during the different seasons. Energy companies offer discount on this payment method because it costs less for them to administer.

  Different rates are also available on the cost of energy. If you think prices will continue to rise, you might wish to consider ‘locking in’ on a fixed rate for a set period. This means you will pay the same unit cost for all the energy you use, however your price will vary according to how much energy you consume.

  Capped and discounted rates are also sometimes available. With a capped rate, the unit cost can go down, but it cannot increase any higher above the ‘cap’ should prices to continue to rise. Your bill may however increase if you use more energy than normal, and likewise if you use less.

  As they suggest, discounted rates offer a set discount from an energy company’s standard energy prices. The unit cost of energy can go up or down and even if you use exactly the same amount of energy, your bills will vary.

  Other options include quarterly billing and payment cards. Through quarterly billing you pay for what you use every three months. Significantly higher bills are typical in January and April after the colder weather and darker nights.

  Pre-payment cards are the most expensive way of paying for your energy, but may be the only option if you are on a limited budget or don’t have a bank account.

Benefit entitlement checks

If you are on a low income, it's important to make sure you are claiming the benefits you are entitled to. This can help increase your household income and help you to cover the cost of your energy bills and other essential household costs. More importantly, it can open up access to schemes like Warm Front for households that are in receipt of certain income or disability related benefits.

Various organisations can assess your circumstances and help you apply for the benefits which you may be entitled to. Contact one of the following for details:

• Calderdale Citizens Advice Bureau|
  Telephone: 01422 842848
• The Pension Service|
  Telephone: 0800 99 1234.

Further advice

Energy Saving Trust Advice Centre (ESTAC) offers free impartial advice and tips on how to make your home more energy efficient, including homes not on the gas network and advice on renewable energies.

Visit Energy Saving Trust|  or telephone 0800 512 012 to get in touch with your local centre.

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