ABBE Level 3 Diploma in Domestic Green Deal Advice 10. Low-No Cost Measures

1. ABBE Level 3 Diploma in Domestic Green Deal Advice10. Low-No Cost Measures Presented by No Cost/Low Cost Measures

2. Factors To increase customer benefits and maximize the savings following a Green Deal assessment, low cost and no cost advice should be given. Savings Fixed by Green Deal Repayments Behavioural change, through low cost, no cost advice will increase household savings. Behavioural Change Fuel Bill

3. Simple ways to save energy Turn off appliances at the mains when not in use. Use economy settings whenever possible. Use energy saving products such as a ‘Powerdown’ that will help save both money and energy.

4. Standby Standby: the energy that no-one uses On average UK households spend £35 a year each powering appliances left in standby mode. Although some appliances such as modems, broadband routers, digi-boxes and cordless telephones, clocks or timers need to be left on Standby savers make it easy to turn all appliances off from standby without having to reach for the plug. Recent regulations specify that all electronic products sold within the EU after 2010 cannot have a standby power greater than 1W. However, whilst the average standby consumption of new products is going down, households are being filled with more and more electronic gadgets, therefore it is still worth looking at standby energy usage throughout the home.

5. Cooking

6. Washing and Drying

7. Lighting

8. Heating and Hot Water

9. Energy Labels Energy Saving Trust Recommended Under the Energy Saving Trust Recommended scheme only products that meet strict criteria on energy efficiency can carry the label. The idea is that whatever the product, whichever the labelling system, all consumers need to do is look for the Energy Saving Trust Recommended label.

10. Comparisons of Appliances How much could you save calculations are based on replacing an average appliance purchased new in 2000 with an Energy Saving Trust Recommended model of similar size,

11. Low Cost Measures There are ways to save energy straight away, and advice should be given on appropriate low cost/no cost measures: Draught proofing Blocking unused chimneys Cylinder jacket Sealing air leaks Energy monitoring Pipework lagging Reducing the thermostat

12. Thermostat Turn down the room thermostat by one degree and save around£55 and 230kg carbon dioxide a year.

13. Draught Proofing In homes with too much ventilation around the doors and windows, draught proofing can successfully reduce the amount of heat loss. But in some homes it can reduce the flow of air, hence trapping moisture laden air causing condensation. Too much ventilation can also make condensation worse by cooling the house down.

14. Sealing Air Leaks Air leakagescan prove to be a major problem as they can affect indoor air quality and increase electricity expenditure as well. Caulking Caulking areas where air leaks are present is a good solution. Some of the places that should be caulked: • Ducting• Plumbing• Electrical wiring• Joints between floors and skirting boards Full draught-proofing will save on average £55 per year. Draught-free homes are comfortable at lower temperatures.

15. Chimney Draughts A fireplace no longer used for real fire might best be sealed to reduce draughts. This might be with something as simple as some crumpled up newspaper, or a job specific chimney pillow. These come in a number of sizes and expand to fit the gap tightly.

16. Blocking an Unused Fireplace The chimney breast can be bricked in to tidy up the wall. Ventilation needs to be provided to the chimney space to avoid moisture collecting on the soot and smoke deposits within the chimney and forming damp areas. This can easily be achieved by building in an air-brick. It is also necessary to cap the chimney pot to allow air circulation through the chimney while keeping rain, birds etc. out. Before starting to brick up a fireplace or fitting the ventilation cowl, have the chimney swept to remove as much soot as possible and dislodge any bird nests or other debris.

17. Cylinder Jackets Insulating the hot water cylinder is one of the easiest ways to save energy and by extension money. Check the thickness of existing jackets, it should be at least 75mm thick. If not, greater savings can be made through improvement/upgrade. Fitting a British Standard jacket around a cylinder will cut heat loss by over 75% and save up to £40 a year- more than the cost of the jacket!

18. Pipe Lagging Tanks, pipes and radiators Lagging water tanks and pipes and insulating behind radiators reduces the amount of heat that escapes the home. As a result, less money is spent on heating water and the water stays hotter for longer.

19. Energy Monitoring It's easier to cut electricity bills if usage can be ‘seen’ and reviewed. Since 2006, wireless home electricity monitors have been championed by TV programmes such as Panorama, Newsnight, BBC News 24's Click and It's Not Easy Being Green. They provide critical and continuous information about how much electricity is being used in the home so that new energy saving habits can be adopted to reduce the household consumption of electricity. These convenient and easy to use monitors instantly show: • Exactly how much electricity is being used. • How much it is costing in pence per hour. • How much harmful CO2 the household produces.

20. Energy Monitoring An energy monitor displays what is being used and when – helping consumers to focus on areas which could lower bills. Using one can reduce the energy bill by up to £80 a year. 95% of people underestimate the savings they can achieve by using an energy monitor to help change their behaviour. As a general rule, the sort of saving one might expect to generate by using an energy monitor is 15% of overall energy use.

21. Energy Monitoring Tips for using an energy monitor: There is little point having a monitor unless it is situated where it is clearly visible so that energy usage can be seen real-time. Readings will be most accurate if the user inputs a specific tariff rate rather than relying on the pre-set tariff rate. Where possible, adjust settings on installation of the monitor. Consumers should review data to pinpoint behaviours which could result in the greatest energy/cost savings. The key is to cajole the consumer to challenge their own behaviour in relation to energy usage, resulting in them ‘buying-in’ to cost reduction on a personal level and assisting the Government with emission cuts at a national level.

22. Saving Water - Aerators The use of water aerators can reduce the amount of water used. They are often found at the tip of modern taps. Without this appliance fitted, the water would flow as one large stream. The aerator divides the stream into droplets, which uses less water and causes less splashing.

23. Saving Water - Cisterns A traditional and no cost measure to save water is to place a brick – or other heavy object – in the toilet cistern. The volume taken up by the ‘brick’ means less water is used when flushing.

24. Saving Water - Water Butts On average, almost 100,000 litres of rainwater is collected on roofs each year. A water butt is connected to a downpipe so it can collect rainwater from the gutters. Once it is full, the water flows down the drainpipe into the butt. A gutter filter should also be installed to keep out unwanted debris.

25. General Advice Turn down the thermostat. Reducing room temperature by 1°C could cut heating bills by up to 10% and typically saves around £60 per year. If a programmer is in-situ, set the heating and hot water to come on only when required rather than all the time. Always turn off the lights when a room is not in use. Don't leave appliances on standby. Remember not to leave laptops and mobile phones on charge unnecessarily. Use energy saving light bulbs. They last up to 10 times longer than ordinary bulbs. Using one can save around £55 over the lifetime of the bulb. This saving could be around £120 over its lifetime when replacing a high wattage incandescent bulb, or one used for more than a few hours a day. Is the water too hot? The cylinder thermostat should be set at 60°C/140°F. Close curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping through the windows. Check for draughts around windows and doors. If possible, fill up the washing machine, tumble dryer or dishwasher: one full load uses less energy than two half loads. Only boil water as required (but remember to cover the elements when using an electric kettle). A dripping hot water tap wastes energy and in one week wastes enough hot water to fill half a bath, so fix leaking taps and make sure they're fully turned off!

26. Limitations of Advice Advice cannot be given on the following: Energy efficiency measures not supported by the Green Deal. Occupant behaviour relating to passive solar home designs or the use of advanced energy saving technologies not currently offered by Green Deal. Choosing a Green Deal provider or Green Deal installer. Choice of energy supplier or specific energy tariffs. Specific brands of energy efficiency measures.

27. Limitations of Advice The GDA is not responsible for: Advice given by any service or website that the GDA suggests to a customer. Any issues that arise should the customer act on the advice given. Should any issue arise during or post installation, the customer should approach their chosen Green Deal provider in the first instance. The remote advice service’s advice.

28. Questions?

29. Web Links www.stroma.com/certification Contacts Stroma Certification Ltd. 4 Pioneer Way, Castleford, WF10 5QU 0845 621 11 11 training@stroma.com