Energy Saving Trust Q&A Centre

Energy_Saving_Trust_company_representative · 8 December 2010 at 1:58PM

cassandra@walpole wrote: »

I live in n Suffolk in a modest 400 year old listed old timber-framed house with my husband and daughter.She is 14: we are retired and on relatively low incomes, with no capital.
We are very well aware of the need to use more renewables and are founder members of Cookpole Energy Action.
In terms of what we can do in our own home - we are limited by the fabric and structure of the building, ie no loft or cavity walls,and an old oak, plaster and brick structure.There is no gas pipeline in the vicinity.We use oil and electricity, and have a wood burning stove and an open fire. While the old structure is surprisingly warm and weatherproof, the windows and doors are ill-fitting even with draughtproofing.
Can you advise on any grants, opportunities etc which might help us to fund eg new double glazed windows or renewable energy sources, bearing in mind the listed building restrictions, and are you aware of any likely relaxation or concessions in the listed building regulations in the foreseeable future?

Hi,

Unfortunately we are not aware of any grants or funding for energy efficiency measures in your circumstances. There is the Feed In Tariff for renewable energy but I wouldn't have thought you would gain planning permission for this on a listed building, as far as im aware the building regulations for listed properties are not likely to change.

There is a very useful 'Building Regulations and Historic Buildings' publication from Engilsh Heritage however which looks at listed buildings and finds alternatives for energy efficiency measures that would otherwise not be allowed (i.e. installing secordary glazing on the inside window frames etc).

Energy_Saving_Trust_company_representative · 8 December 2010 at 2:05PM

Richarrow wrote: »

I have a house with dormer windows in every upstairs room and these rooms are set partially into the roof. I am not sure how much insulation was possible / was installed on the dormer sides or the sloping interior surface of the roof.

Is there a thermal imaging service (affordable of course) that would come and view my house and give me an indication of where the greatest heat loss is occurring? Could you provide the names of any such service providers?

Thank you

There are a couple of ways to check your house to find out where heat is escaping.

Firstly you could pay for a thermal image of you home, this will identify the areas where heat is escaping and will let you focus on tackling these sources of heat loss, such as fitting more insulation. It is best done on a cold day and you should ensure the heating system has got the home up to the usual temperature.

The other option is to have a pressure test done. This is usually done when properties have too much structural ventilation which subsequently causes excessive heat loss. A pressure test is performed by sealing points of deliberate ventilation (e.g. trickle vents, extractor fans etc), then at one of the doors a fan is attached to create higher air pressure within the property. Then the assessor goes around the property with a smoke vessel to observe how it escapes through gaps in the fabric. This will then lead to measures such as draught proofing and sealing in order to block these gaps.

Both can be expensive but are easy to find if searched for over the internet. I would advise you to get quotes from multiple sources and weigh up the benefits of doing it. However we unfortunately cannot direct you to specific companies as this will compromise our impatiality.

Ken68 · 8 December 2010 at 3:03PM

Richarrow wrote: »

I have a house with dormer windows in every upstairs room and these rooms are set partially into the roof. I am not sure how much insulation was possible / was installed on the dormer sides or the sloping interior surface of the roof.

Is there a thermal imaging service (affordable of course) that would come and view my house and give me an indication of where the greatest heat loss is occurring? Could you provide the names of any such service providers?

Thank you

I have one of these Rich..

http://www.shadlock.co.uk/energy/misc/temp1.htm

and there are companies that do 'drive by' imaging services.
Ideal income for the Fire Service when the cuts bite.

zeupater · 8 December 2010 at 3:40PM

Energy_Saving_Trust_company_representative wrote: »

Hi mjjordan,

If you have your heating on for say 6 hours a day (1 hour in the moring just before you wake up and 5 hours in the evening when you get home from work) appose to having it on for 16 hours a day (7am - 11pm) then you will be wasting heat when you do no need it.

The most efficient way of using your heating system is setting it to the lowest comfortable temperature for the times when you need it.

Hi

I think you should really check the grammar in the referenced post .... I don't think it says what you meant to say, in fact it actually reads the opposite ....

Regards

stevereal · 8 December 2010 at 5:49PM

Hi, not sure if this is a new thread/question, but will ask anyway! We're having a new build property and a swimming pool. Whilst we would like to go green, to be honest, I am very wary of the 'claims' by so many companies of what their products can do - and you end up thinking 'none' of these really work to be honest.

I 'have' been told that 'if' we have gas - then this is the best form of energy as it gives immed heat and is still one of the cheapest fuels. We've been told to combine this with solar thermal panels on the sth facing pool roof which will have the sun to @4pm max everyday.
These panels would heat the indoor pool when heat is avail from them and the gas would then 'top up' the pool and also heat the house.

Whilst this may well be the way we go - is there any solid info we can get out hands on as I have considered wood pellet/grd source/air source (prob too noisy as quiet plot) - wood pellet seems as if could do the pool and house - but likely to be v expensive as pool needs to be warm daily for our disabled son - grd source is being doubted for its real potential to heat pool without a 'top-up' (gas line in from road, 'on top' of this, would be too expensive). It is also going to be a big house @ 6500 sq ft - (sorry not purring everyone as this has all come thro unfort circumstances) but could do with some solid info rather than just guesswork which we seem to keep getting - as would like to go green - but not without massive bills cf gas heating. Thanks Steve

mjjordan · 8 December 2010 at 6:04PM

Thanks EST REp. and zeupater. I am regretfully currently unemployed therefore in/out work times don't make a jot; I can always find another jumper if necessary, the real question is, if a person is in all day, never mind the comfort particularly, is it more efficient for the system to run low all day rather than start/restart up from cool/cold; or is it just down to the number of hours the burner is running for i.e. then have early morning start ,off in day (find a jumper) on again in evening? Clarity would be ever so helpful, thanks.

Cardew · 8 December 2010 at 6:47PM

mjjordan wrote: »

Thanks EST REp. and zeupater. I am regretfully currently unemployed therefore in/out work times don't make a jot; I can always find another jumper if necessary, the real question is, if a person is in all day, never mind the comfort particularly, is it more efficient for the system to run low all day rather than start/restart up from cool/cold; or is it just down to the number of hours the burner is running for i.e. then have early morning start ,off in day (find a jumper) on again in evening? Clarity would be ever so helpful, thanks.

This question comes up all the time and there is no answer. This is a reply in another thread:

The problem is that question(or variations) simply cannot be answered.

It is like asking is 'is it quicker to drive from London to Glasgow at a slow speed without stopping, or flat out with lots of stops'!!! To answer you need to know slow speed, fast speed, length of stops and distance.

All we can say is that with the thermostat set at the same level, e.g. 20C, it is cheaper for the heating to be on timed than on 24/7.

If the question asks is it cheaper to have it 24/7 at, say, 17C or six hours a day at 20C, then nobody can answer as it depends on several unknown factors - insulation in house, efficiency of boiler etc.

zeupater · 8 December 2010 at 10:31PM

mjjordan wrote: »

Thanks EST REp. and zeupater. I am regretfully currently unemployed therefore in/out work times don't make a jot; I can always find another jumper if necessary, the real question is, if a person is in all day, never mind the comfort particularly, is it more efficient for the system to run low all day rather than start/restart up from cool/cold; or is it just down to the number of hours the burner is running for i.e. then have early morning start ,off in day (find a jumper) on again in evening? Clarity would be ever so helpful, thanks.

Hi

The higher the difference between the internal & external temperatures the faster your home will leak heat (energy). Logically, if a constant internal temperature is maintained there will be a variable energy replacement demand due to differing external temperatures, relative humidity, wind etc. If you allow the internal temperature to drop the difference between the internal & external temperatures will be reduced, therefore the heatloss will also be reduced. When energy is not available to replace the lost heat, the air temperature of the interior of the house will be partially maintained due to stored heat in the thermal mass of the building & it's contents. When the heating source is switched on again a good proportion of what is available will be absorbed to raise the temperature of the thermal mass, resulting in an extended heating cycle .... however, the overall energy requirement will still be lower than constant heating.

Looking at your original post I see temperatures of 22C & 26C mentioned ... I'd recommend that, unless there is a specific reason to maintain these temperatures, you gradually reduce the temperature over a period of time, you will probably find that this will save a substantial amount on the energy bill and will hardly be noticeable (and as you say, jumpers during the day !). If you haven't already done so, look at filling your loft with insulation, and fitting thermostatic valves on at least your upstairs radiators .... these two changes are relatively cheap and will have a reasonably quick payback.

HTH

Samalan · 20 December 2010 at 12:31PM

Where do I post specific questions?
Is it on this - even if I am not replying to anyone??
Samalan

carbonsaver · 21 December 2010 at 12:42PM

Voltage optimisation reduces electricity used (and CO2 released) by reducing the voltage supplied from the mains (variable but maybe 245v) to the voltage that equipment is designed to run at (probably 220v).
Voltage optimisation has been available for some time for non-domestic 3 phase supply e.g powerperfector but now it has started to appear for domestic electricity supply.
The level of saving would be different for different kinds of electrical device - but maybe about 10% overall.
So far I have only found one supplier for domestic installations - vphase and indeed their website says that their product is the
only one for the UK domestic market.
Are there any others and has Energy Saving Trust or anyone else done independent assessments of them? Has anyone had experience of them?

Energy Saving Trust Q&A Centre

Comments

Categories

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free