Many companies think of energy as a fixed overhead but saving energy is
actually one of the easiest ways to reduce costs and improve your
reputation.
Businesses are currently responsible for about half of all the
more expensive energy supplies and higher insurance premiums.
a drop in business, with customers looking elsewhere for a more
socially responsible supplier.
a need to start meeting even stricter government regulations and
legislation.
Business Sustain offers clear advice on how to best manage your energy consumption & utility costs. Our specialist consultants will help you realize the benefits effective energy management can offer.
Our specialist advisors will review site energy usage and look at traditional and innovative ways of reducing energy costs. A simple energy management solution often requires little capital expenditure with short payback periods. A larger solution may require planning and implementation of equipment using higher capital expenditure with extended payback. However there are incentives such as tax rebates and grants which can considerably reduce the burden of capital expenditure.
Business Sustain also offers a number of training courses related to energy
For more information, advice or if you have any queries,
please contact us on tel 02476 832749,
or e-mail
environmental.advice@coventry.gov.uk
There are many low cost simple measures that can be taken to start
reducing your businesses energy consumption.
There is growing awareness of the need to find alternatives to energy
based on fossil fuels. This need is not only to ensure energy security
but also to cut greenhouse gas emissions linked to global warming, in
particular carbon dioxide. By harnessing renewable energy sources such
as the sun and the wind, you can reduce your carbon footprint and cut
fuel bills. It is also a way to make your business self-sufficient and
sustainable.
No! If you want your house to be readily heated up when you wake up in the morning, or come in from an outing, you should use the timer/programmer to switch the heating on a suitable length of time before hand. You can time how quickly your home heats up and cools down by switching the boiler on and measuring the time taken to reach a comfortable temperature. If this is, for example, 30 minutes, then set the programmer to switch the heating on 30 minutes in advance of times when you know you will be waking up or arriving home. Leaving the heating on for any longer than this when you are out the house, even on a low setting, means that the boiler will be working continuously when the heating is not needed, and all the energy it produces will be wasted.
Suspended floors: The easiest and cheapest method of insulating
suspended timber floors is to simply lay rolls of purpose made
insulation on top of the floor boards and then refit the underlay and
the carpet. However this is not the most effective method.
A more effective method of insulation is to lift the floorboards and
attach netting between the joists. Insulation rolls or rigid insulation
boards can then be placed on top of the netting. This work is quite
complex and will cause a certain amount of disruption in the
house. However, the process can be made easier if there is access from
below, for example, from a cellar. Underfloor insulation can restrict
airflow so it is very important to ensure that there is adequate
ventilation of the underfloor area to avoid the buildup of condensation.
Solid floors: The ground floors of most houses are solid floors and the most common way of insulating them is to lay a new insulated floor above the existing solid floor. Usually this is a layer of rigid polystyrene overlaid with chipboard. This will raise the floor level, so the skirting boards will need to be refitted and any doors will have to be trimmed to the new level.
Heat loss through the floor amounts to about 8%. If you have well insulated walls and loft, then floor insulation is worth considering. In most cases it is only the ground floor that is insulated as the heat loss from the other floors benefits the floors below. This may be easier and more cost effective when carrying out other floor refurbishments, although this depends on the type of house and floor.
Yes but the process is usually more expensive than conventional
cavity wall insulation and can therefore be done most cost effectively
at the same time as other renovation or redecoration work on the
walls. The three main methods are:
1. External Cladding. External insulation can be expensive and is
usually carried out by a qualified builder or specialist firm. An
insulating material is applied to the external surface of the walls by
mechanical means and is then given a protective waterproof finish. The
insulation is applied in the form of mineral fibre or polyurethane foam
in rigid boards although there are now some insulating renders that can
be applied directly to the external wall.
2. Internal insulation using wall battens. The space between them is
filled with insulating material then covered over with a plasterboard
finish. Laminates (ready-made insulation boards) are also available and
can be fixed directly to the walls. Vapour barriers in the form of
plastic sheets are usually incorporated to prevent condensation on the
walls behind the new insulation.
It must be remembered that this form of insulation will reduce the
overall size of the room.
3. Internal Lining, sometimes referred to as “Dry Lining”. There are
several products available for internal insulation. These are best
applied when refurbishing or prior to redecorating. Some products are
supplied in rolls of thick insulating material and are applied just like
wall paper.
Uninsulated walls can lose as much as 33% of the heat in an uninsulated home. Cavity wall insulation can reduce heat loss through the walls by 40%.
Yes - Modern cavity wall insulation is estimated to have a lifetime of around 40 years and comes with a 25 year independent (CIGA) guarantee.
Toasters use less energy as they heat up more quickly and less heat escapes to the atmosphere. If you have an electric grill, you are always likely to save money and carbon dioxide by using the toaster instead of the grill as you will be using less electricity, whereas for gas grills, the cost and carbon dioxide will probably be around the same. This is because gas is a cheaper and less carbon intensive fuel than electricity, but you use more of it when you use the grill.
This is probably caused by using two different sources for your hot water over the year. In winter the hot water will probably come from the central heating boiler which has a thermostat attached to it. This is usually set at about 60°C. However, during the summer many people switch the boiler off and rely on an immersion heater for the hot water. This should also be set at 60°C but could have been set at the factory at 80°C.
