Energy and Water

Energy Saving Tips

Energy bills are now almost double what they were this time last year, with the cost of living at its highest level in a decade. It’s never been more important to understand how energy is used around your home.

We have highlighted some simple changes you can make to help save energy, reduce your carbon footprint and lower your bills.

Switch to LED lightbulbs- these have longer life spans and are more efficient, saving you money in the long run.
Turn appliances off- rather than leaving them on standby. Smart plugs or standby savers can help by allowing you to turn all your appliances off standby in one go.
Turn your thermostat down by one degree- one of the simplest energy-saving tricks is turning your heating down a single degree. You might not think such a small amount would make a difference
Wash your clothes at a lower temperature- why not try making 30C your standard wash? The lower the temperature, the more energy you’ll save. Reduce your washing machine use by one run a week to save even more.
Avoid the tumble drier- air dry your clothes. If you dry your clothes on a radiator, hang clothes nearby rather than directly on the radiator. Wet clothes cool the radiator, which makes your boiler work harder.
Take shorter showers- by reducing your shower time to four minutes you could save up to £95 a year.
Switch off the lights- when you're not using them. Little things can add up to real savings over the long term.
Install a smart meter- smart meters put consumers in control of their energy use, allowing them to adopt energy efficiency measures that can help save money on their energy bills and offset price increases. Get in touch with your energy supplier who can arrange for smart meters to be installed at a time and date that suits you. You will not be charged for the installation.
Insulate your home- there are many different types of insulation to help keep your home warm including roof and loft, cavity wall, solid wall and floor insulation.
Only wash on a full load- whether this is your dishwasher or washing machine, only wash when it is full. In fact, a full dishwasher can be more efficient with water and energy than washing by hand.

For more home energy advice visit the Energy Saving Trust.

EPC Explained

An EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) is a certificate that shows how energy-efficient your property is.

The document includes estimated energy costs, as well as a summary of your home’s energy performance-related features. EPCs also include recommendations on measures that would make your home more energy-efficient, along with estimated costs for implementing the changes and the potential savings you could make. Your property will be given an energy-efficiency grade between A and G, with A being the best - i.e. most energy-efficient - and G being the worst.

For more information on EPCs in England, including how to get an EPC for your house, visit the EPC pages on the gov.uk website.

Insulating Your Home

By identifying problem areas in your home’s insulation, you’ll be able to not only save money on your heating bills but also improve energy efficiency and reduce your carbon emissions. It doesn’t have to cost a fortune, even little fixes around the home can mount up to significant savings in your energy bills.

Draught proofing- draught proofing is an easy and cheap way to insulate your home. Block up unwanted gaps that let cold air in and warm air out, for example around doors, windows, chimneys, gaps around electrical fittings, loft hatches and where pipe work leads outside. Be sure not to block necessary vents in windows and walls while draught-proofing.
Windows and doors- energy efficient glazing covers both double and triple glazing. These are windows with two or more glass panes in a sealed unit. Cheaper options to improve the energy efficiency of your home include installing secondary glazing, using heavy curtains or installing sealed shutters on your windows. A properly fitted new external door should include an effective draught-proofing system. Existing doors can be improved by fitting draught-proofing strips around the seals and the letterbox.
Roof and loft insulation- a quarter of heat is lost through the roof in an uninsulated home. Insulating your loft, attic or flat roof is an effective way to reduce heat loss and reduce your heating bills. Installed correctly, loft insulation should pay for itself many times over in its 40-year lifetime.
Floor insulation- insulating your ground floor is a great way to keep your property warm. Generally speaking, you only need to insulate the ground floor. If you’re on an upper floor, you don’t usually need to insulate your floor space.
Cavity wall insulation- if your house was built after the 1920s, it is likely to have cavity walls. A cavity wall is made up of two walls with a gap in between, known as the cavity; the outer leaf is usually made of brick, and the inner layer of brick or concrete block. Many cavity walls can be insulated by injecting insulation material into the cavity from the outside.
Solid wall insulation- pre-1920 older houses are more likely to have solid walls. A solid wall has no cavity; each wall is a single solid wall, usually made of brick or stone. Solid walls can be insulated, either from the inside or the outside, however this will cost more than insulating a standard cavity wall, but the savings on your heating bills will be bigger too.
Pipe, tank and radiator insulation- lagging water tanks and pipes and insulating behind radiators reduces the amount of heat lost, so you spend less money heating water up, and hot water stays hotter for longer. Topping up your hot water tank insulation from 25mm to 80mm thick, using a British Standard jacket, could save you around £70 a year, which is more than the cost of the jacket.

Visit the Energy Saving Trust to learn more about insulating your home and find out which insulation type is right for your home.

Solar Panels

Solar electricity panels, also known as photovoltaics (PV), capture the sun’s energy and convert it into electricity that you can use in your home.

A new phase of Solar Together is now open for registrations. Solar Together Kent is a solar panel and battery storage group-purchase scheme. It allows residents and small businesses to install solar panels on their homes and businesses at an affordable price. Find out more here.

By installing solar panels, you can generate your own renewable electricity. A solar PV panel consists of many cells made from layers of semi-conducting material, most commonly silicon. When light shines on this material, a flow of electricity is created. The cells don’t need direct sunlight to work and can even work on cloudy days. However, the stronger the sunshine, the more electricity generated.

Visit the Energy Saving Trust to learn more about solar panels and to find out if they are right for you.

Heat Pumps

Heat pumps are suitable for almost all homes and may also reduce your energy bills, depending on the system you are replacing.

A heat pump captures heat from outside and moves it into your home. It uses electricity to do this, but the heat energy delivered to your home is much more than the electrical energy used to power the system. Electricity is becoming increasingly low carbon, as more renewable sources are connected to the electricity grid, replacing existing gas and coal power stations. This makes a heat pump an extremely low carbon heating option as our electricity grid further decarbonises.

Air Source Heat Pump- sometimes referred to as an air-to-water source heat pump, transfers heat from the outside air to water, which heats your rooms via radiators or underfloor heating. It can also heat water stored in a hot water cylinder for your hot taps, showers and baths. Heat from the air is absorbed into a fluid. This fluid then passes through a heat exchanger into the heat pump, which raises the temperature and then transfers that heat to water. Air source heat pumps are suitable for many types of homes and are the most common type of domestic heat pump, with tens of thousands of installations across the UK.
Ground Source Heat Pump- sometimes referred to as a ground-to-water heat pump, transfers heat from the ground outside your home to heat your radiators or underfloor heating. It can also heat water stored in a hot water cylinder for your hot taps and showers. Thermal transfer fluid (TTF), a mixture of water and antifreeze (sometimes known as ‘brine’) flows around a loop of pipe, buried in your garden or outdoor space. Heat from the ground is absorbed into the fluid, which then passes through a heat exchanger into the heat pump. This raises the temperature of the fluid and then transfers that heat to water.

Visit the Energy Saving Trust to learn more about heat pumps and to find out if they are right for you.

Green Energy Suppliers

Switching to a green energy provider is one of the easiest and quickest ways to reduce your carbon footprint.

Choosing a green tariff demonstrates there is a demand for greener energy and sends a message to your supplier and the wider industry that you wish to avoid electricity generated from fossil fuels and support renewable energy generation. This is a valuable contribution, whichever green tariff you choose. In addition to the big energy providers introducing green tariffs, there are companies who specialise in selling only green energy. It doesn’t necessarily cost more and could save you money.

Remember, as the energy price crisis continues it may be best to stick with your current supplier for now, as many suppliers are not currently taking on new customers and you may not save anything from switching to another supplier.

Free Water Saving Devices

There’s lots we can all do to save water and help the environment, whatever the weather.

South East Water is there to help you save water with simple, free devices that make your home more efficient. These products are freely available to South East Water customers with a delivery address within their supply area only.

Water saving devices include leaky loo strips, regulated shower heads, kitchen streams and much more! Visit Save Water Save Money to order your free devices today.