Boiler upgrades
An enormous 60% of your home's CO2 emissions are created by your boiler, so it makes sense to think about how this can be reduced. Installing a high efficiency condensing boiler will have a dramatic effect on your emissions and can save you a third on your heating bills, more if you combine this with heating controls.
We would not of course encourage you to rush out and buy a new one if your existing model is in working order, but if you've had yours for over 15 years the time might be right.
In line with part L of the UK Building Regulations, new or replacement boilers must now be of a condensing type and, except in exceptional circumstances, all new boilers installed in England and Wales are now high efficiency condensing SEDBUK A or B rated.
Biomass Stoves
Biomass is a term used to describe organic waste such as plant or animal material that can be burned to create energy in the home, or converted into gas and used as fuel.
This includes wood pellets, logs and chips, energy crops, straw and agricultural waste. Unlike fossil fuel, biomass is a renewable form of energy (i.e. it can be replaced over a short period of time).Wood pellets are made from compressed sawdust, and so have a very high energy density, requiring a lower volume to provide the same amount of heat output than other forms of biomass fuel.
Wood chips can either be made from otherwise unwanted branches or off-cuts from timber, or from native wood coppices specially grown for fuel.
CHP
Combined Heating and Power has evolved from an 18th Century invention of Robert Stirling. It is in effect a central heating boiler that also generates power to run your home.
Heat and electricity are produced simultaneously by an on-site unit similar in size to a domestic boiler. The heat generated, when fuel is burnt to produce electricity, is captured and used in areas such as space heating, water heating or refrigeration.
TRV
Although your heating system may already have a room thermostat, it can make a difference to your heating costs and energy efficiency if you think about installing thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs).
These allow you to fine tune the temperature in each room of your home, enabling you to keep your living room and bathroom warmer than your bedroom for example, or minimise the temperature in that spare room.
As temperatures rise, an internal thermostat contained in your TRV stops the flow of hot water into your radiator. When the room cools, hot water from your boiler is allowed to flow back into the radiator to heat it up.
Water Jackets
Getting a jacket for your cylinder is the most effective and economical way to insulate your hot water cylinder. Your water will stay hot longer and will take less energy to heat if your cylinder is insulated.
Some cylinders come complete with a foam coating around them. However, if the foam is not at least 25mm thick and lets heat through, fit an 80mm jacket tightly around the cylinder. It is also worth insulating (lagging) the pipes that lead to and from the cylinder.
You can do this by getting foam tubes to wrap around the pipes. Make sure pipes are insulated at the top of the cylinder for a distance of at least 1m.