Green Home - Savings Facts and Figures

Facts and Figures

Loft insulation - In an un-insulated home, a quarter of the heat is lost through the roof. Loft insulation is effective for at least 40 years, it has a quick payback period and can save up to 800kg of CO2

Source: Energy Saving Trust (estimated figures based on insulating a gas-heated, semi-detached home with 3 bedrooms)

Cavity wall insulation - A third of all the heat lost in an un-insulated home is through the walls. Insulating cavity walls reduces heat loss and can save around £115 a year on fuel bills. Homes built from 1920 onwards are likely to have external walls that are made of two layers with a small gap or `cavity' between them.

Source: Energy Saving Trust (estimated figures based on insulating a gas-heated, semi-detached home with 3 bedrooms).  *The installed cost includes the subsidy available from the major energy suppliers under the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT); the typical unsubsidised installed cost is around £500

Solid wall insulation - Around 45% of the heat lost in an uninsulated solid walled home is through the walls. Insulating these solid walls can save around £400 a year on fuel bills.

Source: Energy Saving Trust (estimated figures based on insulating a gas-heated, semi-detached home with 3 bedrooms).

Floor insulation - Sealing the gaps between floorboards and skirting boards to stop draughts can save up to £50 a year on heating bills and save 380kg of carbon dioxide (CO2) a year.

Source: Energy Saving Trust (estimated figures based on insulating a gas-heated, semi-detached home with 3 bedrooms).

Draught proofing - Installing draught proofing around doors and windows can save around £25 a year on heating bills and reduce emissions by around 130kg of carbon dioxide (CO 2) each year.

Source: Energy Saving Trust (estimated figures based on insulating a gas-heated, semi-detached home with 3 bedrooms).

Glazing - The costs and savings of double glazing will be different for each home and each window, depending on the size, material and installer. However, in terms of savings:

Source: Energy Saving Trust

Heating and hot water - Boilers account for around 60% of the carbon dioxide emissions in a gas heated home. Replacing an old G rated boiler with a new high efficiency condensing boiler and improving heating controls can save as much as £235 a year.

Source: Energy Saving Trust

Energy saving lighting - Energy saving lightbulbs use up to 80% less electricity than a standard bulb but produce the same amount of light. Fitting all the lights in a house with energy saving bulbs could save between £37 a year and £590 over the lifetime of all of the bulbs (taking into account the higher cost of energy saving lightbulbs

Home appliances - Home appliances account for a significant chunk of your household CO2 emissions.

• Energy saving recommended fridges and fridge freezers use up to 60% less energy than a typical old one. This gives savings of up to £36 and 140kg of CO₂ a year for a fridge freezer and £12 and 45kg for a fridge.
• An energy saving recommended dishwasher uses 20% less energy than an old model, which will save you around £12 per year on your electricity bill and 48 kilograms of CO₂.
• An energy saving recommended kettle will use approximately 20% less electricity than an ordinary kettle.
• An integrated digital television (IDTV) can save up to 20kg of CO₂ each year compared to a similar TV and set top box and are amongst the most efficient in their class.
• An Energy Saving Recommended standard set top box consumes 50% less electricity than a typical set top box and therefore will cost half as much to run
• Energy Saving Recommended DAB radios use around 75% less electricity annually than a standard radio
• A new laptop personal computer typically uses around 85% less energy (= 150kg CO₂) than a new desktop computer, making them the more energy efficient choice
• An Energy Saving Recommended inkjet printer over a non-Energy Saving Recommended one can save you a third of the electricity you would normally use running your printer over a year