Energy and the home

Energy is a big topic at the moment and with energy getting cheaper and easier to use, we as a world are facing consequences for the decades of burning fossil fuel for energy. Because of this, many countries are now looking for ways to reduce the greenhouse gases that they produce. The Climate Change Act (2008), which the UK government is involved in, means that legally the UK is committed to reducing our emissions by 80% from the figures of 1990.

The act doesn’t just focus on producing energy but also looks to protect the environment from inefficient use of resources and poor waste management. Because of this, the housing market is under the spotlight as it is the largest single user of energy in the UK. A government paper, The United Kingdom Housing Energy Fact File (2013), estimates that the main culprits for energy consumed by the average UK dwelling is 60% for heating, 21% for hot water and 14% for electrical appliances.

Important Factors to Consider

The 3 most important factors relating to the energy efficiency for a building are;

• The building fabric – This is the physical structure of the building that is designed to protect you from heat, cold, snow, rain, wind and sun as well as provide a suitable indoor environment (humidity, ventilation and lighting).
• Building services and equipment – The users of the energy, for example the boiler, radiators and thermostats.
• People – How the occupants use the building, the maintenance and their habits, do they leave the heating on when they don’t need to?

For the government to reach their goal of an 80% reduction, these areas will be heavily focused on in the coming years which is why we are seeing an increase in awareness, funding, research and a proactive stance towards reducing energy consumption.

When you move into a new home you may not even give a second thought to the energy you use and how you use it but with a little time and effort you could see vast improvements to the amount of energy that you use which in turn could save you money on those bills!

Now, that doesn’t mean that everyone should get solar panels on the roof and take cold showers to save on heating water but some small or large changes to the three factors mentioned above could produce some rather comfortable results. There are many online government sources of information that could give you ideas about what could work best for you and your home which you should check out.

For further information, or to have a chat about your specific needs and obtain a free quotation, please do not hesitate to contact us. Our friendly team are professional and waiting to hear from you. Contact us using the forms below and we will get back to you straight away. We can advise you in all aspects of property surveys and much more.