The festive season is over and a new year is here. With many homeowners cowering by their letterboxes awaiting the first of the winter bills to arrive, what better time to make a new years resolution for energy efficiency. Following huge recent increases in the cost of fuel most are expecting their worst energy bills yet, and are currently exploring ways to make savings through energy efficiency. One thing we can be thankful for is a relatively mild winter so far, but looking forward, rates are likely to further increase, and so the advice is to plan ahead.
As well as making monetary savings, improved energy efficiency also holds potentially huge environmental benefits. It is estimated that private homes are responsible for producing around a quarter of all Carbon emissions in the UK, and so by reducing our energy consumption and limiting waste we can all help to make a difference to our planet’s future. With much to be gained, how can we practically begin to make changes in the way we live… There are many things that can help to limit wastage, such as improved insulation, better monitoring of the use of home appliances, or leaving the car at home a little more. Many of the changes can be small, simple adjustments in the way we live our day-to-day lives, for example turning lights off, and only running fully-loaded dishwashers.
The stakes are high; research shows that by maximizing the energy efficiency in the home an average family can stand to save £250 per year, around £40 of this wasted on appliances left on standby alone. Many households over the past couple of years have installed home energy monitors to track how and where their energy is being used, and more importantly wasted, and Government guidelines suggest that those who use these monitors effectively can reduce their consumption by between five and fifteen percent in the first year.
Managing energy efficiency in practice, particularly with a family to look after can be difficult, hence many now taking an extra step into installing full intelligent home management systems. By using an intelligent home system many energy saving actions can be taken care of automatically and so a lot more reliably and effectively. Although requiring an initial investment in set up, the energy savings involved roll out over the entire future of the building, not only meaning that your investment will eventually pay for itself, but also that during that time you will be adding value to your property and making reductions in your carbon emissions.
A common energy saving action taken care of with an intelligent home system is turning off lights; either in un-occupied rooms, when daylight intensity is already sufficient or on leaving the house. Also, either on leaving, during certain hours of the day or on demand, selected power sources can be switched off. This eliminates the problem of appliances left on standby or on charge longer than necessary, which on average accounts for eight per cent of a household’s annual electricity bill. Drawing curtains in the evening improves insulation and reduce drafts in the home, helping to reduce heating costs. This is also something that your intelligent home system can take care of, either closing at a pre-determined time or as daylight reduces. There are many ways in which home controls can assist in saving energy, and it is also possible to monitor energy usage through the system without the use of an external appliance such as a home energy monitor.
When your next energy bill arrives consider what difference energy efficiency could make to you. An intelligent home system can help you achieve maximum benefits whilst saving you the time of manually policing usage around the home. Contact Intecho to discuss the options available and how home controls could make a difference to your bills.
