Energy & Money Saving Tips
 Free tips; the Enrate list of Top Tips for the householder

You can easily knock 20% off your electricity bill and even more off your other fuel bills by adopting a few of these simple ideas...

Check your tariffs

It is worth shopping around to save money on your energy and telecom bills. Further discounts may be available when you use the same supplier for two services eg gas & electricity, or when you pay by direct debit, receive bills in electronic form or agree to read the electricity meter yourself and forward the reading by e-mail. You may choose to obtain your electricity from a “green” renewable supplier which generates the electricity using wind turbines. Even when staying with your existing supplier, check the available tariffs periodically. Whenever a better tariff is advertised for new customers, contact your supplier to ensure that you are included or you may be left paying the higher rate. Remember that as a longstanding, loyal and uncomplaining customer, you may be “rewarded” with the most expensive tariff.

Appliances

When purchasing kitchen appliances such as fridges, freezers, dishwashers and washing machines, opt for a more energy efficient appliance. An EU Energy Label should be displayed (A to G on a scale) for all new appliances in order to help you make a choice. "A" is the most efficient and "G" is the worst guzzler of energy. This is similar to the BER system of rating residential dwellings.

If your off peak electricity is billed separately at a cheaper rate, it may be possible arrange timed immersion heater, washing machine and dishwasher usage. In the future “smart meters” will be installed by the ESB which will allow everyone to avail of variable off peak tariffs.

Kettles

Only heat the amount of water you really need , but if you're using an electric kettle make sure you cover the element. More modern kettles have no visible element so you use less water. You could also try to fill a cup and use it as a guide to fill the kettle. In that way you only boil the right amount of water.

Cooking

The microwave uses about a quarter of the electricity that a conventional oven would use. Use lids on pots and pans while simmering.

Fridges/Freezers

These are often the most hardworking appliances in the home. Avoid putting warm or hot foods in the fridge, let them cool down first. Don't leave the fridge or freezer door open, this means the fridge uses more energy to cool itself back down because of the cold air lost to the room. Defrost freezers regularly; they use more power when heavily frosted and also have less usable space. Also check that the warm coils at the back of an older fridge are not accumulating dust and that air can circulate there. If heat cannot dissipate from the coils easily, then energy consumption can increase by 30%. This will cost you an extra €30 per year.

Tumble Driers

Tumble driers are energy guzzlers so try to use outdoor washing lines (solar powered clothes driers!) Don't put very wet clothing into the dryer; make sure you wring clothing out or spin dry it to help use less energy.

Washing Machines

One full wash uses much less electricity and hot water than two half loads. Experiment with washing clothes at a lower temperature. You may have to change your washing powder; check the back of the box for recommended temperatures. Pause the machine for a few hours shortly after starting it, allowing the clothes to soak in the washing powder solution. This will make whatever wash you use more effective.

TV, Stereo & Computers

Switch off your TV, DVD, computer and stereo at the wall socket. Also look around for unnecessary chargers permanently plugged in for example chargers for mobile phones, rarely used cordless drill tools and hand held vacuum cleaners. Also check for computer games consoles, forgotten bread and coffee makers, expired air fresheners and any unnecessary items that are permanently plugged in. Appliances on “standby” can use from 10% to 90% of the electricity that would be used by the same device in normal use.

Chimneys

Replace any open fire (efficiency up to 30% ) with a glass fronted solid fuel stove (efficiency 60% or more). It will look just as good. The efficiency is the percentage of fuel going to heat your house or hot water.The rest of it goes up the chimney.

In the case of an unused fireplace, reduce the effective internal diameter of the chimney flue liner down from the standard 200mm by closing it off and fitting an adjustable vent at the chimney opening. This will reduce heat losses due to excessive draught. Leave a minimum opening of 3500 square mm (achieved by having a proprietary adjustable vent grille in the open position) in order to satisfy ventilation requirements. If there is already a wall vent in the room, the chimney vent can be left in the almost closed position.

Ventilation

Fit adjustable plastic covers on any passive vents. Passive vents occur as a 10cm diameter hole high up on the walls of habitable rooms in more modern houses which were built with good draughtproofing as part of their original specification. They should not be blocked up entirely, but in stormy weather they can let in excessive cold air. In this situation passive vents and trickle vents (if present) in window frames should be restricted on the windy side of the dwelling. Later and in hot weather they can be reopened to the maximum. If a stale or musty smell is detected on entering a room, then the room needs more passive ventilation. A room with inadequate ventilation will be more susceptible to mildew or mould growth on the walls.

• Better ventilation can prevent mildew while making the room colder.
• Better insulation can prevent mildew while making the room warmer.
• Grants are now available to improve insulation.

Draught proofing

Use sticky backed strips of draught proofer to eliminate excessive draughts from older doors and windows. More modern double glazed windows and doors will already have draught proofing incorporated, (don’t try to “improve” it!) Seal up any holes made where pipes are passing from the internal heated area to external areas. Check for example the ceiling of the hot press and the wall underneath the kitchen sink.

Heating

Learn about the heating controls: Turning the thermostat down can cut your heating bills. 18°C is considered standard with 21 °C for the living room or sitting room. You can also save on running costs by heating your home for less time if you are not there during the day, particularly if it has low thermal mass.

Curtains: At night pull the curtains to stop heat being lost through the windows. Take care not to drape curtains over radiators as this will funnel heat past the cooler windows. Protruding window boards can help direct the heat up around the curtains.

Light bulbs and Low Energy Lighting

If you use a particular light for an average (summer & winter) of four hours or more a day, then replace it soon with an energy-saving (low energy) equivalent. Whenever other bulbs blow, replace them with a low energy equivalent. Make sure to disconnect the electricity first.

CFLs or compact fluorescent lights use around a quarter of the electricity and some will last 10 times longer, resulting in annual savings of around €12 per bulb. This saving is for 60W standard bulbs left on for 4 hrs per day for example the hall, kitchen and living room. Some older model CFLs may take a minute or two to reach their full brightness so they won't be ideal for some situations, for example the bathroom. Also the colour of the light produced is less "warm", so they may not be suitable for a room painted mainly white.

The least energy efficient lights commonly used are the groups of 50 watt downlighters recessed into a ceiling, particularly if it is an upstairs ceiling. This is because lots of small lights are less energy efficient than one large one .Five of these in a ceiling will gobble 250 watts but will give off less overall light than one single 100 watt standard tungsten bulb. Also they require a flow of air to prevent overheating. In the case of an upstairs ceiling (or any ceiling in a single storey construction) the installation instructions normally specify the removal of a piece of attic/loft insulation directly above the light. Air is then drawn up through the light fitting by convection into the attic space, to prevent the fitting overheating. As a result, warm air is constantly being sucked out of the room. If you replace this type of light with a cooler running LED equivalent then you can safely replace the missing insulation.

There are a wide range of energy saving bulbs on the market now, including replacement bulbs for halogen spotlights , GU 10 & 12volt recessed downlighters and even those 500w outdoor halogen security lights. Mostly these are either CFL or LED. The brightness and price varies quite a bit.

Other kinds of low energy lights include the normal linear fluorescent tubes (as commonly used in offices ) and metal halide (the very bright lights in shop windows) but these both require a special light fitting. Unlike CFL’s they cannot be fitted into your existing light fitting. They will however prove longer lasting than CFL’s.

Halogen bulbs have been around for a long time and are now often sold as “energy saving bulbs”. They can look very similar to standard tungsten bulbs, but are about one and a half times brighter for the same wattage.

The original linear “bulb” in an outdoor security floodlight is halogen. If you replace a 500 watt halogen with a 300 watt or 150 watt halogen in one of these and reduce the running time to 3 or 4 minutes you will have made a very cost- effective improvement.

LED’s (light emitting diode) are predicted to be the energy efficient future of lighting. These usually consist of banks of multiple small diodes. Currently the manufacturers have difficulty getting the required brightness from the diodes so they tend to cram large numbers into each “bulb”. However they are improving rapidly, and even current models can be expected to run on one tenth or less of the electricity compared to equivalent tungsten bulbs. The colour of the light is either a warm or cool (daylight) white or else a strong blue, yellow or red.

Finally, task lighting is a good idea. If you are reading or sitting at a computer, turn off the main room light and use a small desk lamp instead.

More on energy efficient lighting

Domestic Hot Water (DHW)

Scalding hot water is a safety hazard. For most people, setting the hot water cylinder thermostat to approximately 60°C is fine for bathing and washing. Make sure to disconnect the electricity before attempting this. It is inadvisable to reduce the temperature in the cylinder below 60°C because of the risk that bacteria which like warm water (ie. Legionaires Disease) could take up residence in your pipes.

A lagging jacket or two should be fitted unless factory fitted insulation (foam) is already present. You can pack old towels, jumpers or surplus blankets around an existing lagging jacket to increase the insulation, but keep the thermostat area clear or its readings will be affected. The thermostat area is the flat round plate at the top where the white electric wire is connected. Good cylinder insulation can save around €90 per year.

Pipe insulation (easily available from DIY stores ) should be taped to all the hot pipes emanating from the cylinder, for a few metres at least. As the length of pipe distances from the cylinder itself, this becomes less important.

It may be beneficial to install an immersion timeswitch in conjunction with the original switch (marked on/off sink/bath). This will be most effective where the hot water cylinder is poorly insulated, or when you have off-peak electricity tariffs available.

Grants are available for installation of better heating controls. Ideally, the living areas should be on a separate heating zone to the bedroom areas, which would be heated less. If you have the option of using your central heating boiler to heat DHW (via a coil in the cylinder) then this is normally the more economical method, compared to using standard day rate electricity. In this case you can simply switch off the immersion and keep it in reserve.

Larger Investment Options

The following higher cost options will in the longer term repay their investment costs for existing buildings, and should always be considered for a new building project. Those interested in new-build projects should research info on Passive Houses.

Passive House - Basic Information

Passive House - Detailed Information

Passive Solar Design

Enrate offers an advisory service in regard to the predicted energy rating and potential cost savings associated with proposed specifications for new-build.

In the case of an existing dwelling where renovations and improvements are being proposed, a similar service is available, whereby the property owner obtains a Before & After BER with a Detailed Recommendation Report. This service attracts a grant of €200 under the Home Energy Savings scheme, provided that other grants of at least €500 are availed of.

Grants

Grants available under the Home Energy Savings scheme are for upgrading boilers and improving insulation in existing dwellings. If you wish to avail of these grants to the value of €500 or more then you can claim back an additional €200 towards your Enrate BER assessment, even when the BER assessment has already been completed.

Grants are also available under the Greener Homes scheme for the retro installation of some renewable technologies into existing dwellings.

Boilers

When replacing an old oil or gas boiler (typical efficiency from 60% -70%) get a high efficiency condensing boiler, (efficiency greater than 90%).Also get good controls for the heating system. Grants are available for these. Fuel bills for the heating system can be reduced to anywhere from two thirds to half of what they were. A 93% efficient modern condensing boiler can save about €600 a year in fuel. It will cost about €3000.

Insulation

Upgrading attic insulation is the easiest and most cost effective way to improve heat retention in your home. 100mm of insulation was commonly installed in the past but now 250mm to 300mm is standard. During an upgrade, another extra layer can be rolled out. Where fibreglass or rockwool is used, try to get the insulation level with or just above the top surface of the wooden joists. Then add another layer at right angles to the previous one. As the joist will no longer be visible care will have to be taken not to put a foot through the ceiling afterwards! A safe boardwalk to the water tank must be provided for the use of any personnel servicing it. Fit a properly draught proofed and insulated attic door. Grants are available where attic insulation is combined with other grant eligible work.

Insulating the walls of an existing building is complicated. Sometimes cavity wall insulation can be pumped in. Alternatively the inside face of the wall can be "dry lined" with insulated plasterboard called thermal liners. The most energy efficient solution is to wrap the the wall outside with external insulation which is then plastered. Obviously this would change the appearance of the building and it will push out the external dimensions by about 15cm, so it is not for everyone . Contractors are currently gaining expertise in this process, and in the future it is likely to be the way for owners of older houses to comply with increasingly strict standards, and thereby achieve a good BER rating. More information is available on wall insulation in the useful information section of this website. Grants are currently available.

Download Kingspan Leaflet about U-Values and Insulation

Windows

Get double or even triple glazing. Newer types will come with Low-E coating, have wider cavities, and be filled with argon gas. A plastic cavity spacer is warmer than a metal one(pictured here, it is the silvery coloured strip between the glass panes). All of these factors go towards making the U-Value of the window. Always find out the U-Value before purchasing; the lower it is the better. It must be less than 2 to meet current standards. When replacing windows, ask for adjustable "trickle vents" built- in to the frames, for better ventilation, unless the rooms already have wall vents.

South Facing Conservatory

It can heat the house using sunshine to provide "solar gains", when the weather is right. There should be a door separating it from the house, and the wall between it and the house should be insulated as per normal external walls. This is to avoid heat loss at night and during inclement weather. It may be possible to combine a conservatory with a "Storm Porch" at the design stage.

Storm Porch

Build an enclosed porch area of greater than 2 square metres onto the main entrance to the house, arranged such that a person with a buggy or such like can close the outer porch door before opening the house door. This will achieve a reduction in heating bills and will also guarantee an improved BER rating.

Heat Pumps

Can be considered for a complete overhaul of the heating system. Operating like a kitchen fridge in reverse, their electricity consumption is relatively low because they transfer heat from outdoors instead of generating it. They heat the water in the heating system to a lower temperature (40°C) as compared to a normal central heating boiler (80°C) so they are best used in a well insulated dwelling or one incorporating underfloor heating. For comparison, a standard plug in electric heater will produce 1 Kwh of heat for each 1 Kwh (unit) of electricity consumed. A heat pump can produce 4 or more Kwh of heat for each 1 Kwh electricity consumed. Grants available.

Heat Pump Buyers' Guide

Heat Pump Leaflet

Wood Pellet & Wood Chip boilers

Fuel is cheaper and more environmentally friendly than fossil fuels but availability and storage must be considered. Finely chopped wood chips or pellets are used as fuel. Dry storage space for at least 3 tonnes of fuel is recommended. Grants available.

Wood Pellet Stove Leaflet

Wood Pellet Boiler Buyers' Guide

Solar Panels & Wind Turbines

These will always give an improved BER rating because of their zero carbon emissions, although careful research as to the cost effectiveness of the various systems available is advised. Solar can be considered for a south facing roof. Savings of around €300 per year for water heating can be expected for an average household with about 4m² of solar panel on the roof. The evacuated tube type is more efficient than the flat plate type. Changes will also have to be made to the hot water storage cylinder to allow for the solar input. The whole system can cost from €2000 to €4000 installed, net of grant.

A small domestic wind turbine could be fitted as high as possible on a windy site. This is known to as microgeneration, and you will need to have a smart meter installed by the ESB. There are no grants available currently for the installation of wind turbines, except for the SEI pilot scheme, but ESB Customer Supply offer some limited incentives which involve buying back any surplus electricity you might generate.

For more detailed information on wood pellet, solar, heat pumps and wind energy see the SEI website under renewables

Solar Panels Leaflet

Solar Panel Buyers' Guide