Did you know that over 1/3rd of energy consumption each year in Ireland is in our homes? That makes the domestic sector the single biggest energy consumer — bigger than industry and agriculture.
Being more energy efficient at home makes sense. It will save you money and make your home more comfortable. By saving energy you are also doing your bit for the environment by reducing the amount of greenhouse gases that come from your home. And it’s easy to start — there are lots of ways to be more energy efficient that you can start doing right now and won’t cost you a thing!
Home Energy Survey
This “Home Energy Survey” is designed to help you go through your house room-by-room, identifying the home improvement projects that will make the greatest energy savings and reduce your bills the most.
One way of choosing between competing energy improvement projects is to compare their “pay-back periods” — in other words how long it takes to recoup your initial outlay.
It makes sense to first carry out the projects that pay for themselves quickly. But remember that other projects, which pay for themselves more slowly, might have non-monetary advantages such as increased comfort, security, and noise reduction, making them worthwhile also.
The best way to carry out the Home Energy Survey is to examine each area of your home individually, as shown in the following pages.
The exact payback period for particular projects will vary depending on the age, type and style of your house. The layout of houses will also, of course, vary.
Indicative cost and payback ratings are given and the outlined recommendations can be easily modified to suit any home.
The Attic
If you don’t have adequate attic insulation, you are losing energy and money through the roof.
If your attic insulation is currently less than 200 mm, then you should add further layers. The water tank and pipes should also be insulated to prevent freezing (but the area under the cold water tank should not be insulated). (€€€ /**)
Check the attic hatch or door for cold draughts along its perimeter and seal it with draught proofing to prevent heat escaping. (€ /****)
The Bathroom
The bathroom is generally the room in the house where the largest quantity of hot water is used, so there are good opportunities for energy savings.
- A thermostatic mixing valve can be used to set the water at the same temperature every time the shower is turned on. (€€€ /***)
- Consider fitting a spray tap. It delivers as little as a cup of water for every half a bucket that an ordinary tap delivers, but still allows you to wash in the same way. (€€ /***)
- Take a shower rather than a bath. (0 /****)
- Never leave hot water running unnecessarily. (0 /****)
- Generate hot water only when it is required and store hot water efficiently. (0 /****)
The Hot Press
It is wasteful and ineffective to leave a hot water cylinder uninsulated just so as it can contribute to the home heating. The cylinder should always be lagged to minimise heat loss and keep the water hot for as long as possible. (€€ /****)
If your hot water is being heated by your central heating boiler, you should fit a cylinder thermostat. (€€ /**)
The Bedroom
Lighting levels in the bedrooms are generally lower than other parts of the house, and lighting is used intermittently. Heating control is important because, although unoccupied during the day, the room should be at a comfortable temperature by bedtime.
- Low wattage CFLs can be used to replace existing bulbs. (€€ /**)
- The radiators in the bedrooms should be turned off when the rooms are not in use. (0 /****)
The Kitchen
The kitchen and utility rooms in typical homes tend to be where most electricity is used. The lighting level in the kitchen is usually higher than in most other areas of the house, and there is often a large heat output from electrical equipment, especially cookers.
- When purchasing a new laundry or refrigeration appliance, look for the energy label. Purchase A or B rated appliances where possible. (€€€ variable)
- Fluorescent tubes are considerably more energy efficient than traditional tungsten filament bulbs, particularly the newer slim 26 mm tubes. (€€ /***)
- Where fluorescent tubes are not suitable, install CFLs. (€ /***)
- Avail of ESB’s Nightsaver tariff for electrical appliances that can be run at night. For safety reasons, appliances should not be left totally unattended while operating. (€ /***)
- Energy can also be saved by using existing appliances correctly. Care should be taken not to waste energy in the kitchen. (0 /****)
- Installing a thermostatic radiator valve on the kitchen radiator will allow the heat output to be varied with demand. (€€ /**)
Hall, Stairs & Landing
Lighting is generally left on for long periods and only background heating is required in these areas.
- This is an ideal location for CFLs to be installed. (€ /***)
- If the radiator is already fitted with a thermostatic radiator valve, lower it to the lowest setting that will provide a comfortable level of heating. (0 /****)
- If there is no thermostatic radiator valve on the radiator in the hall, it is worth considering having one installed. (€€ /**)
- If you can feel a draught through your hall door or letter box in winter, you should draught proof their perimeters. (€ /****)
The Living / Dining Room
It should be possible to adjust the lighting in the living and dining rooms to suit different activities. The level of heating required for these rooms is usually higher compared to other areas of the house.
- Use CFLs or dimmer switches (though not together) to achieve appropriate lighting levels. (€ /***)
- Unplug or turn off electrical equipment such as TVs or HiFi systems when not in use, as they consume energy even when on standby. (0 /****)
- Thermostatic radiator valves will keep the room at a constant and comfortable temperature and are particularly effective in rooms with other heat sources such as open fires. (€€ /***)
- Choose occasional electric heaters that are fitted with thermostatic control to maintain optimum comfort at minimum energy use. (€€ /****)
Boiler & Controls
- A time clock limits the running time of your heating system, thereby reducing wasteful use of energy. (€€ /***)
- The thermostat, controlling the heat output from the boiler to the house, should be installed in an area that is indicative of the general heat conditions of the house. (€€ /**)
- You should have your boiler professionally serviced at least once a year. (€€ /***)
Optional Boiler Controls
- A weather compensation system regulates the heating system based on both indoor and outdoor temperatures. (€€€ /**)
- An optimiser is an intelligent control that brings on the heating for the shortest possible time before occupancy to give comfort conditions. (€€€ /**)
Monitoring & Targeting
Set targets for your energy consumption and costs for the coming year. For example, if your energy rating is currently 287 kWh per m² per year, you could set the target for the next year to be 250 kWh per m² per year. A similar target could also be set for the cost rating.
After you have carried out a particular project, you should continue to collect information from your energy bills. Compare the energy use and related cost of the present period to the same period last year to see if there has been a significant reduction. This will help you identify the most successful projects. At the end of the year, review whether you have reached or surpassed your targets.
Whether you choose to simply complete the Home Energy Survey or take a more detailed approach to energy rating, monitoring and targeting, you will likely find that your home becomes more comfortable and more cost effective as improvements are implemented. You can also be confident that you will have reduced the emissions of harmful greenhouse gases from your home — benefiting your environment and that of the country and the world as a whole.
The values you arrive at will depend on how many people occupy your home throughout the day and on your specific heating patterns. The same is true for the savings you can achieve. For example, poorly insulated older houses will benefit substantially more from additional insulation than newer, highly insulated ones.
However, whatever type of house you live in, it should be possible to improve your home energy rating year on year.
Calculating Your Energy Savings
Calculating Your Electrical Consumption and Costs
Collect the six two-monthly ESB bills for a one-year period.
Calculating Electrical Energy Use
By subtracting the “Previous” reading on the first bill from the “Present” reading on the sixth bill, you get the total number of “units” of electricity used in the year. These units represent kilowatt-hours (kWh), which is the standard unit used for measuring energy use. One kilowatt-hour is equivalent to the amount of energy used by ten 100-watt lightbulbs in one hour.
Calculating Electrical Energy Costs
Multiply the cost per kWh (the tariff) by the number of kWh used to calculate the electricity cost. Add the two-monthly standing charge and then VAT to determine the total cost of electricity.
Calculating Your Heating Energy Consumption and Costs
The method for calculating heating energy use will vary depending on the type of fuel used. If you use natural gas or electricity, the procedure is very similar to that described above. The total kWh used and associated costs are calculated over a one-year period, including standing charges and VAT.
For other fuels such as oil or coal, list all fuels used for heating and estimate the annual quantity consumed. Then use an energy content reference table to convert these amounts into kWh. This provides an approximate total energy consumption figure.
Based on this approach, add together the total amount and cost of heating energy used across all fuels in your home over one year.
Calculating Your House’s Energy Rating and Cost Rating
Your home’s “energy rating” relates the amount of energy used in a year to the internal floor area, allowing comparisons from year to year. It is expressed as kWh per m² per year.
To calculate your energy rating, estimate the total floor area of all heated areas in the home. Do not include garages or outhouses unless they are heated or contain significant electrical loads.
Add together the total annual kWh used for electricity and heating. Divide this figure by the floor area to determine your home’s energy rating.
Example: A house with a floor area of 120 m² that uses 7,002 kWh of electricity and 27,456 kWh of heating energy in a year has an energy rating of 287 kWh per m² per year. If €777 is spent on electricity and €762 on heating, the cost rating would be €12.82 per m².
Sustainability
Everyone can decide how they want to live. Shaping society together starts by shaping our individual behaviour.
The past few decades have seen a growing concern among people about the impact modern living is having on the environment. Natural resources, such as oil, forests, and many raw materials, are being depleted, and pollution is increasing. In addition, the gap between rich and poor in the world has widened.
We now realise that we need to change the way we live to protect the environment, so that we can allow the entire population — both now and in future generations — to have the same quality of life.
In other words, society must become sustainable. This means a fair share of wealth and resources for everyone now, while ensuring that future generations will also be able to achieve the same.
This is a common sense approach to living in a way that does not waste resources, such as energy, or needlessly damage the world around us.
Making society sustainable means much more than solving a few individual environmental problems. It is a broad approach to developing society in a way that is both intelligent and morally sound. It is also a sensible way for us all to choose to live.
Sustainability involves everyone. If we decide on a sustainable approach to life, everyone should choose to be involved and to take an active part in shaping our society. The starting point for all of us is personal action — deciding for ourselves how we want to live.
Sustainable Energy
We all depend on energy to improve our lives. However, energy itself is simply a means to achieve other things. Increasingly, we are becoming aware of the problems associated with wasting energy.
The way we use fossil fuels — such as coal, oil, gas, or electricity generated from these fuels — is not sustainable. Fossil fuels are finite resources; once they are used up, they are gone. In addition, burning these fuels is a major contributor to global warming, a serious environmental issue affecting the entire planet. Action is needed to address this problem.
Sustainability is a sensible approach to how we live. Using energy more efficiently and responsibly is an important part of this approach. By doing so, we can save money, reduce dependence on imported fuels, protect the environment, and support the development of a more sustainable society.
If we begin making these changes now, we benefit both as individuals and as a society.
Fuel Cost Comparisons
These comparison tables are designed to allow fuel users make reasonable comparisons between the cost performance of various fuels used in the more common types of heating system in Ireland. The tables apply to space heating only. The annual cost of heating a building depends on the fuel price, its energy content, temperature levels maintained, duration of heating, weather conditions, the level of insulation and draught sealing and the seasonal efficiency of the heating system. For clarity and consistency, these tables compare heating costs on a common base of cost per useful unit of heat output to a room or space (cent per kilowatt hour or c/kWh).