A climate change expert has offered homeowners advice on how to make instant savings on
home energy bills, simply by following his five-step guide to improved power utilisation.
Chris Goodall, writing for The Guardian, says that while the government's green loans scheme is "worth waiting for," there are measures which can be introduced now that will have a positive effect on the next invoice from an energy provider.
Firstly, carrying out a range of simple but effective DIY improvements can create significant reductions in the amount of power a home consumes.
Despite admitting that it may not be "glamorous or exciting," Mr Goodall notes that the tactic which often brings the greatest results is to go around a property checking for leaks or gaps.
Filling these in prevents energy from seeping out of a home, usually round the edges of perimeter doors or window frames.
Secondly, it is worth considering insulating walls - the most "basic" form of energy saving, but one that "millions" of homes go without.
"Savings vary depending on the size of the house but for a detached home, open to the cold air on all four sides, the financial returns will be very attractive. One home I audited saved about 25 per cent of the heating bill," the expert writes.
Mr Goodall's next tip is to invest in a new fridge, which tend to be several times more efficient than older models.
Replacing external doors is another idea - with Victorian houses said to leak ten per cent of their energy through the doors.
Finally, overhauling the energy centre of a home - the boiler - is a shrewd move, with new boilers wasting less than ten per cent of the energy they burn, compared to the one-third that becomes redundant in old models.
Now could be the time to update a boiler, as the government is currently running a boiler scrappage scheme which gives people £400 towards the cost of a new boiler when trading in an old one.
It was revealed recently that the government still has almost 70,000 boiler scrappage vouchers available to be used by Britons.
