INDUSTRY COMMENT Saving energy in a crisis
Neil Marshall, head of external affairs at Effective Energy Group talks to BSEE about effective energy management during an energy crisis
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Effective Energy’s head of external affairs, Neil Marshall
or many people, it does appear that soaring energy prices and fuel poverty are very much new for 2022, but it’s important to remember that this has been an issue of growing concern for a long time. Fuel poverty numbers prior to April’s forthcoming energy price rises already stood at a staggering four million households in England and Wales alone. The good news is that there’s an entire industry dedicated to helping householders reduce their energy consumption with the aim of ending the financial struggles of those who find themselves in fuel poverty or slipping towards it. And of course, a bi-product of reducing energy consumption and getting households back on an even keel, is that the less energy used leads to a reduction in carbon emissions and so helps towards the aim of the UK being carbon neutral by 2050.
Recently, the Government has introduced a number of major energy efficiency and fuel poverty schemes that provide billions of pounds of funding for the installation of measures to reduce energy consumption and so reduce bills. These include the Local Authority Delivery (LAD), Warm Home Discount (WHD) and Home Upgrade Grant (HUG) schemes – and on top of that there’s the existing Energy Company Obligations (ECO).
The latest ECO scheme, ECO4 is set to replace the current ECO3 in a few months’ time and when it does the funding for retrofitting homes with energy saving measures will increase from around £650m a year under ECO3 to £1billion a year under ECO4. At Effective Energy we provide a turnkey, end- to-end project management service for energy companies, local authorities and housing associations looking to utilise these funds to help those in need. We have the capability to identify and survey qualifying households, develop a home retrofit plan, identify the most suitable funding stream to help pay for the measures and then carry out the installation measures in line with the Government backed quality assurance framework. We have also developed our own new scheme, Help4Homes that provides a holistic approach to tackling the blight of fuel poverty through the provision of free energy saving advice, free heating and insulation, free energy efficient white goods and an income maximisation service for low-income and vulnerable households to ensure that they are claiming all of the financial support they are entitled to.
Rising prices – energy prices are soaring
And we don’t stop with residential properties. Millions of businesses can also benefit from an assessment of their business premises and the installation of energy saving measures to reduce their energy costs.
Reducing energy usages – installing an air source heat pump (ASHP)
noting that the smart controls that are now available as standard for all systems provide an incredible level of control over energy use no matter where you are.
Reduce heat loss
It’s all well and good cutting your energy use and associated costs, but if your property isn’t properly insulated then all the good work can quickly be undone. Astonishingly, up to a third of heat can be lost through uninsulated walls and roofs and around half of all households lack adequate insulation. There are grants available to partially or fully fund the cost of wall, loft and roof insulation as well high efficiency windows and doors.
Help where it’s needed
Faced with spiralling energy prices there is only one thing to do – take action now. This may seem daunting, given the amount of information there is to assimilate prior to deciding on the best course to take, but the good news is there is professional help and advice at hand. We have a team of experts who are able
Commercial building – cutting energy use and costs is a number one priority no matter where you work
Reducing energy costs
Using less energy is the best way of reducing energy bills and it’s permanent. But how should people go about it? There are a whole host of steps available that in many cases can be part or fully funded through ECO, HUGs, LADs or the WHD schemes. Old boilers – and that covers anything eight years or older – are typically inefficient, unreliable and expensive to run. Upgrading to a new high efficiency condensing boiler will reduce energy use and be cheaper to maintain.
The biggest impact on anyone’s energy use is to switch to a renewable energy source – whether it be a solar PV or an air source heat pump (ASHP).
Solar PV technology has improved significantly
in recent years and the systems being installed are now incredibly efficient. Furthermore, when used in tandem with a Smart battery, the need to switch back to energy from the National Grid once the sun has set and no new energy is being produced becomes less frequent. Whether its renewable energy or cutting energy costs through a new boiler, it’s worth
22 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER MAY 2022
to provide information and advice over the phone and visit properties to carry out a survey and recommend the best package of energy saving measures and funding available to help pay for them.”
Industrial property interior – cutting energy use and costs is a number one priority no matter where you work
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