ENERGY MANAGEMENT


Tackling the rising price of energy


With energy prices spiralling and the number of households in fuel poverty set to top six million by April, energy and associated cost reduction are now the most important elements of


any energy management plan – whether commercial, industrial or residential. Neil Marshall, head of external affairs at Effective Energy Group, comments


I


t may seem that soaring energy prices and fuel poverty are 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 ahead of April’s energy price rises already stand 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 who find themselves in fuel poverty, or slipping towards it, to reduce energy consumption. The Government has recently introduced a


number of major energy efficiency and fuel poverty schemes that fund the installation of measures to reduce energy consumption and so reduce household 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). ECO4 is set to replace 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 to over £1billion. 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 also developed our own scheme, Help4Homes that provides a holistic approach to tackling the blight of fuel poverty. But 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 COSTS Using less energy is the best way of reducing energy bills – and it’s permanent. But how


www.energymanagementmag.co.uk


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 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.


INSULATION BENEFITS While cutting your energy use and associated costs is beneficial, 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, however, 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 – act 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 that there is professional help and advice at hand. We have a team of experts who are able 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 as well as the funding available to help pay for them.


Effective Energy Group T: 01909 511260 www.effective-energy.co.uk


Cutting energy use and costs is a number one priority no matter where you work


ENERGY MANAGEMENT - Spring 2022 33


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