Winter worries
A household is considered to be in fuel poverty when they cannot keep their home adequately heated and whilst this won’t necessarily apply to all, it is our belief that there are many homes across the Bailiwick who will be worried about energy prices this winter.
With the cost of living at the highest it’s been in a decade, food prices and energy bills account for the largest and most stressful expenses for people to think about. IslandFamilies is keen to help you make your home work as efficiently as possible, and we’ve teamed up with Guernsey Electricity and Guernsey Energy to offer some advice.
Having an energy efficient household not only helps to save on energy bills but can have a positive impact on the environment too, and it’s helpful to have the whole family onboard, which includes the children. In the same way we lead by example on behaviour and table manners etc, if your child sees you actively saving energy, they will follow suit. Let it become routine within your household.
Our top energy saving tips to encourage in children are:
- Close the front door quickly when they walk in
- Turn off the lights when leaving a room
- Add warm layers before considering turning the heating on
- Turn off the tap when not using it such as when brushing their teeth
- Switch off televisions and electronics when not using them
SO Energy has an interesting article dedicated to teaching young children about saving energy which can be found here.
TeachEngineering has a free worksheet that you can use to help children understand energy waste within their home. You can download the worksheet here and you can find the answers here.
Guernsey Electricity
We spoke to Guernsey Electricity who confirmed that it’s often small changes, including everyday habits at home, that will have the greatest impact on your bills. So, let’s look at some of the easiest and most effective ways you can help take back control over your home energy use;
Think about switching off standby mode
By spending 5p an hour with things on standby you can end up spending an additional £400 a year.
Switch to the Economy 12 Tariff
Super Economy is Guernsey Electricity’s two-rate tariff with a cheaper rate available for a 12-hour period each day – a 10-hour period during the night and a two-hour period during the day. The normal rate applies for the remaining 12 hours. This means that you can set a timer on energy guzzling appliances such as washing machines and dishwashers to come on during your low-rate times and do your washing for almost half the price. If you’re not sure what your low-rate times are, you can find them on the back of your statement. Tariffs can be viewed here.
Try their energy calculator
See how much it costs to run your household appliances; Guernsey Electricity’s calculator can help you manage your energy consumption and make changes where it counts.
Switch to low energy lighting
Did you know that lighting can account for 18% of a typical household’s energy bills? Which means switching to energy saving lightbulbs is one way you can take charge and cut back. Plus make sure you turn the lights off to further reduce wasting energy and money. Get help with choosing the right lightbulb here.
Monitor your energy with ease
An energy monitor will help you understand where and how you use energy. It shows in real time how much energy you are using and can calculate the daily and monthly running costs of household appliances.
Guernsey Energy
Guernsey Energy wants to help you save money on your bills at the same time as reducing your carbon footprint and is endorsed by the Energy Saving Trust:
Install insulation and draught-proofing
There are simple and effective ways to insulate your home which can reduce heat loss while lowering your heating bills. Install wall, roof and loft insulation, get draught excluders for your doors and windows and insulate your tanks, pipes and radiators to help keep heat in. Did you know that by fitting your hot water cylinder with an insulating jacket you could save £35 a year and 115kg of carbon dioxide emissions? The Energy Saving Trust has more information on draught-proofing here.
Check your settings
Your boiler will have a thermostat marked in numbers or from minimum (min) to maximum (max) which sets the temperature. Turning it down by just 1 degree will have a big impact on your heating bill and you probably won’t even notice the difference.
Condensing combi boilers work more efficiently when the water returning to the boiler is below 55°C, so it’s better to set the temperature as low as possible, so long as this doesn’t impact your comfort levels. If you have a system boiler with separate hot water cylinder, your boiler thermostat should be set to a higher temperature than the cylinder thermostat.
Guernsey Energy offers free comfort checks to all its customers to ensure their boiler and heating system are set correctly and are working efficiently.
Get your boiler serviced
Heating and hot water accounts for over half of what you spend in a year on energy bills, so an efficient boiler makes a big difference. Getting your boiler serviced annually is important for safety reasons, but also to ensure it is working efficiently. Filtering your boiler or using a chemical inhibitor can make a huge difference to the effectiveness of radiators and the heating system by removing corrosion and the build-up of scale and sludge. Guernsey Energy provides MagnaClean technology which can offer significant central heating system performance and environmental benefits.
Upgrade your boiler
If your boiler is old, it might be worth replacing it with a newer, efficient model. Gas and oil boilers are either ‘system’ boilers, which have a separate hot water cylinder to store hot water, or ‘combi’ boilers, which heat hot water on demand and don’t require a hot water cylinder. A system boiler is more efficient at producing hot water; however, heat is lost from the hot water cylinder over time. A combi boiler could be more efficient overall, although this depends on factor such as how many people there are in the property and whether you want to install solar panels or a heat pump in the future.
What help is out there?
Rubis Channel Islands is handing out winter fuel vouchers across the Channel Islands this winter for islanders who may have tough choices to make as the cost of living rises. Each winter fuel voucher is worth £100 and will be distributed by the Guernsey Welfare Service and redeemed with Rubis for heating oil.
Every year from 1 November to 1 May, Age Concern Guernsey operates a Winter Fuel Fund specifically to assist all Guernsey pensioners who struggle to pay their fuel bills. You do not have to be a member of Age Concern to qualify and can email to request an application form.
Guernsey Electricity has made it clear that it doesn’t want anyone considering going without heating this winter or worrying over their energy bills. It has a team of advisers who understand that everyone’s circumstances are different, and are available to help islanders manage their usage. They ask that anyone who is concerned to please get in touch on 200700 or email customer@electricity.gg
Exclusive membership offer
All4Walls is now ordering Corksol, a spray applied cork material that creates a healthier home. More information on this insulation can be found here. Our Community Club members are entitled to a 10% discount on all orders for Corksol placed before 31 December 2023.
To take advantage of this exclusive offer, please call 01481 714895 or email spraycork@eps.company