Behaviour change campaign
Description
Cost
This would involve training up local
‘energy champions’ to work with
households to reduce their energy use
through behaviour change.
£20,000 per 25,000 homes
Payback time
Estimated less than 6 months
Advantages
 Low cost
 Involves the whole community
 Can be carried out whatever the
home type
 The impact will stay with the
homeowner wherever they move
in the future
Disadvantages
 Difficult to maintain energy savings
long-term
 People may be reluctant to get
involved or may not be able to
spare the time
Hot water tank jacket
Description
Cost per home
Fitting insulating jackets to any hot
water tanks that don’t have them
already (or don’t have built-in
insulation).
£15
Payback time
Less than 6 months
Advantages
 Easy to fit: Can be fitted by the
homeowner
 This means installation costs are
very low
 Will have an impact straight away
Disadvantages
 Will not result in as large carbon
savings as some of the larger-scale
measures
Draught-proof homes
Description
Cost per home
Payback time
Advantages
Disadvantages
Fitting draught-proofing where required.
This might include:
- Keyhole covers
- Letterbox draught-excluders
- Draught-proofing the edges of windows
and doors
DIY: £120
Professional: £200
Less than 1 year
 Relatively easy to install: Most people
will be able to fit it themselves
 This means installation costs are low
 As well as saving energy, it will make
the house a more comfortable
environment
 Those most in need of this measure
(e.g. the elderly) may not be able to fit
it themselves
 Will not result in as large carbon
savings as some of the larger-scale
measures
Insulate cavity walls
Description
Cost per home
This involves filling an existing wall cavity
with insulating material.
£500
Payback time
4 years
Advantages
 Can be installed relatively cheaply
 Has a significant impact on carbon
emissions
Disadvantages
 Can only be fitted to houses that a)
have cavities and b) don’t have
cavity wall insulation already.
Insulate lofts to depth of 270mm
Description
Cost per home
This involves fitting loft insulation to a
depth of 270mm. This could be installed
where there is currently no insulation
present or could involve ‘topping up’
existing insulation to the required
270mm depth.
£200
Payback time
1-4 years
Advantages
Disadvantages
 Can be installed relatively cheaply:
Most people can fit it themselves
and, if not, installation only takes a
couple of hours
 Has a significant impact on carbon
emissions
 Can only be fitted to homes that a)
have a loft space (can’t be used
with flat roofs) and b) don’t have
210mm installed already
Upgrade to energy efficient boilers
Description
Cost per home
The efficiency of boilers deteriorates
over time and significant energy savings
can be made where very old boilers are
replaced with energy-efficient
‘condensing’ boilers.
£2,000
Payback time
8-22 years
Advantages
 Makes sense where an existing
boiler is broken beyond repair
 Significant carbon savings
Disadvantages
 High initial cost, hence long
payback time
 For a condensing gas boiler,
properties need to have access to
mains gas
Insulate solid walls
Description
Cost per home
Payback time
Advantages
Disadvantages
Solid walls can be insulated by adding
insulation to either the inside or the
outside of the wall.
External: £11,000
Internal: £7,000
External: £22 years
Internal: 15 years
 Significant carbon savings
 Can be fitted to homes with solid
(rather than cavity) walls
 Installation is costly and disruptive
 If installed internally will make
room sizes slightly smaller
 If installed externally may change
the external appearance of the
building
Install double-glazing
Description
Cost per home
Cold homes can be made much more
comfortable with the installation of
double-glazing. The air or argon gas
between the two panes of glass acts as a
very efficient insulator.
£6,000
Payback time
70-125 years
Advantages
Disadvantages
 As well as achieving significant
carbon reductions will also make
the home more comfortable to live
in
 May improve the appearance of
the building
 High initial cost, hence long
payback time
 May not be allowed in
conservation areas, National Parks
etc or may have to be tailor made
to keep the same appearance
adding to cost
Fit reflective foil behind radiators
Description
Cost per home
These are particularly effective when
fitted behind radiators attached to
external walls. Heat is prevented from
being absorbed by the wall, meaning
that a greater amount of heat enters the
room.
£75
Payback time
Approx. 12 months
Advantages
 Cheap and easy to install
 Short payback time
Disadvantages
 Won’t work with all heating types
 Some people don’t like the look of
them
Provide homes with energy monitors
Description
Cost per home
Energy monitors would show in realtime how much electricity is being used
as well as storing historical data so that
people can see how their energy use is
changing (hopefully falling!) over time.
They can help identify the measures that
will have greatest impact on electricity
use.
£25
Payback time
Unknown
Advantages
 Will make people more aware of
how much electricity they are
using
Disadvantages
 There is no guarantee they will
have an impact on consumption
Provide homes with energy-saving gadgets
Description
Cost per home
These would include:
- Powerdowns: These allow you to switch TVs off
completely (rather than onto standby) using a
remote control
- Standby buster power strips: When you turn a
main appliance off (e.g. laptop), all other
appliances plugged into the strip (e.g. printer,
scanner, speakers etc) are automatically switched
off as well.
- PC Eco-buttons: When pressed the PC hibernates.
- Timer switches so that appliances automatically
switch off overnight.
£60
Payback time
Unknown
Advantages
 They will get people actively involved in
energy saving
Disadvantages
 People may rely on the technology, rather
than turning things off themselves
 There is no reliable evidence showing how
much energy may be saved
Provide homes with energy-saving light bulbs
Description
Cost per home
Providing homeowners with one energysaving (CFL) light bulb for each room of
their home
£15
Payback time
Less than 6 months
Advantages
 They use about 80% less energy
than standard light bulbs and last
considerably longer
 Cheap and can be installed by the
homeowner in the majority of
cases
Disadvantages
 Most people have them already
 Some people don’t like the light
that they give out