The major points to consider prior to the Domestic Energy Assessor preparing his report are-

Is your Hot water cylinder adequately lagged?

• Only a problem if you have an older tank that does not have a factory applied foam coating. If it has a water jacket that is less than 160mm thick it might be worth fitting a new one over the existing - For circular tanks, insulation jackets are available in a range of standard sizes. The most common sizes for hot water tanks are 90-130 litres for a typical boiler medium is 131-170 litres and large tanks are in excess of 170 litres.
• Most older hot water tanks have a segmented quilt that is attached to the copper tank by a number of straps which are pulled tight round the circumference of the tank. If the original jacket is not damaged but is just not of an adequate thickness then all you need to do is to fit the new jacket over the top of the old one. This will help to increase the overall thickness of the insulation and thus prevent more heat from escaping to the surrounding environment.
• Generally most hot water tanks are found in airing cupboards. When you install your additional insulating jacket less heat will escape to the airing cupboard. This is usually not a problem as the pipes going to and from the tank are un insulated and give off sufficient heat to keep the cupboard warm without being excessively hot .

Do you have sufficient insulation in your loft?-

•   As a rule the thicker the insulation the better. It’ is very important to insulating your loft. If you have inadequate insulation heat will be lost though your roof.
• As mentioned previously it is recommended to have around 250mm of mineral wool insulation. You can now get high performance foil backed quilts that are thinner than this and provide the same level of insulation
• Insulating your loft is one of the most cost effective ways of saving money on your energy bills. The table below gives you some idea of what those potential  savings might be.

Potential Savings

(These  figures are based on insulating a gas-heated, semi-detached 3 bedroom house which initially has little or no insulation to the loft space.)

• Loft Insulation is generally a one off exercise that will continue to save you money year on year and don’t forget it will also save on carbon emissions and will therefore be good for the planet. It is highly recommended that you install the greater thickness of insulation because not only will you save more energy the payback will also be shorter! When do gas and electicity prices ever reduce.
• Find out if you are eligible for a grant to insulate you house.

Are you considering replacing an old boiler ?-

• If so replace with a new energy efficient boiler that is an “A” rated Condensing boiler. Like conventional boilers, a condensing boiler burns fuel to heat the water  jacket / heat exchanger within the boiler.
• A condensing boiler uses either an over sized heat exchanger or two heat exchangers are fitted the second one being in the flow of the exhaust gases. In this way nearly all of the heat is extracted from the exhaust gases and does not have any residual convection energy to carry it up the chimney. This is why all energy efficient (condensing boilers) need to be mounted on an outside wall where the length of the flue is reduced to a minimum.
• As mentioned the latent heat in the flue gases is reduced to a minimum this is usually around 50 degree centigrade. In an older boiler this was around 120 degrees centigrade and would have had enough latent energy to propel the gases up the chimney.
• One of the significant points about a condensing boiler is that the gas temperature is below the dew point and as a result condensation is formed in the exhaust flu. A separate drain tube need to be attached to all these boilers.

Double glazing

• will make a big difference but maybe too expensive to consider unless the windows need replacement. Consider the following-
• You could reduce your energy bills by as much as £100 a year by replacing single glazed units with double glazed units.
• Your Carbon footprint will be reduced as a result of you using less fuel to heat your home.
• Your home will be more comfortable as a consequence of there being fewer cold spots and drafts from the single glazed windows.
• Double glazing significantly reduces noise from the outside. The larger the gap between the glass sheets the more the sound insulation will be increased.
• Because the inside layer of glass will be closer in temperature to the ambient temperature there will be considerably reduced condensation. This often used to result in mold forming on the window frames.
• The costs and potential saving will be dependent on the area of glazing that you are converting from single to double glazing and also the location of the house with respect to wind directions – exposed north facing windows etc.

The table below is only indicative but should give some idea to the savings that can be achieved.

A quick win is to replace filament lights

• Filament lights use considerably more energy that the new energy efficient lights
• Energy saving light bulbs will save you money- they cost considerable less to run and they last about six times longer than a normal filament bulb
• They are kinder to the environment. The main waste product from traditional bulbs is carbon dioxide, which is the biggest contributing factor to global warming. Almost a quarter of the UK’s carbon emissions come from the domestic sector .
• By using energy saving bulbs, you will reduce greenhouse gases and thus lower your carbon footprint. This will be good for you and good for the world.

Cavity wall insulation

•  In some cases you can get grants for cavity wall insulation and it it well worth spending a little time checking this out before you proceed.
• It will make a significant difference to your energy efficiency and will create a more pleasant living environment
• The Facts-
•  Generally  houses built after 1924, the external walls are made of two layers with a small air gap or ‘cavity’ between them. If  the cavity is unfilled you get air circulating within the cavity which leads to a heat transfer from the inner wall to the outer wall. This leads to a heat loss from the heated internal rooms to the cold outside. Filling the gap between the two walls of a house with an insulating material decreases the amount of heat escaping through the walls.  the cavity fill  is blown into the cavity from the outside, typically taking on average  two or three hours. You should use a reputable contractor who will provide you with a 25 year independent guarantee from CIGA, the Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency.
• The main point to consider is whether your walls actually have a cavity. In general, if your home was built after 1924 using traditional brick construction, then a cavity should be present. You can establish if you have a cavity wall construction because a solid wall is not as thick as a cavity wall. The cavity wall will be around ten to twelve inches thick whereas the solid wall will be less than this and will also appear to be of different construction- solid wall have end on bonded bricks cavity wall have the bricks laid end to end.       Building Regulations changed in 1982 which meant that any home constructed after this date would have had cavity insulation install as part of the build. If you are not sure if your house has cavity filling it is best to get this inspected prior to placing any orders. You could be charged for abortive work.

You will not be able to have cavity wall insulation if any of the following applies-

• You live in a flat and the upstairs and downstairs neighbours are not agreeable. The walls must be filled from the ground to the roof and each property is assessed separately for a grant. Please do not apply unless you have spoken to your neighbors.
• The walls have already been filled. If you can see signs of any holes about the size of a 10p piece in the T joints of the mortar, then it is likely that they have already been filled. You cannot ‘top up’ cavity wall insulation.
• There are any signs of damp. Cavity wall insulation can help to prevent condensation but all other damp problems must be cured before it can be installed.
• The cavity has a width of less than two inches.
• The property is a system built timer framed construction.
• where the cavity is obstructed in some way either through debris or construction defect
• There is no damp proof membrane or it has failed
• Ventilation is inadequate and a vent cannot be fitted.

• Most recently you can now get solar panels

• There are two basic types of solar panel – Photovoltaic which produces electricity from sunlight and Hot water panels -These panels heat water by concentrating the suns rays onto water flowing through the panels.
• You can now get free installation of Photovoltaic panes in the South of England if your house meets certain criteria- namely you have a south facing un shaded roof ,that can accommodate 24 square meters of solar panels and you live in the south of England.  The simplest systems provide electricity to a building directly in larger installations or where a continuous supply is required solar panels are wired into batteries via inverters.
• The demand for this form of electricity generation will grow and in the process the cost will come down.There is no such thing as a free lunch….. but may be there is?

Is it worth investing in some of these Energy saving measures to improve the saleability of you property and create a more comfortable living envioronment in the process ????

Do your bit to reduce carbon emissions.