It may come as a bit of a surprise but these days burning wood or solid fuel is considered to be a very environmentally friendly way of supplementing the heating for a property. It wasn’t that long ago that this was frowned upon but now it is acceptable and even encouraged in some areas. In fact with recent amendments in the planning regulations you might not even have to seek planning permission to have these installed.
Conveyancing and the Green Deal Scheme
The Energy Bill is currently passing through Parliament and is expected to receive Royal Assent later this year. Amongst other provisions, it sets out the legal framework for the Green Deal, the Government’s new flagship environmental policy under which it is hoped that up to 14 million home owners will be encouraged to install energy efficiency measures by the provision of low interest loans. Fourteen million homes represents more that half of the total homes in Britain therefore conveyancers will come across properties which have been improved under the Green Deal everyday. Despite this, the Green Deal has so far passed under the radar of most conveyancers.
Keeping Gas and Electricity Payments in Check
With gas and electricity prices rising and set to continue rising for the foreseeable future and with the state of the economy and Government cutbacks squeezing everybody’s household budget it makes sense to look at our monthly gas and electricity payments to see if they can be reduced by a few pounds.
What is Dual Fuel Energy Tariff?
What is dual fuel? Briefly put, it refers to a utility company that provides both electricity and gas for home heating, cooling, bathing and cooking. If you want to find the best dual fuel tariff then look for a company that provides smart meters with their service as these devices will allow you to monitor your energy usage online, half hourly for electricity and daily for gas.
Massive expansion in Display Energy Certificates
We could soon see the next step in a process which could lead to a massive expansion in the use of Display Energy Certificates.
September should hopefully see the second reading of an amendment which could add a clause to the Energy Bill currently going through Parliament, requiring commercial premises to have Display Energy Certificates for the first time, and the legislation could take effect by 2013 or earlier.
The Weirdest Eco Friendly Green Ideas
It started one day when I had a phone call from my wife. She was at a garden centre and enthusiastically told me that there was a water butt there, on sale, for £10. After a few minutes of discussion we decided to acquire this bastion of water storage.
Energy Efficiency in Hard to Treat Homes
So what do a flat, a building without a loft, and a property constructed with solid walls have in common? Well, they are all regarded as ‘Hard to Treat Homes’ or HTTH for energy efficiency measures. This can mean extra costs or labour intensive measures to help permanently reduce the amount of energy a property users.
Study shows solar PV adds value to home
A recent study in the USA has shown that solar PV panels increase the sale value of a home. Research suggests that homeowners who have installed solar panels on their home will recoup the cost of the investment upon the sale of their home.
Beware of the online EPC cowboys
Energy Performance Certificates, reporting on the energy efficiency of your home, have been a legal fact of life for home sellers and landlords since August 2007, and you would hope that the market would have settled down by now.
Sweetening the Green Deal Scheme
The Green Deal is the coalition Government’s flagship environmental project. It is aimed at making up to 14 million homes more efficient by 2020, through insulation, draught proofing, double glazing and other measures designed to reduce energy usage. The improvements are paid for by home owners through special loans which attach to the property rather than the individual but the attraction is the “golden rule”, whereby for a measure to be considered under a Green Deal plan the anticipated savings on the fuel bill must be greater than the cost of the repayments.
Premium Payment Scheme Grants for Renewable Heating
Greg Barker, minister for climate change, has revealed a new scheme, the “Premium Payment Scheme”, to provide grants to home owners to install renewable heat technologies. The grants will be available in respect of four technologies, biomass boilers, ground source heat pumps, air source heat pumps and solar thermal hot water panels. The scheme has a fund of £15m and is intended to support as many as 25,000 installations.
Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHP) – the Basics
You may have heard about Heat Pumps as the up and coming form of renewable heating technology. In theory the systems should be able to provide the whole heating for a building at little or no cost to the owner, with the added bonus of not using fuels to create the heat energy. Does it sound too good to be true? Or is it the future of heating?
Using Foam Board Insulation
When it comes to thinking of types of insulation probably the first thing that comes to mind is the typical mineral wool style insulation that you normally find in the loft. This insulation type is now the most common standard when it comes to fitting insulation into the home, in fact so common that it is not only installed professionally under the various grant schemes that are available but is also available in most DIY shops in large rolls.
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