• 250-270 mm (10 inches) of loft insulation can save up to 25% of a home’s heating costs.
  
  
• Cavity wall insulation is one of the most cost-effective energy efficiency measures in the home. It can save £100 to £120 each year on a typical home’s fuel bill.
  
  

• Reduced heat loss through walls by up to two-thirds.
• Reduced heating bills by up to one third.
• A warmer, more comfortable home in winter
• A cooler house in summer.
• Increased value of your home.
• Reduced risk of condensation forming on the inside surface of the walls
  
  
  

• Any tanks and pipes in the roof must be properly insulated to avoid frost damage.
• The roof space must be properly ventilated to prevent condensation forming on timbers and causing decay.
• Try to seal all holes around pipes and cables leading to the loft, to prevent entry of moist air from the home.
• Add a walkway or platform in the loft (for access to tanks, etc.).  Ensure it is adequately supported above the insulation (this is to avoid compressing the insulation, which will reduce its insulating qualities).

The higher cost measures range in the slightly more expensive, typically over £500 each.

These boilers are very high efficiency as they do not have to work as hard. They turn more fuel into heat by catching wasted heat from a heat exchanger. These types of boilers can be more expensive to buy but can have lower energy bills in the long term. Condensing boilers are available for Gas boilers and Oil Boilers.

Condensing boilers are a suitable option to help with the environment as the U.K Government are aiming to reduce C.O.2 levels by 20% by year 2008.

A condensing gas boiler may have a seasonal efficiency of around 88% compared to non-condensing boiler at about 75%, and an older type boiler at 55%-60%.

Advantages:

Measure 5 Installation of full heating controls package

Different heating systems have different heating controls. For example, if you have gas or oil central heating, you should have the following:

• A timer/programmer - this enables you to control when the heating comes on and off; it should enable you to have different times for weekdays and weekends (for example); you should be able to control the heating and hot water separately
  
  
• A room thermostat - this would normally be in your living room or hallway, and should be carefully located; you set the temperature and the thermostat will turn the heating off when that temperature is reached
  
  
• Thermostatic radiator valves (TRV's) - each radiator should have one of these except for the room which has the room thermostat; TRV's allow you to adjust the temperature in each room - for example, most people prefer bedrooms to be cooler than living rooms

Providing a full heating controls package will cost roughly £500 and will pay for itself in around 3 to 4 years in reduced heating bills.

If you have electric night-storage heaters each heater should have its own controls. Most will have two dials - one is often labelled 'input' and the other 'output'. The 'input' or 'charge' control determines the amount of heat that goes into the heater during the night. The higher the setting the more heat is stored - and the greater the cost. The 'output' or 'boost' dial controls the rate at which heat is released during the day. It is worthwhile practicing with these controls until you get it just right for you. For example, if you set the 'output' dial too high, you may release all the heat during the day and have little left over for the evening.