We need to  almost entirely stop using fossil fuels for heating homes to have a chance to hit the UK’s overall net-zero targets. So, with energy prices hitting an all-time high, what a great time to look at insulation and renewable heating options! 

<a href='/find/201/low-carbon-heating-insulation#item_10662'> **New: £5000 Heat Pump grant - Boiler Upgrade scheme**</a>


Almost one-third of UK household carbon emissions are due to poorly insulated homes heated by burning natural gas and other fossil fuels. We urgently need to add better insulation to our homes and switch over to low carbon heating such as Heat Pumps as soon as possible.

Low carbon heating & insulation

Insulation guide

Low carbon heating guide

Electricity generation is still a major source of Co2 emissions in the UK but there is hope because the cost of generating electricity from renewable sources is rapidly dropping and the proportion of UK energy generated from renewables is increasing every year. Moving away from coal and natural gas and speeding up the transition to renewable energy is an urgent part of the fight against climate change.

A lot of electricity is still generated by burning natural gas - we need to speed up the transition to renewable energy.

Electricity generation is a major source of carbon emissions in the UK but the cost of generating electricity from renewable sources is rapidly dropping and the proportion of UK energy generated from renewables is increasing every year.   Moving away from coal and natural gas and speeding up the transition to renewable energy is an urgent part of the fight against climate change. 

Renewable electricity

Renewable Energy

Energy guide

Diet has a significant impact on carbon.emissions, this is mainly due to the high production emissions of meat and dairy products. 

Diet has a significant impact on carbon emissions, this is mainly due to the high production emissions of meat and dairy products.

Diet

There is currently no way to reduce airplane emissions to the level needed. The only thing that makes a significant difference here is to not fly, or at least to seriously reduce the number of flights you take. 

There is currently no way to reduce airplane emissions to the level needed. The only thing that makes a significant difference here is to not fly, or at least to seriously reduce the number of flights you take

Flight-free holidays

We need to switch to methods of travel that are either already carbon neutral or that can become carbon neutral over the next few years.

Low carbon travel

Money put into a pension or stock market funds is often invested on your behalf into companies involved in oil and gas extraction, causing or worsening the climate crisis.

Money held in current accounts, savings and pensions is frequently used by financial institutions to invest in fossil fuel projects. We take a look at which financial firms guarantee to be free of fossil fuel investments.

Finance

What changes can I make to avoid contributing to Global Warming ?

Below is a graph of the typical Carbon Dioxide emissions of a UK household, you can click the section to see what changes you could make to get to a sustainable level.

Reducing carbon emissions

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**New scheme launched April 2022**

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) replaces the older Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme. To take part you need to get one or more quotes from MCS certified installers, your chosen installer does the work of claiming from the BUS scheme and you pay a lower price as the BUS voucher will be deducted from your installation costs. 

**How much can I get?**

The voucher values will be:
£5,000 for an air source heat pump (or biomass boilers in rural areas when a heat pump is not viable)
£6,000 for a ground source or water source heat pumps

**Who is eligible?**

The requirements are:

- You will need an EPC certificate that is not out of date (they are valid for 10 years)
- If your EPC recommends attic or cavity wall insulation, you will need to complete that work before you can cash in the voucher.
- You must be replacing a fossil fuel boiler of any kind or direct electric heating system (such as storage heaters, electric panel radiators or an electric boiler).

Your MCS registered installer can help you understand how the scheme works if you have any questions.

<a href='https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-and-social-schemes/boiler-upgrade-scheme-bus/property-owners' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer'>More information is available here from Ofgem on the Boiler Upgrade Scheme</a>
 


Boiler upgrade scheme

A heat pump warms your home using heat extracted from the ground or air outside your home.  It does this by either heating the air directly or the water in your central heating system. A heat pump is a low carbon alternative to a boiler, but it isn’t a drop-in replacement and isn’t suitable for all properties. 

Here are some considerations:

* High upfront cost (although you can eventually recoup some of the costs under the Boiler upgrade scheme)
* They tend to be much more cost-efficient if you have good insulation - so try to improve insulation first if possible!
* Your plumbing and radiators may also need to be upgraded 
* Space requirements for external unit (And garden space + access needed for ground source heat pumps)
* Noise considerations and placement of the external fan unit for air source heat pumps.


Renewable heating - Heat pumps

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Electricity - Energy Saving Tips


Ensuring your home is well insulated is the best first step. Better insulation can reduce your CO2 emissions, heating bills, and it helps prepare your home for a low carbon heating system in the future.

If you look through the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) you can see any insulation recommendations specifically for your home. Here are some of the most common home improvements and typical costs:


Wrap your home up nice and warm

Recommendations: Renewable energy supplier

Most homes have their energy efficiency assessed before being sold or let with the information recorded in an "energy performance certificate" or EPC. The Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) explains how energy-efficient the property is and gives a current and potential grade on a scale from A (excellent) to G (very poor).

It's worth looking at the EPC rating for any properties you are considering renting or buying as they give you an idea of how much it will cost to heat the property. For most properties using gas or other fossil fuel heating, the more expensive a property is to keep warm, the higher its carbon emissions will be.

Here is an example of a home with a fairly poor E grade. With various improvements, this property could get up to a C grade.

The EPC usually recommends improvements that you could make to the property to get it from the current EPC grade to the potential grade. These suggestions may be useful if you currently own a house or plan to buy a property and are interested in improving the insulation. Here is an example of what a recommendation looks like:

<img alt="Example EPC Recommendation for Room in roof insulation" style="max-width: 100%"  height="auto" src="https://ik.imagekit.io/x2cipi6aaku/tr:w-635,dpr-auto/epc_single_recommendations.jpg?ik-sdk-version=react-1.0.11" >

If you are looking to improve the insulation on your own home then an excellent first step is to look up your home's existing energy performance certificate (EPC) and check what improvements are recommended.

You can search for a properties Energy Performance Certificate on the government  <a href='https://find-energy-certificate.digital.communities.gov.uk/' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer'>Find An Energy Certificate</a> site.

Recommendations for your home

Frequently asked questions

If you have draughty or cold areas in your home then draught-proofing is likely to be one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce your heating bills and household carbon emissions. 

It’s worth looking around your home for problems areas where it’s often cold or draughty and looking for the specific cause. On a cold day, you can do this by moving your hand around to feel for cold areas. Here are a few key places to check:

1. Windows - You should check all around any external windows, particularly any parts that open, including any parts of sash windows.
2. Doors - Around external doors. Make sure you check you also check the bottom and top of the doors, around the locks, keyholes and any letterboxes.
3. Chimneys - Check any open chimneys, as they can be a major cause of draughts, often you can feel the cold coming down through the chimney making nearby areas chilly.
4. Vent holes - Although rooms may need ventilation to avoid damp, the wind should not be able to blow directly through a giant hole! Check you can’t see right through the hole and feel for a breeze or the cold.

If you find it hard to detect the cold with your hand, you could try holding a burning incense stick near the area you are testing, if cold air is getting into your home then the smoke from the incense stick will flow with the draught.

Example in a youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwPMx4m9_Dc


Draught proofing

We have listed the most popular backup solutions for home computers. The overall scores are satisfaction ratings based on user feedback from our independant surveys. Further details of the user feedback can be viewed by clicking through on each product.

Best Backup Software

backup solutions for Macs

TV Streaming

We have listed the most popular Mac backup solutions for home computers. The overall scores are satisfaction ratings based on user feedback from our independant surveys. Further details of the user feedback can be viewed by clicking through on each product.

Best Backup Software for Macs 2019

Password managers store all your usernames and passwords in one place so you don't need to remember all your usernames and passwords. These days most people have so many online accounts that they start re-using passwords or use passwords that are too easy to guess to avoid having to remember so many passwords. For this reason many security professionals recommend using a password manager so that you can set secure passwords for each sites without having to remember them all.

Password Managers

We have listed the most popular Windows backup solutions for home computers. The overall scores are satisfaction ratings based on user feedback from our independant surveys. Further details of the user feedback can be viewed by clicking through on each product.

Best Backup Software for Windows 2019

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Octopus Energy

Great all-rounder, 100% renewable electricity with  some innovative tariffs. Particularly worth considering if you can have an Electric Vehicle or can otherwise push electricity usage overnight.

Octopus energy does have an advantage in the current market in that it is well funded, having just received a $600 million investment. This means it's exceptionally unlikely to go bankrupt, whilst some smaller green firms have already gone bankrupt.

Ground source heat pumps use underground pipes to absorb heat from outside and transfer it inside your home to heat the water in your central heating system. To install a ground source heat pump, you need a large garden to lay the pipes horizontally, or you would need access to your garden for drilling equipment to drill boreholes for a vertical installation.

Ground source heat pumps tend to be more efficient than air-source heat pumps but have higher initial installation costs.

**Typical costs -** £14,000 - £19,000 

**Money-back under BUS (Boiler upgrade scheme)** - £6000

Note that there are several requirements you need to meet to get money back under the boiler upgrade scheme.

Ground source heat pumps

Working out your home’s exact heating requirements requires some detailed heat loss calculations. You may want to consider looking for a certified company under the MCS scheme. 

**<a href='https://mcscertified.com/find-an-installer/' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer'>Find an MCS installer here</a>** - This site allows you to search for Certified installers, although it is still good to look at independent reviews for customer feedback.

Note that if you want to get money back under the **Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) then one of the requirements is that the installer is MCS certified**.

Finding a heat pump installer


Air source heat pumps are the most common type of heat pump. An external fan unit extracts heat from the air to warm your home. There are two main types:

#### Air-to-water heat pump
An air-to-water pump transfers heat from the outside to water, which can heat your radiators or underfloor heating. It can also heat water stored in a hot water cylinder for your hot taps and showers. This system is usually more expensive than an air-to-air system but is popular as it can provide a complete replacement for a gas boiler.

**Typical cost -** £8,000 - £12,000 For the heat pump and installation 

**Money-back under BUS (Boiler upgrade scheme)** - £5000

On top of the costs for the heat pump, you may also need to upgrade pipework or radiator sizes, significantly increasing costs. Note that there are several requirements you need to meet to get money back under the Boiler upgrade scheme.


#### Air-to-air heat pump
These systems are less popular in the UK as most of our homes do not have the ducting required to allow the warmed (or cooled) air to travel around the house, and retrofitting ducting can be tricky. Still, it might be worth considering if your home doesn't currently have pipework and a wet central heating system. The heated air is transferred from the external unit through air ducts to internal units that blow hot air into the rooms. You can switch to a reverse mode with some air to air heat pumps to provide cooling in the summer.

Air source heat pumps

Heat pumps are one of the most proven renewable technologies for heating, they pump heat from outside to inside and they are gradually becoming more attractive in the UK as the government makes various changes to encourage us to move away from fossil fuels.

If you have an older home built before the 1920s, then the house’s external walls may only be a single layer thick, making them unsuitable for cavity wall insulation. To insulate these walls, you need to add insulation on the outside or inside the external walls. Be aware that external wall insulation will change the exterior look and may not be allowed in a conservation area or on a listed building. Internal wall insulation will take up some space in the room as the external walls will be thicker.

**Typical cost - ** £4,000 to  £15,000 for internal wall insulation, depending on size (£7,000 to £20,000 for external)

Solid wall insulation

Got an old house without cavity walls? It's still possible to insulate a wall by adding insulation to either the inside or outside of the wall. Although fairly expensive this is worth considering if you are getting work done anyway on a section of your home so consider investigating options ahead of time.

It's a good idea to get a few quotes from reputable tradespeople before deciding to go ahead. Every house is slightly different, and someone experienced can recommend which solutions they think would work best.
Here are a few services that can help you find a reliable person or company to fit insulation to your home. It's always a good idea to check out the reviews and how long they have been in business. Rogue traders can rapidly set up and close down businesses, so check how long they have been in business.

#### CheckaTrade
Enter "Insulation" (or a specific insulation type) into the search box and your postcode to find recommendations.

<a href='https://www.checkatrade.com/' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer'>https://www.checkatrade.com/</a>

#### Trusted Trader
<a href='https://www.trustatrader.com/insulation-companies' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer'>https://www.trustatrader.com/insulation-companies</a>  


#### Which Trusted Trader
Enter "Insulation installers" into the search box and your location

<a href='https://trustedtraders.which.co.uk/' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer'>https://trustedtraders.which.co.uk/</a>

#### Rated People
With Rated People. you first post your job and then get sent a selection of tradespeople that you can consider

<a href='https://www.ratedpeople.com/local-thermal-insulation' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer'>https://www.ratedpeople.com/local-thermal-insulation
</a>




Finding a good installer

The current recommendations are to have insulation of between 270mm to 300mm thickness. If you have an attic without insulation or with only very thin insulation, this can be an excellent improvement to your home.

**Typical cost - **  £300 to £400 (It can cost more if you wish to have flooring put down over the insulation)

Attic insulation

Attic insulation can be very cost effective. Factors to consider are whether the attic is dry or damp, current level of insulation and how easily you can access the attic.

When using an oven, hob or grill, you can save energy by turning off the heat a few minutes before the food has finished cooking. The food will continue cooking in hot water, steam, or hot oven. Doing this reduces the energy wasted and decreases the chance you accidentally leave an appliance switched on. After you switch the oven off, you can use it to keep food or plates warm whilst you finish preparing other food.
 
It’s a good idea to use lids on the saucepans to help retain the heat and cook the food faster, wasting less energy.
 
If your hobs don’t turn themselves off, then double-check to make sure you’ve turned them off as soon as you finish cooking.


Cooking tips

When boiling water, try to boil only the amount of water that you will use. If your kettle has a lot of limescale build-up, it may lose some efficiency, so it’s a good idea to describe it. 

If you frequently make tea for one, then when it comes time to replace your kettle, you could consider a kettle that boils just one cups worth of water at a time. As well as saving energy, these kettles or hot water dispensers are also often quicker to boil.

Boiling water


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Carbonite

Carbonite is an easy to use backup solution automatically backs up files online to it's own storage cloud and provides unlimited storage space. Whilst it's slightly more expensive than the Backblaze for a single computer, Carbonite has a multi user version supporting up to 25 computers for only $24 a month.

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Backblaze

Backblaze is a well designed and easy to use backup solution that sits in the background on your computer automatically backing up files online. It's a very cost effective solution for a single computer with a large number of files as it comes with unlimited storage

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LastPass

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Sticky Password

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Windows File History

Windows File history is a backup feature built in to windows 10 computers. It is not usually enabled by default but once set up it can detect when files change and automatically back up each version similar to TimeMachine for the mac.

To use this built in backup software you will need another drive in addition to the drive that Windows is installed on, such as an external USB drive.

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Google Drive - Backup and Sync

A Google account comes with 15GB of free storage that is shared across Gmail and Google Drive. They also provide a Continuous backup and sync program that can automatically backup folders you choose making the free version attractive if you are just looking to backup office documents and other small files.

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EaseUS Todo Backup

EaseUS focusses on local file and drive backups but also has some support for backing up data to third party cloud storage.

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Fitting double or triple glazed windows reduces the heat lost through your windows. Note that if your home is listed or in a conservation area, there may be restrictions on the types of windows you can fit.

**Typical cost - ** £3000 to over £6,000 for a three-bed semi (£300 to £600 per window depending on size)

Double glazing

Double glazing can save quite a bit, but it is also quite expensive to get fitted so you may want to consider getting double glazing fitted at the same time as other work or if your windows need replacing anyway.

A lot of heat escapes through a property’s externally facing walls. Homes built after the 1920s usually have two layers of bricks for the outside walls. Cavity wall insulation involves drilling holes in the wall and injecting insulating material into the gap.

**Typical cost - ** £400 to over £800 for a whole house (Around £200 for each two-storey wall)

Cavity wall insulation

If you have cavity walls and the cavity has not been filled with insulation then this could be one of the most cost effective methods of insulating your home.

Room-in-roof insulation is a way to insulate a converted attic or loft by adding insulation boards on the ceiling underneath the existing plasterboard walls. If you don't have a loft conversion, then Attic insulation may be a better option for you.

**Typical cost - ** £400 to £500 

Room-in-roof insulation

Converted your attic? It's still possible to insulate it!

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iDrive

IDrive is a simple to use online backup solution. It's particularly cost effective if you have several machines to back up but they don't contain too many files as the price includes supports for an unlimited number of machines but charges based on the amount of cloud storage space you need.

Draught proofing involves closing any gaps around windows, doors and other locations that cold air can get into your home. Professional draught proofing typically costs about £200 but it can be much less if you do it yourself.

**Typical cost - **  Around £200 (Less if you do it yourself)

Doors

On a cold day wave your hand around your windows and doors, if you feel a cold draft then you probably have a gap and could benefit from draft proofing

Central heating - Timer setting

Use programmable heating controls and timers

Do you heat the house when everyone is out? Many boilers are fitted with a timer (or programmable timer) to control when the boiler switched on - when have you last checked it?

Smart thermostat

https://www.checkatrade.com/blog/cost-guides/cost-smart-thermostat/

Smart thermostats can save you money by learning when you need heat and turning your heating off when you are not around.

Fitting radiator or room thermostats

Find a good plumber if you have poor heating controls (Checkatrade)

Fitting room or radiator thermostats (TRV's) enables you to better control the temperature of individual rooms, which means your boiler needs to use less energy heating the water.

Reducing boiler flow temperature

Reduce flow temperature (step by step guide)

If you have a condensing combi boiler (that heats hot water on demand) then lowering the flow temperature on your boiler enables it to operate more efficiently. This can save you a significant 5 to 8% off your heat bill with no loss of comfort.

Washing clothes at 30 degrees instead of 40 typically uses about 40% less electricity. For most washes, 30 degrees works just as well as 40 if you use a detergent designed to work at 30 degrees.

Washing and drying clothes efficiently

Modern washing machines are designed to clean efficiently at lower temperatures. If using a tumble drier then spin clothes well first. In summer if you have an outside space then consider line drying.

LED bulbs have improved a lot over the last few years and are now available for almost every type of light fitment and with support for dimming.

Whilst early bulbs produced light of quite a harsh colour, modern LEDs can create a much warmer colour light. If you want a warm light look for a softer look, select bulbs with a colour temperature of 3000k or lower.

Advantages of LED bulbs:

- Save money over the long run
- Save time changing bulbs (Long life)
- Safe and mercury-free (Unlike CFL)
- More energy efficient than halogen or CFL bulbs


LED lighting

Understand LED bulb fitments, colour and choose bulbs

LED bulbs are 80% more efficient than halogen bulbs, lasting 5 times longer. They are also slightly more efficient and longer lasting than fluorescent tubes. LED bulbs have improved a great deal, with many producing a softer (warmer) light so choosing the right bulbs can produce a pleasant light whilst saving energy and time.

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Time Machine

Time machine is a built in service on apple computers it backs up all of your files to an external storage device so that you can restore them later or see how they looked in the past.

This software has been included with every mac since October 2007 as part of the operating system that comes with every mac. (ie, since OS X 10.5 - Leopard)