Price comparison website MoneySuperMarket has looked at what people could do to get their homes green and sustainable. The company looked at the costs and savings associated with the most readily available renewable energy sources and efficiency-improvers around the home. The data collected showed that renewable energy offers the greatest
A mineral tile that is ultra-green, even by Armstrong Ceilings’ standards, and a bespoke version of a metal tile feature on the £1 million conversion of a former farm building into the headquarters of a wind farm developer. Community Windpower’s new head office in the old market town of Frodsham,
An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) reveals how energy efficient a property is. If you are a former or current renter, you may have already seen one. They’re often provided by letting agents to assess the potential cost of energy bills — but, they can help any UK resident to carefully
Price comparison website MoneySuperMarket has looked at what people could do to get their homes green and sustainable. The company looked at the costs and savings associated with the most readily available renewable energy sources and efficiency-improvers around the home. The data collected showed that renewable energy offers the greatest monthly savings at £28.33 on average a month. However, the machinery needed, such as solar panels and wind turbines, have an average setup cost of £7,237. This means that despite the reduction in bills per month, it would take over 21 years and three months to pay off the installation before seeing substantial savings. On the other hand, efficiency measures, such as energy saving lightbulbs and reduced-water shower heads, offer an average of £6.92 in savings each month. With initial costs averaging at £762.59, it would take nine years and two months to pay for themselves. Here are some options that can make anyone’s homes greener and save them money too: Energy saving light-bulbs – Fitting a home with energy saving bulbs would cost around £51.80 and could result in financial savings of up to £27.13 a month, which means they’ll have paid for themselves after two months. Lagging jackets – An investment of £15 to insulate the hot water tank could save around £1.67 each month on heating – meaning costs will be covered after nine months. Solar ovens – Solar ovens use just the light of the sun to cook food, meaning no energy is required and could save £9.30 a month. They are a little more expensive at £188.64 on average, and will take a year and eight months to cover their own costs. Water saving shower head – Costing around £15.99, these shower heads help save 52 pence each month and they will be paid after two and a half years. Cavity Insulation – Over £10 per month could be saved on energy bills if a home is insulated correctly. With an installation fee of £466, a return on investment will be seen after three years and seven months.
A mineral tile that is ultra-green, even by Armstrong Ceilings’ standards, and a bespoke version of a metal tile feature on the £1 million conversion of a former farm building into the headquarters of a wind farm developer. Community Windpower’s new head office in the old market town of Frodsham, Cheshire, uses 300m2 of the new Dune eVo MicroLook tile in the back offices and canteen, and 250m2 of acoustic mineral tile Perla 0.95 dB (which performs to Sound Absorption Class A) in closed cell offices, both on the ground floor. In addition, 900m2 of metal MicroLook 1800mm x 300mm metal lay-in planks have been used in open-plan areas and corridors on the first floor. The new fully-recyclable Dune eVo tile and grid, the first ceiling system in the industry to gain Cradle to Cradle accreditation, provides Class C sound absorption as well as a brighter white aesthetic and excellent durability due to a reinforced fully-painted edge. The metal tiles at Community Windpower were specially over-perforated so their ultra-micro perforations continue around the edges of the plank to give an even greater aesthetic and acoustic performance. The highly light-reflecting Armstrong systems were specified for the 20,000ft2 steel-frame building by Community Windpower managing director Rod Wood on the recommendation of specialist lighting manufacturer XAL who provided lighting throughout the new office. The precision of the Dune eVo and Perla tiles was particularly needed to maximise the indirect illumination from XAL’s scheme, notably the suspended Mino linear system upstairs and XAL’s ultra-slim Task office system in the downstairs boardrooms. He was looking for ceiling systems that were “modern, artistic and bespoke” to complement the lighting systems. “They are one of the key features interfacing with modern lighting designs,” he said. “The linear panel works well with the rectangle structure of the building and their clean and bright features also help with this. They have accommodated pitch issues well as well as light wells, air-conditioning and lighting. “Armstrong had products that suited our building and the contractors were confident they could be installed. I’m very happy with the result.” The Armstrong systems were installed over two weeks, on the upper floor to sloped internal eaves, by a team of up to eight from Heatons Ceilings who are a member of Armstrong’s Omega national network of approved specialist sub-contractors. Chris Heaton said: “The metal ceiling is at high levels/atria in the building which made it challenging to install but it really does look amazing from the ground floor. There are not many jobs with this specification in such long planks, especially as they were sloped to both sides. Instead of having a 10mm border the edges were perforated edges for aesthetics as well as acoustics. It is a little special and kind of a one-off. The Armstrong products worked and performed well to give a fantastic end result.” Community Windpower is at the forefront of wind energy development in the UK with over 800MW built, under construction and in development. As proven renewable energy specialists, the business is experienced in the identification, design, development, construction and operation of onshore wind farms and currently has six operational wind farms in Scotland, with a further three approved for development. More information is accessible via the Armstrong Ceilings website https://www.armstrongceilings.com/commercial/en-gb/.
An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) reveals how energy efficient a property is. If you are a former or current renter, you may have already seen one. They’re often provided by letting agents to assess the potential cost of energy bills — but, they can help any UK resident to carefully budget. Here, we explore their significance in more detail. Who produces an EPC? EPCs are issued by qualified assessors. Before a certificate is produced, they inspect your home, calculate the amount of energy used per m², and observe its carbon dioxide emissions (per year). This is primarily based on the energy that you use for lighting, hot water and heating. Afterwards, they match your home’s efficiency to the EPC colour-coded scale. Your property is then graded with an energy efficiency level between A and G. A represents the lowest range of running costs (92/100 and above), while G is used for the highest (1-20/100). Your EPC is valid for 10 years. With it, you can learn how green your living space is. What are its benefits? You can use your EPC to improve the energy efficiency of your home. In the UK, this record typically displays two ratings columns. One presents the current grade of your home; the other suggests an attainable higher figure. Almost always, the latter presents how much you could possibly save in energy costs. This can benefit you as an individual and wider society. From an environmental perspective, it could motivate people to become more conscious of their energy consumption. It may also enable people to reduce their bills. In addition, with a high EPC rating, Britons stand to heighten the value of their property. So, its rewards can be enjoyed by all. How Can I Improve My Rating? If your EPC rating isn’t as high as you would like it to be, don’t worry. There are easy ways to improve it. And they can improve the comfort and value of your property, too. Thermal insulation is usually the best place to start. Double glazed windows, for example, could raise your home’s heat retention rate. Loft and wall insulation can help with this, too. With these modifications, you may be able to lower your energy use. This can increase your EPC rating and limit your monthly outgoings. Additionally, through regular boiler checks, you can make sure that your living area is as energy-efficient as possible. With simple steps, you can strengthen the green value of where you live. An EPC can be a valuable tool — one that can enable us to save both money and the planet. Now that you know how, you could very well maximise your home’s energy efficiency. This is an exciting time for smart power consumption.
