Home energy savings - Insulation, heating, electricity, water

Project Purple wants to help Hovingham become carbon neutral.  We want to do this as soon as we can. According to NASA, 97% of the world’s climate scientists agree we are experiencing climate global warming. 

We have all lived through a period of tremendous change and do not want to shirk our responsibility to humanity to leave a planet that is still habitable.  We still want everyone to live in a warm and comfortable home but we are sure there are things we can all do to reduce how much energy we use.

If you want to ask any questions feel free to ask at our Repair Café/Community Hub (which we hold at the village hall 4 times a year). We’re more than happy to discuss the issues and hopefully answer your questions. Quite a few residents have heat pumps, solar panels, electric vehicles/bikes and can share their experiences as to how easy it is to live with these changes.

So starting with the good news – some grant funding is available...

Grants available 

 The boiler upgrade scheme is likely to be the most useful link if you are thinking of moving away from fossil fuel heating in the area.

The most likely type of heating systems applicable in Hovingham would be heat pumps.  There are two main types: one is ground source and the other type is air source.  Both types of heat pump run on the same principle but use different sources for their heat (air or ground).  An explanation of how they work.

The benefits of an air source heat pump

• lower fuel bills are likely, especially if you are replacing conventional electric heating will usually qualify for an RHI grant
• lower carbon emissions
• no fuel deliveries needed
• can heat your home as well as your water
• can be used in conjunction with other technologies such as solar thermal water heating
• minimal maintenance required
• Both (air and ground source) can be used with underfloor heating and a radiator system will work well provided high output modern radiators are fitted and correctly sized.  The heating fluid will only be heated to around 40-45°C by a heat pump system as opposed to a fossil fuel system which heats the fluid up to 55-60°C although some heat pumps have the capability to supply the outflow at a higher temperature.

The benefits of ground source heat pumps are similar although the installation costs are usually greater (due to the ground works required) but ground source heat pumps are generally more energy efficient in terms of life cycle costs.   

An ECO grant (part of the Warm Home discount strategy) may be available but you must already qualify for certain benefits so looking at the website is essential to determine your eligibility. If you’re a homeowner or a private renter (with permission from the landlord) who receives qualifying benefits, you could be entitled to an insulation grant from the Government.  

Any existing loft insulation must be 100mm (4’’) or less to qualify for ECO funding.

Energy collective bargaining scheme North Yorkshire Council use an online auction for ‘the big community switch’.  It is possible to register by phone for the scheme with ichoosr direct. Check the date for entering the scheme from the link above if there is the opportunity to join the scheme it is with no obligation to accept the final offer. Registration for the scheme is required but simple to do.  The scheme is designed to reduce your energy cost but not necessarily the carbon footprint as it is based on price alone. This may well change so you will need to check to see who the winning supplier is before accepting any offer.

Other North Yorkshire Council schemes available currently are the  Yorkshire Warm Homes Scheme, Ryedale energy saver scheme and the Warm and well service

Green energy supply One way to support Hovingham village to reduce its total carbon footprint quickly would be for residents to move to a 100% green energy supplier.  There are several green suppliers and we would suggest you visit Which Magazine’s current take on green energy supply.

Rates all vary at any one time and the best rate may be very attractive but we all need to keep an eye on any energy price changes and unless the rate is fixed the customer has no guarantee against price rises.  The current average price paid across all UK tariffs for electricity is 24.5p/kWh (as at mid 2024).

Insulation At our Repair Café/Community Hub, we often have insulation promotions available with local suppliers – please get in touch with us if you are interested. It is quite often an exceptionally good deal and several local people have taken advantage of offers we have had which usually cover some roof insulation and boarding.  Unless you are on certain benefits, there are generally no grants available for this work.

Check the overall energy efficiency of your home Project purple have a thermal imaging camera and you can arrange a free inspection of your home to give you some indications as to the areas on which to focus when it comes to improving insulation and making your home more comfortable in winter.

What is ‘carbon footprint?’ Have a look at Carbon footprint and you want to find out more about your carbon footprint and how with some minor changes you can reduce yours.

For example if you haven’t got low energy bulbs fitted you should change to them immediately to save money. They use less than 20% of the power of what we used to call standard light bulbs and their carbon footprint is less than 17.5% of the standard light bulb.  Just have a look at the table on the Carbon footprint site.

Just by making minor changes such as hanging out your washing instead of using the tumble dryer will save you pounds.  You could choose to put your appliances on a lower temperature setting with usually no reduction in the quality of the cleaning of your clothes/dishes etc

If you have to replace an old appliance always choose the most energy efficient replacement you can: ideally one with an A+ rating or better (ratings go up to A+++).

On any energy questions, our recommended first port of call is The Energy Saving Trust