Join the Big Energy Credit Claim Back to see if you are entitled to money back from direct debits taken in advance by the energy companies.
It’s not safe to advise people to ‘turn down the thermostat’ to reduce energy bills (could cause hypothermia for people & pets). Instead, use oil-powered radiators (safer than fan heaters), Radfan (a radiator booster), and take the quiz at Carbon Savvy to reduce carbon footprint (can save a fortune on bills for old uninsulated homes).
Consider switching to Ecotricity. This company does not make its ‘green energy’ from burning carcasses of abattoir animals, and is also makes gas from grass! Founder Dale Vince owns EcoTalk, a phone company powered by green energy that uses profits to buy land to conserve it for birds and native mammals. Dale is an eco-vegan loudmouth! who is calling for a halt on deep-sea mining to protect seagrass meadows (essential for sea turtles and sea horses).
Also read the post on energy-saving kettles (old-style kettles use a lot of energy, for a nation that drinks as much tea as we do!)
do wind turbines harm birds & bats?
The London School of Economics says over 100,000 birds a year could be killed due to wind turbines. So in a country that gets most energy from wind, experts say good ideas are to place turbines further apart, paint one blade (and wind towers) black so birds can see them and install manmade islands to provide breeding habitats for seabirds. Building roads to offshore parks is also harmful, which is why Ecotricity tends to place turbines in urban areas. New bladeless turbines (like tall vibrating wands) claim to be bird-friendly.
Ecotricity is focusing on bifacial solar panels, which make electricity from undersides by light reflected off the ground, so need less sun to work. Solar energy works more by daylight than sunlight, so unless you live in Scandinavia (plunged into darkness for winter), this is hopeful.
is it worth buying a new boiler?
Experts say new boilers save up to 30% in gas so pay back is around 5/6 years on a cost of around £2000 (and should add value to your propertyBut a third of people can’t afford this, so look for grants. You only need a new boiler if the existing one is faulty or over 10 years old (otherwise just go for repair). But new ones offer a 10-year guarantee, so thet payback is usually (slightly) worth it.
The recent scrapping of Net Zero targets meant that Chris Packham is taking the government to court, backed by climate change expert. The claim that ‘not everyone can afford to rip out their old boiler to install a heat pump’ is misleading, as actually that is not what the target is asking for.
The government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme is offered to some people for grants to cover part of the cost of replacing fossil fuel heating systems with heat pumps or biomass boilers. This can be worth thousands, so do check. Also check if you are eligible for insulation grants (lofts, walls, floors etc).
BOXT and iHeat are two reputable companies that install new boilers the next day, from Gas Safe registered engineers. Just answer a few questions, choose a boiler and installation date, and they do the rest. You can also order next-day boiler repair from the former.
