Properly insulated homes can use 30 to 50 less energy than homes without insulation.

Lining your "thermal envelope" - adding materials that don't readily allow heat to leak through your walls, ceilings, floors, from around your home's foundations and its ductwork - saves energy by keeping heat in during the winter and keeping heat out during the summer.

The effectiveness of a piece of insulation is measured by its R-value.

The R-value in insulation designates its resistance to heat flow. The higher the R-value, the greater the insulating ability - the more effective it is.

Generally speaking, each time you double the R-value of insulation, you cut your conduction heat loss in that area in half.

Adding insulation to an uninsulated attic is the most cost-effective, energy-saving measure you can do. Most older houses were built with little or no insulation.

You can greatly increase the energy efficiency and comfort of a home by installing insulation with an R-value higher than the minimum requirements.

But to truly enjoy the benefits of insulation, it must be installed correctly.

Compressing it or leaving gaps through which air can flow can cut insulation's effectiveness in half.

When insulating your attic, it's important not to clog the attic vents under the eaves.

Keep air circulating freely above the insulation by installing baffles (typically a piece of Fiberglas batt placed several inches away from the vent).

Places to Insulate

In unfinished attic spaces, insulate between and over the floor joists to seal off living spaces below.

In finished attic rooms with or without dormer.

All exterior walls-between living spaces and unheated garages, shed roofs, or storage areas.

Floors above cold spaces, such as vented craw spaces and unheated garages.

Band joists.

Replacement or storm windows and caulk and seal around all windows and doors.

Weather-Stripping

Weather-stripping and caulking is probably the least expensive, simplest, most effective way to cut down on wasted energy in the winter and summer.

Improperly sealed homes can squander 10 to 15 percent of the homeowner's heating dollars and reduce the effectiveness of air-conditioning in the summer.

While some new doors now come with factory-applied weather-stripping, such designs are a recent innovation. Millions of doors across the country have little or no weather-stripping.

Since most doors have a space - sometimes as much as a quarter inch or more - between the bottom of the door and the floor, large amounts of air can flow in and out of the house. For a typical 36-inch entry door, a quarter-inch small crack can leak as much air as a nine-square-inch hole in the wall.

Windows were once little more than holes cut in walls to let light and air into rooms.

Today they bring beauty and light, warmth and cooling breezes into homes while providing a sense of openness and space.

On the down side, windows can also let in the winter chill or the summer heat.

They can make a home drafty, uncomfortable, and energy inefficient.

Fortunately, modern windows make the most of the benefits of windows while minimizing the drawbacks. Single-pane glass has been replaced by multi-panes separated by insulating materials.

Frames are made of new, more energy efficient materials.

Even the glass itself has been coated to reflect heat.

Today's Windows

Would you willingly toss 30 percent of your energy dollars out the window? Not likely.

On the other hand, that's how much of a typical home's heating and cooling is lost through its windows and doors.

To put that in perspective - the amount of energy lost through doors and windows in the U.S. every year is roughly equivalent to all the energy we get from the oil carried by the Alaska pipeline!

Since windows outnumber doors in most buildings, they deserve the most attention.

You can either fix them to make them as efficient as possible, or you can replace them with some of the new technology that has been introduced in the last several decades.

Today's Windows - How They Work

Early windows were little more than holes cut in walls to let light and air into rooms. With the addition of glass in movable frames, a major improvement in building comfort was achieved, allowing closed windows to let in light and block the winter chill.

Over the past 20 years, windows have become increasingly more sophisticated, using new materials with more energy-efficient properties.

Single-pane glass has been replaced by double, triple and even quadruple panes, with insulating materials separating the layers.

Inert gasses have been pumped between the panes, adding to the window's insulating properties. Even the glass itself has been coated to reflect heat.

These innovations mean that windows can significantly contribute to a home's comfort and energy efficiency. By letting in sunlight, they provide warmth in winter, which will save energy and lower monthly heating bills. Proper design and the use of exterior shading can also lower cooling costs in the summer.

Ventilation and Infiltration

Well-placed windows allow for natural ventilation, which can significantly reduce cooling costs in the summer.

But infiltration - unplanned air leakage through a window's joints, cracks, frames and sashes - can account for as much as 15 percent of a home's heating and cooling losses. It can make a home much less comfortable and more costly to operate.

Modern Windows - Think of Them as ThermosŪ Bottles

When there is a difference between inside and outside temperatures, heat transfers through a window.

It's lost to the outside during the heating season and is gained from the outside during the cooling season.

A window's thermal performance - which can be measured at the centre of glass, the edge of glass and the frame - is rated with a U-value, its overall ability to resist heat flow.

Choosing the right windows can significantly increase your energy efficiency and reduce bills.

BRFC Window Energy Rating

2. Is your water too hot!  Your cylinder thermostat shouldn't need to be set higher than 60c/140f.

3. Close your curtains at dusk to reduce the amount of heat escaping through the windows.

4. Always turn off the lights when you leave the room. It is a myth that it costs more energy to turn the lights back on rather than leave them on.

5. Don't leave appliances on standby. They cost about 10% of the energy to leave on standby as they do when on. For example, a TV left on standby for 10 hours is the same as it being on for 1 hour.

6. If you are not filling up the washing machine, tumble dryer or dishwasher, use half load or economy programs.

7. Only boil as much water as you need.

8. A dripping hot water tap wastes energy, fixing the leak is a very good way to be more efficient.

9. Use energy saving light bulbs -  they last up to 12 times longer than ordinary bulbs, and use less energy than normal light bulbs.

There are many many more tips, think of some yourself or look more up to become more Energy Efficient.

2. Is your water too hot!  Your cylinder thermostat shouldn't need to be set higher than 60c/140f.

3. Close your curtains at dusk to reduce the amount of heat escaping through the windows.

4. Always turn off the lights when you leave the room. It is a myth that it costs more energy to turn the lights back on rather than leave them on.

5. Don't leave appliances on standby. They cost about 10% of the energy to leave on standby as they do when on. For example, a TV left on standby for 10 hours is the same as it being on for 1 hour.

6. If you are not filling up the washing machine, tumble dryer or dishwasher, use half load or economy programs.

7. Only boil as much water as you need.

8. A dripping hot water tap wastes energy, fixing the leak is a very good way to be more efficient.

9. Use energy saving light bulbs -  they last up to 12 times longer than ordinary bulbs, and use less energy than normal light bulbs.

There are many many more tips, think of some yourself or look more up to become more Energy Efficient.

There are ways to cut these energy costs.

Ceiling Fans

Ceiling fans can help make your home more comfortable during both summer and winter. Using about the same electricity as a 100-watt light bulb you can run one for just pennies a day.

By themselves in mild weather, ceiling fans offer a low-cost alternative to air conditioning.

Used in conjunction with air conditioning in hot weather, ceiling fans combine old and new technology to keep your family comfortable.

That's why those twirling paddles that date from pre-air conditioning days are experiencing new popularity in today's homes.

Thermostats

Turn it down.

As a homeowner, leaving the temperature inside your home constant day and night will most likely cost you money.

It's more economical to turn the heat down when no one is home, or at night when you're asleep. And if your home has a setback thermostat, you've got a simple way to do just that. Used properly, that little box hanging on your wall will save you energy -- and energy dollars.

Radiant Heating

Radiant heating systems involve supplying heat directly to the floor or to panels in the wall or ceiling of a house.

The systems depend largely on radiant heat transfer: the delivery of heat directly from the hot surface to the people and objects in the room via the radiation of heat, which is also called infrared radiation.

Radiant heating is the effect you feel when you can feel the warmth of a hot stovetop element from across the room. When radiant heating is located in the floor, it is often called radiant floor heating or simply floor heating.

Radiant heating has a number of advantages: it is more efficient than baseboard heating and usually more efficient than forced-air heating because no energy is lost through ducts.

 The lack of moving air can also be advantageous to people with severe allergies.

Hydronic (liquid-based) systems use little electricity, a benefit for homes off the power grid or in areas with high electricity prices.

The hydronic systems can also be heated with a wide variety of energy sources, including standard gas- or oil-fired boilers, wood-fired boilers, solar water heaters, or some combination of these heat sources.

Whole-house Fans

Even if your home has air conditioning, consider installing a whole house fan.

Whole house fans use far less energy than air conditioners and they cut cooling costs.

In fact, whole house fans typically use about one-tenth of the electricity of comparably sized air conditioners, and they are relatively inexpensive to install.

Used correctly, they can help you cut your air conditioning bills substantially.

Window Air Conditioners

If you have a small area to cool in the summer - say, one or two rooms a room air conditioner may be a more economical choice than a central air conditioning unit. It will cost less initially and it will cost less to operate in the long run.

Most room air conditioners sit in a window where they can exhaust warm air to the outside.

Window installations can be drafty, however, so at the end of the warm weather season some people remove the unit from the window and store it for the winter. Room air conditioners can also be built into the wall for a more permanent installation.

 Composting can be divided into home composting and industrial composting. Both scales of composting use the same biological processes, however techniques and different factors must be taken into account.

Home composting

 Home composters use a range of techniques, varying from extremely passive composting (throw everything in a pile in a corner and leave it alone for a year or two) to extremely active (monitoring the temperature, turning the pile regularly, and adjusting the ingredients over time). Some composters use mineral powders to absorb smells, although a well-maintained pile seldom has bad odours.

• Microbes and heating the pile

 An effective compost pile is kept about as damp as a well wrung-out sponge. This provides the moisture that all life needs to survive. Bacteria and other micro organisms fall into a variety of groups in terms of what their ideal temperature is and how much heat they generate as they do their work. Mesophilic bacteria enjoy midrange temperatures, from about 20 to 40°C (70 to 110°F). As they decompose the organic matter they generate heat, and the inner part of a compost pile heats up the most.

• Worm composting

 Worm composting or vermicomposting is a method of composting using Red Wiggler worms in a container. Food waste and moistened bedding are added for a period of time, and the worms and micro-organisms eventually convert the contents into rich compost. The worm excretes a soil-nutrient material called worm castings. Worm composting can be done indoors, allowing year-round composting, and providing apartment dwellers with a means of composting.

 Worms are at the bottom level of the food chain, and thus are critical to healthy soil. This is why farmers have historically wanted to have healthy worm populations living in their fields.

 Gardeners have developed a radical composting product, made through a brewing process which runs distilled water through red wiggler worm castings. The nutritious elements and micro organisms of the castings are captured in a concentrated liquid form, called worm tea. It is poured into the soil where the healthy micro organisms thrive and multiply, creating a healthy growing environment for plants.

Day-Lighting

Day-lighting is the practice of placing windows, or other transparent media, and reflective surfaces so that, during the day, natural light provides effective internal illumination.

Within the overall architectural design of a building, particular attention is given to day-lighting when the aim is to maximize visual comfort, productivity, or to reduce energy use. Energy savings from day-lighting are achieved in two ways--either from the reduced use of electric lighting, or from passive solar heating or cooling.

Electric lighting energy savings can accrue because occupants choose not to switch their lights on, or because an automatic lighting control system ("photocontrol system") switches the lights off or dims them to a lower level.

In passive solar technique, buildings are designed such as to account for local climate, in particular the luminance of the sky. For instance, in cooler parts of the globe with largely overcast skies, a house will be designed with minimal windows on the polar side but more and larger windows on the equatorial-side. This is because there is no direct sunlight on the polar-side wall of a building from the autumnal equinox to the spring equinox in parts of the globe north of the Tropic of Cancer and in parts south of the Tropic of Capricorn. Equatorial-side windows receive at least some direct sunlight on any sunny day of the year, so they are effective at day-lighting areas of the house adjacent to the windows. One disadvantage of relying on conventional window space for day-lighting is that, especially during mid-winter, it tends to be highly directional light that casts deep shadows. This may be partially ameliorated through light diffusion and somewhat reflective internal surfaces.

OUTSIDE YOUR HOME

The outside of a house can strongly influence its energy bills.

For example, with careful landscaping, you can improve your privacy, raise the value of your property, add to your home's comfort, and - this may surprise you - cut your energy bills.

Planting the correct trees, shrubs, vines and groundcover can make your home both warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.

In fact, the right type of tree can reduce your summer cooling costs by 20 to 40 percent.

Landscaping is just one of the ways to improve energy efficiency.

Anyone who has ever stood in the sun on a hot day will appreciate the value of shade.

But in the heat of summer, plants can keep your home cool in other ways besides offering shade: they create a cool microclimate that can dramatically reduce the temperature in the surrounding area by as much as nine degrees.

That's because during photosynthesis, large amounts of water vapour escape through their leaves, cooling the passing air.

The generally dark, coarse leaves also absorb solar radiation.

Deciduous trees - trees that drop their leaves each winter - offer one of the best ways to cut home cooling costs.

If you plant them on the northeast-to-southeast and northwest-to-southwest sides of your house, they can provide excellent protection from the summer sun by shading roof, walls and windows.

They also help to warm the house in cold weather. Because they lose their leaves in autumn, deciduous trees permit winter sunlight to reach the house, helping to heat it with solar energy.

In general, try to shade as much of the roof and walls of your home as possible.

If you need to choose between covering a small portion with dense shade, or a larger area with less dense shade, go for the larger area. That strategy will produce the best cooling results in summer.

It's also a good idea to plant trees so they shade the windows that allow summertime heat to enter your house.

If you're concerned about preserving your view, keep the sun's path in mind and plant one or two smaller trees slightly to the side of the window.

Other Shade Plants That Save Energy

In addition to trees, vines and climbing plants also act as effective sunscreens.

They are particularly good against south-facing walls where you probably don't want shade trees.

Planting a deciduous vine such as grape lets you enjoy the benefits of both summer shade and winter sun.

Just as evergreens can stop winter winds, carefully placed trees and shrubs will direct cooling summer breezes to your home.

Bushes planted a few feet away from the house will provide extra shade without obstructing cool air currents. Shrubbery will also reduce soil and wall temperatures and help to protect your home's foundation from root damage.

Shades and Awnings

Anyone sitting under a tree on a hot summer afternoon knows the cooling benefits of shade, but they may not realize just how effective it can be as a low-tech, low-cost way to cut their summer cooling bills.

Shading your home - with trees and other vegetation, or with exterior and interior shades - can reduce the temperature indoors by as much as 20 degrees on a hot day.

About 40 percent of the unwanted heat that builds up in your house comes in through windows.

Although both exterior and interior shades can control this heat gain, exterior shades - items such as awnings, louvers, shutters, rolling shutters and solar screens - are more far effective, since they block sunlight before it enters the windows.

These are effective alternatives to fossil fuels and will help you to meet your own energy requirements and reduce your home's carbon dioxide emissions.

Small scale wind

Wind turbines use the wind's lift forces to rotate aerodynamic blades that turn a rotor which creates electricity.

But it's still largely untapped and only 0.5% of our electricity requirements are currently generated by wind power.

How does it work?

Most small wind turbines generate direct current (DC) electricity. Systems that are not connected to the national grid require battery storage and an inverter to convert DC electricity to AC (alternating current - mains electricity)..

Wind systems can also be connected to the national electricity grid. A special inverter and controller converts DC electricity to AC at a quality and standard acceptable to the grid. No battery storage is required. Any unused or excess electricity may be able to be exported to the grid and sold to the local electricity supply company.

There are two types of wind turbines:

• Mast mounted - which are free standing and located near the building(s) that will be using the electricity.

• Roof mounted - which can be installed on house roofs and other buildings

Benefits

Wind power is a clean, renewable source of energy which produces no carbon dioxide emissions or waste products.

Is it suitable for my home?

Individual turbines vary in size and power output from a few hundred watts to two or three megawatts (as a guide, a typical domestic system would be 1 - 6 kilowatts). Uses range from very small turbines supplying energy for battery charging systems (e.g. on boats or in homes), to turbines on wind farms supplying electricity to the grid.

You should consider the following issues if you're thinking about small scale wind. An accredited installer will be able to provide more detailed advice.

• Wind speed increases with height so it's best to have the turbine high on a mast or tower.

• Generally speaking the ideal site is a smooth top hill with a flat, clear exposure, free from excessive turbulence and obstructions such as large trees, houses or other buildings.

• Small scale wind power is particularly suitable for remote off grid locations where conventional methods of supply are expensive or impractical.

Please note that the electricity generated at any one time by a wind turbine is highly dependent on the speed and direction of the wind.

The windspeed itself is dependent on a number of factors, such as location within the UK, height of the turbine above ground level and nearby obstructions. Ideally, you should undertake a professional assessment of the local windspeed for a full year at the exact location where you plan to install a turbine before proceeding. In practice, this may be difficult, expensive and time consuming to undertake.

Therefore we recommend that, if you are considering a domestic building mounted installation and electricity generation is your main motivation, then you only consider a wind turbine under the following circumstances:

• The local annual average windspeed is 6 m/s or more.

• There are no significant nearby obstacles such as buildings, trees or hills that are likely to reduce the windspeed or increase turbulence

Solar electricity

Solar PV (photovoltaic) uses energy from the sun to create electricity to run appliances and lighting.

PV requires only daylight, not direct sunlight to generate electricity and so can still generate some power on a cloudy day.

How does it work?

Photovoltaic systems use cells to convert sunlight into electricity.

The PV cell consists of one or two layers of a semi conducting material, usually silicon. When light shines on the cell it creates an electric field across the layers causing electricity to flow.

The greater the intensity of the light, the greater the flow of electricity.

PV cells are referred to in terms of the amount of energy they generate in full sunlight, know as kilowatt peak or kWp.

The benefits

PV systems produce no greenhouse gases and each kWp can save approximately 455kg of carbon dioxide emissions per year, adding up to about 11 tonnes over a system's lifetime.

Is it suitable for my home

You can use PV systems for a building with a roof or wall that faces within 90 degrees of south, as long as no other buildings or large trees overshadow it.

If the roof surface is in shadow for parts of the day, the output of the system decreases.

Other sources of small scale generation are:

• Ground source heat pumps

• Small scale hydro

• Solar water heating

• Biomass

LIGHTING CHOICES

Lighting accounts for 25 percent of an average home's electricity bill.

Changing a single 75 watt light to a more energy efficient, 20-watt Energy Star bulb or fixture can save your family as much as $60 a year in energy costs. And when you cut your home energy use, you reduce pollution from power plants that make electricity. That's why replacing that bulb for a more efficient one can be as good for the environment as not driving your car for more than two weeks.

Typically, the five most used lights in a home are found in the kitchen ceiling, in living room table and floor lamps, in the bathroom, and outdoors on a porch or post.

Imagine your home or office without light.

Light allows us to see, create a comfortable environment, and be safe and secure.

The lighting techniques - the ways you arrange lights - and the lamps - the light bulbs - you choose for the rooms in your home or office will make a difference in your comfort level and energy use.

Everyone knows that appliances, like your refrigerator and dishwasher, use electricity.

However you may not realize lamps or bulbs and the fixtures in which they operate (called luminaries) are also appliances. If we consider lighting as a single appliance, it can be much as 25 percent of your home's electricity consumption.

When choosing many appliances, consumers can compare Energy Guide labels, telling them how much it will cost each year to operate the appliance.

This information allows people to choose an appliance at a higher initial cost if they know it's more efficient and will save them money in the long run.

Not so with lamps. It is more difficult to calculate efficiency and savings because of the different lighting technologies.

Light Tubes

Light tubes or light pipes are used for transporting or distributing natural or artificial light. They are by design the most energy efficient way of lighting an area. In their application to day-lighting, they are also often called sun pipes, solar pipes, solar light pipes, or daylight pipes

Incandescent - The usual light bulbs

Thomas Edison invented the incandescent light bulb nearly 120 years ago, and it still works pretty much as it did then.

Inside a glass bulb, electricity heats up a wire filament, causing it to glow and give off light.

Of course, electrical heaters work in much the same way, and that's why more than 90 percent of the energy produced by incandescent lights is heat, not light.

As a result, the incandescent are inefficient light sources. The heat they produce can drive up your electricity bill in hot weather if your home or office is air-conditioned.

While regular incandescent bulbs last usually between 750 to 1,000 hours before burning out, some long-life bulbs last up to 2,500 hours.

The trade off is that long-life bulbs are less energy efficient and produce less light per watt.

Smart shopper

As we said earlier, your lighting energy bill can be cut nearly in half if you replace 25 percent of your lights in high-use areas with fluorescents.

That will save you money, but you should consider the environmental benefits, too.

A single 20-watt compact fluorescent lamp used in place of a 75-watt incandescent will save about 550 kilowatt-hours over its lifetime.

A compact fluorescent lamp will initially cost more that an incandescent bulb, but because it lasts longer and costs so much less to run, it will prove to be a better bargain over time.

Just keep in mind that light bulbs cost much more to run than to buy in the first place. A 75-cent, 100-watt light bulb will cost you about six dollars in electricity over its 750-hour lifespan.