Ross from Sust-it offers more advice on energy saving at home…

Posted by Ross Lammas

Q: If you had to choose one energy efficient appliance for the home, that would make the most difference, what would it be?

A: That’s a tricky one; tumble dryers have become a necessary evil in many busy households, but are real energy guzzlers, so, if you have to buy one, go for the most efficient model you can afford. Although space saving I’d avoid buying a washer-dryer if possible. Also, it’s worth considering replacing your fridge and freezer if they are over 15 years old – these appliances have greatly improved in efficiency over recent years, plus they are on 24/7. Upgrading a fifteen-year fridge freezer with an average A/A+ rated model could save you £37 per year. Buy a top-performing A+++ model and you could be looking at £67 per year, then multiply that by 15 years! A word of warning though, don’t be tempted to keep the old refrigerator in the garage as a ‘beer’ fridge – it will cost you dear!

Ross Lammas the founder of Sust-it offers some canny advice on understanding energy labels, and why he started his energy saving website

Posted by Ross Lammas

Q: Why did you start Sust-it?

A: Frustration at the lack of information regarding energy efficiency! I’d been fortunate to self-build an eco house in 2006 – which involved lots of research in into energy-efficient building design and low carbon-intensive materials/techniques.

Before we moved in, we turned our attention to our old electricals, which were in storage. Should we replace our old tube TV and 12-year-old washing machine with modern super-efficient ones? More research began, and, to my surprise, I found a complete lack of understandable information on energy usage and absolutely no information on televisions! Yet I knew, from experience, that Plasma screens were energy hungry! It also surprised me to find such differences between appliances on how much power they used. I thought it would be helpful to show people how much electrical appliances cost to run – both to help them save money and reduce CO2; the Sust-it website was born!

Q: How hard was it to get information from manufacturers in the early days?

A: It’s still a struggle getting good accurate data. Our figures come from manufacturer’s websites, which are a bit like phone chargers, they’re all different! I believe manufacturers should be made to show energy labels on their website, in the same way as they are required to in-store and on advertising.

Q: Every appliance seems to be ‘A’ rated now. Are you pleased with the improvements they have made?

A: Yes & no. It still amazes me that many manufacturers seemed to surpass the highest standards when new labelling regimes were introduced. Shouldn’t higher targets be set? More could be done to encourage consumers to buy energy-efficient appliances – UK consumers are not yet purchasing enough A+ to A+++ appliances; sales in 2011 only accounted for 30%, compared to Germany, where sales within this range were 88%!

Q: How can consumers understand Energy labels? They are now even more confusing. Ratings such as A++++ (-40%) might look good, but what do they mean to consumers?

A: I never understood why the A+++ system was introduced; it just confuses people (and me sometimes!) The EU should have recalibrated the labels when new standards were introduced. The A to G traffic light system worked okay; if you got an F at school you knew you were in trouble, and red means stop!

I’d suggest showing the running costs would be the most significant step forward, as consumers better understand pounds and pence than kilowatts and watts.

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It’s big energy saving week – don’t forget your appliances!

Posted by Ross Lammas

Citizens Advice Bureau and other community groups are holding energy saving events across the UK. Giving free information and advice on all aspects of saving money and reducing your energy bills. Impartial advice is available from getting the best deal from your existing energy supplier to switching to a new one, to insulating your home.

One of the most forgotten consumers of energy in your home are your appliances and electricals, which account for nearly 40% of your homes energy bill? Incredibly, over 80% of people have no idea of how much electricity their appliances, TV’s or gadgets cost to run. And less know that running an old appliances such fridges / freezers, (they’re running 24/7) could dramatically increase your energy consumption. Having a twenty-year-old chest freezer chugging away in you garage could be costing you over 65% more to run than new model, that’s £41 a year! Might not sound a lot but it all adds up – and imagine that figure multiplied across the UK!

Are you sitting comfortably? Have you got an old Plasma TV in sitting room? Several years ago there was a dash to replace tube TV’s with plasma’s. Unfortunately they were bad news for electricity meters and if you have an early model it could be costing you over a £100 a year in electricity! Compare that to the latest LED television, which will cost you a tenth of that!

It’s not all about buying new stuff though – there is merit in buying appliances that will last a long time, however, simply changing the way you do things can make a real difference to your bills. Here are some simple Sust-it tips for reducing your energy bills for big energy saving week.

Sust-it gives top energy efficient products a GreenPlug!

Posted by Ross Lammas

Spotting the ‘best-in-class’ energy-saving products isn’t that easy with the A+++ rating appearing on so many models, and other efficiency labelling schemes, such as Energy Saving Trust ‘recommended’, only required to meet rather unchallenging criteria. To address this we’ve introduced the ‘Sust-it GreenPlug Awards’. Our awards are only given to products that have topped, or have appeared in, Sust-it’s Top 10 energy efficiency charts. Unlike other energy-labelling schemes, we highlight only the ‘Best-in-class’ products.

How is it awarded?

GreenPlug Awards are given to promote energy efficient products that achieve the highest rankings within Sust-it’s efficiency charts, in any given category. Each product must have reached No. 1 or entered the Top 10 and maintained its position for a minimum of 30 consecutive days.

Would you like to know more about our ‘best-in-class’ energy-labelling scheme? Please follow this link…

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Energy saving tips and advice from Sust-it

Posted by Ross Lammas

Saving energy makes sense for your wallet, as well as the planet! Here’s Sust-it’s energy efficiency tips, some quick and cheap, others for the long-term.

Quick and easy energy saving advice

1/ Switch things off! Sounds obvious and savings are small, however, it’s still worth switching lights and electricals off, and not leaving appliances on standby. And encourage the kids to do the same.

2/ Replace any old incandescent (filament) bulbs with energy saving compact fluorescent blubs, or better still take the long view and invest in LED’s. See Sust-it’s guide to energy efficient lighting and LED alternative lighting.

3/ Stop draughts! Find a sausage dog draught excluder or make one out of an old pair of tights or rolled up carpet. Invest in some draught-proofing products for the doors and windows, seal up your skirting boards, hang thick curtains, use thermal linings, or fit thermal blinds on windows. A draughty home is an expensive home to heat!

4/ Turn your heating thermostat down, not too much, just a little will help keep your bills under control. If you’re using portable electric heating (fan heater, oil filled radiator, or convector heater) make sure it has a thermostatic controls too. Worried about the cost of running electric heaters? See our cost calculator for electric fires.

5/ Make sure your boiler is serviced regularly and your heating controls work correctly. Check that radiator thermostats are functioning. A poorly maintained central heating system could use much more fuel.

6/ Just boil what you need! Don’t fill your kettle to the top ever time you use it. And descale regularly if you live in a hard water area. Your tea will taste better too!

7/ Clean behind your fridge/freezer, check the condenser coils for dust – this reduces efficiency, so if they are dusty turn the fridge off and give it a quick clean. Remember they are on 24/7!

8/ Keeping your fridge/freezer as full as possible will help with efficiency, without over cramming it! Your refrigerator will operate more efficiently the more it has inside it, because keeping air cold uses more energy than refrigerating food. When placing food inside your fridge or freezer, allow it to cool down naturally first. The less work your fridge-freezer has to do, the less energy it will use. Shut the door as quickly a possible after taking out food and don’t leave it open. The longer the door is open, the more cold air escapes, and the more energy is needed to reduce the temperature again once the door is closed.

9/ Use your washing machine at a lower temperature cycle means using less electricity without sacrificing results. And you’ll find modern powders and liquids are just as effective at low temperatures. Also, go easy on the detergent and use a measure. The more detergent you use the harder your machine has to work to get rid of it!

10/ If you can’t dry clothes outside – use your tumble dryer sparingly – it’s one of the most energy hungry appliances in your home!

It pays to think long term with energy efficiency

11/ Electricals consume around 20% of the energy in our homes; with appliances consuming the bulk of this. Replacing old energy inefficient appliances and electricals with modern products and bill will drop dramatically. See our ‘when should you replace old appliances’ calculator. And don’t be tempted to keep an old appliance as a ‘spare’ fridge.

12/ Insulate! Start with insulating your loft, with as much as you can get in (minimum 270mm ten inches), and then work your way down. If you’ve got cavity walls, homes built after 1920 usually have, get advice on cavity wall insulation.

13/ Double-glaze your home with high performance replacement doors and windows.

14/ Replace your boiler if it’s over twelve years old, as technology has improved tremendously in recent years making them much more efficient.

15/ Investing in Solar PV (electric generating panels) or water heating systems will reduce your bills dramatically. Heat pumps and other renewable heating technologies are available too. Many of these products have government backed financial incentives.

Any more suggestions?