Your guide to heating your home - Npower

Your guide toheating your home

The average household could save £250by being more energy efficient around the home.(Source: Energy Saving Trust)Why it paysto save energyIt’s perfectly natural to want to feel snug and cosy in your home. Whether you’rerelaxing in the evening or taking a hot bath or shower, there’s no better feeling thanthe warm glow of a comfy house.In the UK, providing heat and hot water in homes accounts for around 65% of domestic CO 2emissions, source: Energy Saving Trust. There are lots of things that you can do to stay warmwithout hitting the environment hard. By using the right boiler for example, you won’t justhelp cut CO 2 emissions, you’ll cut your bills down to size too.That’s where this guide can help, featuring advice on finding the right boiler and tips onheating your home efficiently. So don’t let heating your home put a freeze on your finances.Stay warm, cut costs and start saving energy straightaway.All energy savings facts and figures are provided by the Energy Saving Trust, are current at thedate of going to print, May 2010 and are based on a typical 3 bedroom semi detached houseand paying a gas price of 3.67p/kWh and an electricity price of 12.50p/kWh.This guide has receivedthe Wallace and Gromitseal of approval fortop tips on saving energyHot spotsThese symbols show where you can get theenergy saving measures ifyou decide to give them a try:From most DIY storesFrom most superstoresFrom npower1

Imagine using more gas than you needjust to heat up your home and water.If your boiler is over ten years old, that’sprobably exactly what you’re doing.Heating bills can be reduced by up toa quarter when replacing an old boilerand upgrading heating controls.(Source: Energy Saving Trust)New condensing boilers are much moreefficient, converting around 90% or moreof fuel into heating your house and hotwater. That’s better for the environmentand great news for your bills. And becauseyou’ll start saving money from day one,your new boiler could soon pay for itself.(Source: Energy Saving Trust 2010)Heatingand hot waterDid you know?If everyone in the UK with gas or oilcentral heating installed a highefficiency condensing boiler with fullsets of heating controls, we wouldsave enough energy to heat nearly1.7 million homes for a whole year andsave around 3.8 million tonnes of CO2.(Source: Energy Saving Trust)Need a new boiler?If you’re thinking of replacing your boiler andinstalling heating controls, call the npowerhometeam. Your new boiler will come with aFREE two or five-year warranty* and we can offer you easyways to pay.To find out more, call0800 072 8601 †Lines are open Monday to Friday 8amto 8pm, and Saturday 9am to 5pm.or visit npower.com/hometeam* please see page 11.How willyou spendyour savings?By replacing an old G rated boiler witha new high efficiency condensing boilerand improving your heating controls,you will significantly cut your home’scarbon dioxide emissions and couldsave as much as £225 a year – aroundthe price of a pampered break for two ina country hotel.(Source: Energy Saving Trust May 2010)23

Bright little thoughtson boilersWhich boiler is rightfor meAll of our boilers are energyefficient and you choosewhich one is right for youand your home.Every home and family is different. So it’simportant to pick a boiler that’s right foryou. Too small, and it might struggle tokeep you warm. Too big, and it might bringyou high energy bills. This handy guide willhelp you choose…Look out for the logo...If you’re upgrading your boiler, look out forthe Energy Saving Trust Recommended logo.This is your guarantee you’ve chosen a greatmodel that will help you save money andenergy. All npower approved boilers carrythis logo.COMBI BOILERCombining an efficient water heaterwith a central heating boiler, thesespace-saving boilers give you instant,on-demand hot water. Because theydon’t use an extra hot water tank,they don’t need to heat a cylinder orreheat cold water. Which means they’reeconomical too.Ideal if...…you live in a small house or flat, oryou’re short for space. They also makean excellent choice if you currently havea cold water tank in your loft but youwant to convert your loft into a room.SYSTEM BOILERA system boiler heats your water andstores it in a separate cylinder. This meansyou’ll need an airing cupboard or otherspace for the tank. However, they needless space than traditional open vent orheating-only boilers. The boiler also letsyou run hot water all over the housewithout the others running cold.Ideal if...… you have a larger home or family.You can also keep your loft space free,although you’ll need an airing cupboard.You can set your heating system so thereis normally hot water available when youneed it.The exception would be when youuse more than expected or at differenttimes from normal, when you might haveto wait for it to heat up more water.OPEN VENT BOILERThis type of system uses twowater tanks in the loft and a hot watercylinder in the airing cupboard. So itcan take up a lot of space. You can runshowers, taps and baths at the sametime, but the cylinder will take a littletime to reheat cold water.Ideal if...... you already have an open vent boiler,because it’s relatively cheap to switch toa more efficient open vent sealed system.The water pressure is low though, andyou may only have drinkable water fromone outlet.45

Heating systemsIt takes more than a new boiler to heat your home efficiently. Heating controls alsohelp you save money and energy, installing a room thermostat can save you around£55 a year (Energy Saving Trust).Get the right system in place• Room thermostat. Your room thermostatallows you to set the temperatureyou want and the ideal location foryour thermostat should be in thehall. It responds to the temperaturearound it, so when the room is warmenough, the thermostat will send a signalto the boiler to stop supplying hot water toyour radiators.• Time switches and programmers let youcontrol when your heating and hot waterswitches on and off. They can bemechanical or digital. Time switchescan only control one function,such as heating hot water, whileprogrammers can control both heating yourhome and heating your water.• Boiler thermostat. You’ll find this type ofthermostat on your boiler. It controls thetemperature of water leaving your boiler forthe radiators and hot water cylinder.It also stops the boiler overheating.If you have a room thermostat, youcan set your boiler thermostat toa high setting in winter and a lower settingin summer. You can then control your roomtemperatures using individual thermostaticradiator valves or room thermostat.• Cylinder thermostat. If you do not have acombi boiler, then your hot waterwill be stored in the hot watercylinder or tank, which is normallyfound in your airing cupboard.The thermostat will control howhot your hot water is. It is best to set thethermostat at 60 o C. This will keep yourwater hot enough to prevent the growth ofpotentially harmful bacteria, but any hotterwill use more energy than you really need.• Thermostatic radiator valves, situated onyour radiators, these allow you to control thetemperature in individual rooms.Each thermostatic radiator valvesenses the air temperature around itand works to maintain your chosentemperature. It’s easy to fit thesevalves and you can use them to turn yourradiators on or off.Other heating systems• Storage heaters are a good way to heat yourhome using electricity, especially if your areadoesn’t have a gas supply. They run on offpeakelectricity tariffs, such as Economy 7. Theheater switches itself on during off-peak hours– usually at night – storing the heat to releasethe next day.• Direct electric heating includes systemssuch as electric fires, panel heaters and ceilingheating. However, they’re not economical touse for all your heating needs, and they’re notgreat for the environment either, so it’s a goodidea to use them sparingly.67

FinancesSolar hot waterSwitch to gas home heatingand you could save money!Here is a quick re-cap on how to savemoney and energy while staying warm:Get a grantof up to £1500towards the cost ~Call 0800 072 0221quoting ‘EE Literature’ or visitnpower.com/fuelswitching~ see page 15• Don’t overheat – lowering your thermostatby just 1°C could save you around £55 ayear. (source: Energy Saving Trust).• Stick to 60˚ - if you have a hot watercylinder thermostat, keep it at 60˚C.• Keep them closed – if you’re too warm,turn the heating down rather than openingthe windows.• Switch off – Have your heating and hotwater on only when necessary, also, onlyuse direct electric heating systems whenneeded.• The right setting – set your boilerthermostat on a high setting in winter and alower setting in summer.How willyou spendyour savings?Insulating your hot water pipescan save you £10 a year * – thecost for two to go ten pin bowling.*Source: Energy Saving Trust• Go for the middle – turn your radiatorthermostat to the middle setting, thenturn up and down a notch until you’recomfortable.• Changing rooms – use your radiatorthermostat to keep the temperature higherin the rooms you use a lot and lower in therooms you don’t.• Wrap in a jacket – a thick insulating jacketfor your hot water tank costs around £15,but can save you around £35 a year (source:Energy Saving Trust). It should be at least75mm (3 inches) thick.Enjoying renewable energydoesn’t have to cost the earth.With npower Solar Thermal,you can enjoy hot water,courtesy of the sun’s energy. We’ll takecare of installing a system that couldsupply you with a third of your annual hotwater needs. With npower solar pricesstarting from around £5,000, it’s moreaffordable than you might think. Financemay also be available.To find out more,call 0800 072 7604 †and quote npm 5972Lines are open Monday to Friday 8amto 8pm, and Saturday 9am to 5pm.or visit npower.com/solarTake a shower..Taking a shower instead of abath can use as little as a thirdof the water. However, be awarethat many power-showers willuse more water than a bath, if you tendto shower for more than 5 minutes. To bereally savvy you could swap your powershower’s head for an aerating shower head.This type of shower mixes air into the flowto keep pressure high but reduce the waterused. Believe it or not, the bubbles feel fab.By replacing their inefficient shower headwith an aerated shower head a four personfamily could save around £50 a year in gasbills, and around £75 in metered water bills.89

New boiler lad?That’ll save some pennies.npower hometeam only install energy efficient boilers.In fact each A-rated boiler is so energy efficient youcould save up to £225 * (22,500 pennies) year after yearon your gas bill when installing heating controls too.To find out more call FREE on0800 072 8601 †or visit npower.com/hometeam10©Aardman Animations Ltd. 2010 * 5 year Warranty: Offered in Worcester Bosch boilers. That is 3 years more than your statutory warranty periodof 2 years. †Calls: Calls may be recorded and monitored for training and security purposes. Lines are open from 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday and9am to 5pm Saturday. *£225 saving source: Energy Saving Trust for a 65% efficient boiler replaced with an A rated boiler and a full set of heatingcontrols. Any actual savings depend on individual circumstances.npower and hometeam are registered trademarks and npower is the trading name of Npower Northern Limited (registered in England and Wales No.3432100) and associated companies. Registered office: Windmill Hill Business Park, Whitehill Way, Swindon SN5 6PB11

The next steps...We hope this guide has given you some tips onways you can save money and energy. If you’d liketo find out more about cutting costs and reducingenergy use, our Energy Efficiency Helpline is readyto take your call.Climate Copsfighting to save the planetFor more free advice, call theEnergy Efficiency Helpline freeon 0800 02 22 20 †Lines are open Mon - Fri 8am - 8pmand Sat 8am - 6pmYou can also email the team onenergy.efficiency@npower.comor visit npower.com/savingenergyWhy not get your kids involved inhelping you save money and energy?Climate Cops is a great websitefor kids aged 7 to 11, packed withgames, challenges and bright ideason energy efficiency.Visit the site atclimatecops.com† Calls may be monitored and recorded for training and security purposes. Price of call may vary depending on your operator, please check forexact charges.©Aardman/Wallace and Gromit Limited (2010).npower Solar Thermal, Climate Cops, npower and hometeam are registered trademarks and npower is the trading name of Npower Northern Limited(registered in England and Wales No. 3432100) and associated companies. Registered office: Windmill Hill Business Park, Whitehill Way, Swindon SN5 6PB.12

Useful numbersFor advice on saving energy in your home call0800 02 22 20 †Or visit npower.com/savingenergyFor insulation enquiries and to find out if you are eligible forFREE* home insulation call0800 980 2135 †and quote ‘EE Literature’Or visit npower.com/insulationTo find out about our great value DIY Loft Insulation and order online visitnpower.com/diyloftinsulationFor gas boiler service and installation call npower hometeam on0800 072 8601 †Or visit npower.com/hometeam(Terms, conditions and geographical restrictions apply)For information on grant funding when you switch from coalor electric to gas home heating, call0800 072 0221 †and quote ‘EE Literature’Or visit npower.com/fuelswitchingThe Energy Saving Trust is a non-profit organisation providingfree, impartial advice to help you stop wasting energy andmoney and help fight climate change.To find out what you can do to stop wasting energy visit ourwebsite at energysavingtrust.org.uk or give your local EnergySaving Trust advisor a call on 0800 512 012It’s easy to stop wasting energy.visit energysavingtrust.org.uk or call 0800 512 012Our advisors will:• Give you personalised advice on what’spractical for your home• Explain any technical or planning issues• Tell you about grants and offersavailable in your area† Calls may be recorded and monitored for training and security purposes. Price of call may vary depending on your operator and calls from mobiles may be considerably higher,please check with your operator for exact charges. Lines are open from 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 5pm Saturday (9am to 6pm on Saturday for insulation enquiries).* FREE home insulation: In addition to the above terms, to be eligible for free home insulation you or someone you live with must be at least 70 years of age or in receipt of one ormore of the following: Attendance Allowance, Child Tax Credit (where the relevant income is £16,040 or less), Working Tax Credit (where the relevant income is £16,040 or less),Council Tax Benefit, Disablement Pension which includes Constant Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance, Housing Benefit, Income Based Job Seekers Allowance,Income Support, State Pension Credit or War Disablement Pension which includes either a Mobility Supplement or Constant Attendance Allowance.npm5970/02.11Printed on recycled materials