Energy Efficiency

 

Citizens Advice

Citizens Advice provides information and advice about how to find your gas or electricity supplier.

 

Find your gas supplier

To find out who supplies your gas you can either:

• search your postcode on the Find My Supplier website
• contact the Meter Number Helpline

 

Meter Number Helpline

Telephone: 0870 608 1524

Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm

Calls cost 7p a minute, plus your phone company's access charge.

You can ask for your Meter Point Reference Number (MPRN). You might need this when you sign up to a new gas supplier.

 

Find your electricity supplier

To find your electricity supplier you first need to check who your network operator is. This is who owns and operates the cables in your area.

Check who your electricity network operator is on the Power Cut 105 website. You’ll need to know the postcode of the property. 

If you get an error message, refresh the page and enter your postcode again.

When you know who your network operator is, visit their website to search for your electricity supplier. You can usually search using your property’s postcode, but some network operators might ask you to fill in a form.

Visit citizensadvice.org.uk to find out more about how to find out who your gas or electricity supplier is.

 

Benefits of Energy Efficient Homes

Cost savings: Energy efficient buildings cost less to heat, cool and operate. Insulating your home, using energy efficient light bulbs, installing solar panels and heat pumps can all help to reduce energy use and lead to long-term savings.

Environmental benefits: Energy efficient homes don’t just reduce the amount of money you spend, they can also help to reduce the amount of carbon you use. Reducing energy use is a key tool in combating climate change and improving air quality.

Energy efficient homes are also better suited to transition to renewable energy, which produces less harmful emissions or none altogether.

Energy reliability: Energy efficient homes reduce the amount of electricity needed on the grid at one time. The less energy used, the more reliable and less congested the grid becomes, freeing up energy and leading to less disruption.

Health benefits: Clean air isn’t just good for the planet – it’s good for people. Energy efficient homes reduce the amount of fossil fuels needed to power our homes, leading to fewer emissions, less pollution and cleaner air for everyone.

 

Reducing your energy use at home

If your home isn't energy efficient, it is costing you money and wasting energy.

There are a number of ways you can reduce energy use in your home and save money on your bills:

• Change your energy tariff - register for the Energy Switch Scheme
• Sign up to a bulk buying scheme for heating oil
• Check if there is any help to pay your bill
• Understand your bill and consider having a smart meter installed
• Check your Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) if you home has one
• Insulate your home - loft, cavity wall or solid wall insulation
• Upgrade an old boiler and heating controls
• Install draught-proofing
• Replace windows and doors
• Buy energy efficient appliances

 

Smart meters

A smart meter is a new kind of gas and electricity meter that can digitally send meter readings to your energy supplier for more accurate energy bills.

Smart meters come with in-home displays so you can better understand and reduce your energy use. Every home in Britain should have been offered a smart meter from their supplier by 2020.

Visit Citizensadvice.org.uk for more information about Getting a smart meter installed.

Smart Energy GB has more information about the benefits of smart meters and how they should be installed.

 

Energy Switch Schemes

Energy Switch Schemes helps residents use their combined buying power to join together to negotiate better deals for gas and electricity and save money on their bills.

The Lincolnshire Energy Switch scheme lets communities get cheaper gas and electric through an auction process. The more people who register before each auction, the bigger the potential savings.

Visit www.Lincolnshire.gov.uk for Join the energy switch scheme.

 

Energy Saving Trust

Energy Saving Trust can give you information on all aspects of energy efficiency including insulation, heating systems, smart meters and energy efficient appliances.

Visit www.energysavingtrust.org.uk for more information about energy at home.

 

Energy efficiency calculator

The Heating and Cooling Knowhow and Solutions calculator reviews the current energy set up of your home and provides solutions to make your home more energy efficient. The calculator will ask you a series of questions about the energy set up at your home to determine the best solutions for you. 

Use the calculator

 

Find ways to save energy in your home

If you own a property in England or Wales you can get recommendations for home improvements that could make your property cheaper to heat and keep warm. For each recommendation you can see:

• an estimated cost of making the improvement
• how much you could save on your bills
• next steps if you want to make the improvement

Visit Gov.uk to Find ways to save energy in your home

 

Citizens Advice

Citizens Advice provides information on how you can save money on your energy bills by finding ways to improve your home’s energy efficiency, including:

• Advice on saving money on your heating
• Ways to save money using your electrical appliances
• The risks of spray foam insulation; and
• What to do if you rent privately or live in social housing

Visit www.citizensadvice.org.uk to find out more about how to Make your home more energy efficient

 

What is renewable energy?

Renewable energy is energy that is generated from a sustainable source (something that doesn’t run out), such as the sun, wind or the tides, rather than common energy sources such as coal or oil.

Renewable or sustainable energy is much cleaner than non-sustainable energy.

Energy produced from burning fossil fuels like coal and oil leads to pollutants and carbon being released into the atmosphere, leading to climate change and pollution that can impact people’s health.

The most popular types of renewable energy sources are:

• Solar energy (energy from the sun)
• Wind energy
• Hydro energy (energy from flowing water)
• Tidal energy
• Geothermal energy (energy from the natural heat below the surface of the earth)
• Biomass energy (energy produced by converting plant materials into electricity)

 

The Energy Saving Trust

The Energy Saving Trust provides information and advice on the different options, benefits and considerations for generating energy at home, including:

• Solar panels
• Wind turbines
• Hydroelectricity
• Micro combined heat and power

Visit www.energysavingtrust.org.uk for more information about Generating renewable electricity

 

Historic England

Historic England provides information on the options available to homeowners wanting to generate their own electricity, including Low and Zero Carbon technologies guidance on choosing and installing systems for generating energy.

Visit www.historicengland.org.uk for more information about Generating Energy in Your Home

 

Ofgem – Priority Services Register

The Priority Services Register is a free support service that makes sure extra help is available to people in vulnerable situations.

You are eligible if you:

• have reached your state pension age
• are disabled or have a long-term medical condition
• are recovering from an injury
• have a hearing or sight condition
• have a mental health condition
• are pregnant or have young children
• have extra communication needs (such as if you don’t speak or read English well)
• need to use medical equipment that requires a power supply
• have poor or no sense of smell
• would struggle to answer the door or get help in an emergency

You might still be able to register for other reasons if your situation isn’t listed. For example, if you need short-term support after a stay in hospital.

Visit www.ofgem.gov.uk to find out how to Get help from your supplier - Priority Services Register

 

Home Upgrade Grant

If you are a homeowner, you may be able to apply for funding to make energy efficiency improvements to your property, to help keep your home warm and reduce energy bills.  

Visit www.homeupgradehub.org.uk for more information about the Home Upgrade Grant.

Check out the Good Home Lincs <<Grants>> pages to see what grants you may be eligible for in your area.

 

Great British Insulation Scheme

The Great British Insulation Scheme is government funded and is designed to help eligible people install energy efficiency measures that will lower your energy usage and save you money on bills.

Visit www.gov.uk for more information about how to Apply for the support from the Great British Insulation Scheme.

 

ECO4 Scheme

The Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) is a government provided energy-efficiency scheme that is designed to tackle fuel poverty and also reduce carbon emissions.

It is your energy provider’s decision which retrofit projects that they choose to fund. ECO4 is aimed towards the least energy-efficient homes and households that are in fuel poverty.

To apply, you must meet both of the following eligibility criteria:

• you must be in receipt of means tested benefits, and
• you must live in a property with an energy performance certificate rating of D, E, F or G

Check out the Good Home Lincs Grants pages to find out more about the ECO scheme for in your area.

 

Boiler Upgrade scheme

The government is providing grants to encourage property owners to install low carbon heating systems such as heat pumps, through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.

These grants can help property owners overcome the upfront cost of low carbon heating technologies.

Visit www.gov.uk for more information about how to Apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.

Check out the Good Home Lincs Grants pages to see what grants may be available for in your area.

 

GOV.UK

If you own a property in England or Wales, you can get recommendations for home improvements that could make your property cheaper to heat and keep warm. For each recommendation you can see:

• an estimated cost of making the improvement
• how much you could save on your bills
• next steps if you want to make the improvement

Find energy improvements suitable for your home

You can call an adviser to get recommendations by phone instead. You can also call if you’ve used the online service and want to discuss your options.

Telephone: 0800 098 7950
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm (except bank holidays)
Saturday, 9am to 12pm

Find out about call charges

 

Energy Grants

Check out the Good Home Lincs Grants pages to find out more about grants to help make your home more energy efficient.