Saving energy at home

Dublin City Council

28 January 2014

Marion Beaver

On behalf of

Major uses of energy in the home

60%

14% 3%

23%

Heat losses from an un-insulated house

Roof

30%

Windows

& doors

20%

Ventilation

15%

Floor

10%

Walls

25%

Saving energy at home

• Heating

• Lighting

• Electrical appliances

Do you know how much your bills are?

Typical energy bills

• Electricity 22c per unit (kWh)

– Annual bill ~ €1200

• Gas 7c per unit (kWh)

– Annual bill ~ €1300

Heating

Reducing heating costs - insulation

Payback periods

Hot water tank

< 6 months

Loft insulation

2 years

Cavity insulation

4 years

Double glazing

> 20 years

Floor insulation

2 years

Draught proofing

4 years

Controlling heating costs

Individual thermostats

Programmers

Draught proofing

Saving energy: hot water

• Hot water cylinders

• Showers vs baths

– Shower timers

• Full washing loads

• Wash at 30C

• Filling kettles

Reading your meters

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

July 1

July 2

July 3

July 4

Aug

1

Aug

2

Aug

3

Aug

4

Sep

1

Sep

2

Sep

3

Sep

4

Oct 1

Oct 2

Oct 3

Oct 4

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Electricity

Gas

Away on holiday

Visitors

Standby energy

• 8% of total electricity demand used overnight

• Switch off at the wall

• Red standby light uses energy

Standby consumption Home Electrical Equipment

Power Consumption (W)

On and active On but inactive Standby Off

Computer and peripherals:

Computer box 80 55 2

Cathode-ray display 110 3 0

LCD display 34 2 1

Laser printer 500 17

Wireless & cable-modem 9

Laptop computer 16 9 0.5

TV 100 10

Digital radio 9.1 3

Digital TV set top box 6 5

DVD player II 12 10 5

Xbox 160 24

Sony Playstation 3 190 2

Ninetendo Wii 18 2

Mobile phone charger 5 0.5

Vacuum cleaner 1600

Source: www.withouthotair.com

Lighting

Reduced annual energy bills

= €128.48 x 4 hours

a day

x 22c

/kWh

x 4 hours

a day

x 22c

/kWh = €14.13

x 365 days

x 365 days

4 x

(100W)

4 x

(11W)

Replacing incandescent with CFL (compact fluorescent)

Reduced annual energy bills

= €64.24 x 4 hours

a day

x 22c

/kWh

4 x (50W)

x 4 hours

a day

x 22c

/kWh 4 x

(5W) = €6.24

x 365 days

x 365 days

Replacing halogen with LED (light emitting diode)

Keep it cool

• Set nearer 5 degrees C than zero • Avoid putting hot food into

fridge or freezer • Food safety first

Appliances - buying

• When buying new white goods

– EU label rating

– Annual energy consumption

– Annual cost to run

• Water usage for washing machines

Appliances - using

• Use existing items sensibly

– Check usage of an item

– Minimise tumble dryer use

– Don’t overfill the kettle

Saving energy: top tips

• Switch to energy efficient lights

• Draught proof doors and windows

• Control your heating

• Don’t leave electrical items on standby overnight

• Fit a hot water tank jacket

• Energy monitors to find how much each appliance uses

Further information

http://www.seai.ie/Power_of_One/ http://www.seai.ie/Grants/Better_energy_homes/

www.codema.ie/thinkenergy