The Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) published a home energy saving tips guide on 20 December 2022, written by Joel Rawson of its Free Information Service, which the organisation describes as giving "a quick guide to lower-cost ways of cutting carbon and bills"1.
The guide divides its measures into reducing heating needs and lowering electricity bills. On heating, it lists reducing flow and hot water temperatures and turning off hot water pre-heat for households with a combi boiler, and insulating the hot water cylinder and pipes and checking that "the cylinder thermostat is at no more than 60°C" for those with a system boiler1. Other listed measures include draught-proofing windows, doors and other gaps, with the caveat to "check you still have enough ventilation", thick curtains that "finish on a shelf or sill above any radiator", bleeding radiators, and secondary glazing, which the guide says "will improve old windows when it's not feasible to replace them"1.
On electricity, the guide lists turning off lights when leaving a room, replacing old bulbs with LEDs, boiling only the needed amount of water in a kettle, washing clothes at 30°C, drying outdoors where possible, filling the dishwasher before running it, switching appliances off at the plug rather than leaving them on standby, and getting to know a smart meter and its controls1. It also lists a water efficient shower head and hot tap aerators, noting both "can be on offer or free from your water company", and showering rather than bathing while trying "to keep below 5 minutes"1.
The guide points to grant funding in two cases. It states that households on a below average income "should be able to get a grant for adding insulation, including for solid walls", and that those on below average income should "check about grant funding for upgrading an old heating system"1. For loft insulation that preserves storage space, it lists "low-cost loft legs/stilts"1.
Beyond the lower-cost measures, CAT states that a heat pump "will greatly reduce carbon emissions, to about 70-80% less than from gas or oil", adding: "With good design it should also reduce bills, but will need a bigger upfront investment." It states that "Grant funding is available for most"1.
"Explore how you can lower your electricity use and reduce your heating needs."
Why it matters for households
The measures set out are largely no-cost or low-cost changes to how heating, hot water and appliances are run, rather than installations requiring upfront capital. For a household's energy independence, the guide's emphasis falls on reducing the amount of energy a home needs before any question of how it is supplied arises: lower flow temperatures, cylinder insulation, draught-proofing and heating controls all act on demand, while the electricity list acts on consumption. The guide's own framing of a heat pump as a larger investment with a bigger upfront cost, offset in most cases by grant funding, marks the boundary between the two approaches. Households on below average income are directed towards grant funding for insulation and heating system upgrades, though the guide does not name specific schemes or rates. Further detail on no-cost and low-cost measures, changing household habits, draught-proofing savings and insulation savings sits elsewhere on this site, alongside the how-to and getting-started hubs.
What happens next
No dated next steps are set out in the guide. It directs readers to CAT's Free Information Service for advice on home retrofit plans, heat pumps, solid wall insulation, upgrading windows and ventilation systems1.
Sources1 cited
- Home energy saving tips - cat.org.uk, cat.org.uk