A message from the Energy Saving Trust to kick off #EnergySavingWeek2021
Energy Saving Week will return to Northern Ireland for its 21st year on 22 November 2021. Delivered by Energy Saving Trust, an independent and trusted organisation working to tackle the climate emergency, the week will help householders across the country to reduce their energy bills and their carbon footprint. With a worldwide squeeze on energy supplies and increases in the cost of oil and gas, heating bills are a worry for many households this winter. It is therefore more important than ever that energy is used efficiently, as households in Northern Ireland face the potential for a steep rise in fuel bills before the end of the year.
Energy Saving Week has been running annually in Northern Ireland since 2000, helping people to make simple and effective changes to their day to day lives that reduce their environmental impact and save money on their energy bills.
This year, Energy Saving Trust is providing a range of resources, challenges and toolkits to help. Householders are encouraged to take a specially designed quiz which tests their energy saving knowledge, where they will also be able to pick up some useful energy saving tips along the way. They will also have the chance to enter a prize draw for the chance to win a £100 retail voucher, with 2nd and 3rd place receiving a £50 retail voucher. Primary schools across Northern Ireland are taking part in an energy saving challenge which will task pupils and families to make some simple changes to help save energy at home, such as reducing water use and turning TVs and games consoles off standby. The schools will then collate the completed tasks from each child and will receive a certificate from Energy Saving Trust to show how much carbon the school has saved overall. Participating schools will have the chance of winning one of two prizes. The first-place prize will be for a school to take part in a Supported by Housing Executive (Home Energy Conservation Authority) tree planting activity sponsored by Phoenix Natural Gas. The second-place prize will include a trip to W5 in Belfast, sponsored by SSE Airtricity.
Angela Gracey-Roger, Programme Manager, Northern Ireland said: “This year has been a crucial one for climate change, with the impact of more extreme weather events felt across the world including in the UK. It’s therefore vital that we all do what we can to help reduce our carbon emissions. However, this does not need to be drastic lifestyle changes. Energy Saving Week is helping the people of Northern Ireland to know how they can reduce their emissions through small and often simple actions that have a big impact on the environment. Practical initiatives like Energy Saving Week are vital in helping to empower, inform and inspire people to make the changes we all need to live more sustainably.”
Energy Saving Week is sponsored by the The Housing Executive (Home Energy Conservation Authority) and run in collaboration with Bryson Energy, Choice Housing, Clanmil Housing, Radius Housing, Consumer Council NI, firmus energy, National Energy Action NI, NIFHA, Phoenix Natural Gas, Power NI, SGN NG, SSE Airtricity. The primary school challenge is supported by Eco-Schools NI at Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful in conjunction with the NI Schools’ Energy Efficiency Awareness Programme, managed by The Housing Executive.
Energy saving tips include: Draught-proof your home While professional draught-proofing can cost around £200,DIY is much cheaper and could save around £35 per year, making your home a more comfortable place to live. If you don’t use your fireplace, insulating your chimney will make your home feel warmer. A chimney draught excluder could save you around £25 on your energy bills. Insulate your pipes Insulating exposed pipes is an easy DIY install – you can buy foam insulation tubes online or from a DIY store and slip them over your pipes. In a typical house, materials will cost around £20, and you’ll save around £5 a year on your energy bills. Supported by Housing Executive (Home Energy Conservation Authority) Loft insulation The majority of homes have some loft insulation, but many don’t have the recommended 270mm depth. If you have no loft insulation, installing 270mm of new insulation could save up to £160, depending on the size of your home. Hot water cylinder insulation All new hot water cylinders have some insulation, however those with a hot water tank jacket under 25mm thick could benefit from top-up insulation. A hot water cylinder jacket costs around £15. If you have no insulation and install an 80mm jacket, you could save around £120 a year. Topping up your hot water cylinder insulation from 25mm to 80mm jacket could save around £25 a year. Upgrade heating controls Room thermostats allow households to set and maintain the temperature at home. Installing and using a full set of heating controls could save up to £95 a year if you currently don’t have any. Costs can vary significantly due to the variety of heating system types, sizes and controls available.
We recommended shopping around to get the best deal from professional installers. The above statistics and information are to be used only for Energy Saving Week activity and are not to be used for other commercial purposes. These can be used in media communications provided the figures are not used to insinuate any endorsement of a particular product. Figures are based on fuel prices as of October 2021. Please do not combine savings. Some savings directly affect the savings of others and may need to be re-calculated if combined. Energy saving figures are based on a typical gas heated three-bedroom semidetached house with a gas price of 5.63p/kWh and electricity price of 20.33p/kWh. ENDS Supported by Housing Executive (Home Energy Conservation Authority) Energy Saving Trust Energy Saving Trust is an independent organisation dedicated to promoting energy efficiency, low carbon transport and sustainable energy use.
We aim to address the climate emergency and deliver the wider benefits of clean energy as we transition to net zero. We empower householders to make better choices, deliver transformative programmes for governments and support businesses with strategy, research and assurance – enabling everyone to play their part in building a sustainable future
