energyreporter.co.uk

Double / Secondary glazing

Double glazing reduces draughts, noise, improves security and can help to prevent condensation. Single glazed windows lose heat faster than double glazing, although because double glazed units can be expensive it is common for ‘double glazed’ properties to still have some single glazing. Since 2002, building regulations have prevented the installation of replacement single glazing. Not all properties will be suitable for standard PVCU double glazing. For example many Victorian / Georgian terraced houses have decorative window frames and coloured glass.

These properties may require conservation area consent or listed buildings consent. If so, it is likely that your replacement windows would have to incorporate existing designs. Your local joinery firm should be able to replicate your windows and incorporate existing coloured glass into the double glazed unit. Bespoke windows can be very expensive so if you would like to improve the efficiency of your windows without replacing the whole unit you might think of installing secondary glazing as an alternative. The presence of a well installed secondary glazing system will have a similar impact on the efficiency of your single glazed windows as completely replacing them with double glazed units.

Upgrade heating system

This can be the highest impact measure you can have in terms of improving the energy efficiency of your home. The level of the impact is dependant on 3 main factors;

1. The age of your system. Over the years the regulations relating to the efficiency levels of heating systems has considerably tightened up. For example, all combination boilers now have to have condensers in them. These condensers reuse the heat from the exhaust gases to preheat the water before it goes through the main heating system. Condensers have raised the average efficiency of combination boilers from about 75% to 95%.
2. The fuel it uses (e.g. gas, electric, oil). Mains gas supply (piped in from a connection point in the street) is the cheapest and cleanest of all the fossil fuels as it emits the lowest amount of CO2. However, the gas network still does not cover all towns and villages in the UK, so many properties will not be able to use this fuel supply. Obviously, renewable energy is the most efficient energy in terms of CO2 emissions, although the cost and installation of these systems can often be prohibitive.
3. Whether or not it provides adequate heating to all the habitable rooms. If the heating system does not heat all the habitable rooms adequately it will be assumed that a secondary (portable electric) heating system will have to be used even if there is none present in the property.

   Portable electric heaters are a very inefficient method of heating your property and therefore if your heating system is inadequate your EPC will be negatively effected. For example, if your main heating system is old electrical storage heaters that only work downstairs, your hot water is heated by an electrical immersion system, and you have access to mains gas, then you could improve your energy rating by over 25 points by installing a new mains gas boiler, radiators and controls.

Upgrade heating system controls

Heating system controls regulate time and temperature that the heating system works to. These controls are designed to ensure that the property is adequately heated, but not over heated. Examples of heating controls include room thermostats, boiler programmers, thermostatic radiator valves, zone controls, boiler energy managers and cylinder thermostats. By regulating the heating system with these type of controls you can ensure that less heat and energy is wasted. For example, it is pointless heating your home throughout day if you the home is empty.

Likewise it is pointless to keep a hot water cylinder at maximum temperature throughout the night when everyone is asleep and no one requires hot water. These controls are not designed to limit our energy use so that our homes become colder, quite the opposite. They are designed to ensure that all rooms are adequately heated for the period of time heating is required. They therefore improve the efficiency of your heating system while keeping your central and hot water systems sufficient for your use.

Solid wall insulation

Solid walls are walls that do not have a cavity. Cavity walls are more thermally efficient as they use the air between the two layers of bricks as insulation. Solid walls can be built in bricks, blocks, stone or as system built. As they are solid they conduct the heat from inside the property directly to the colder exterior walls. If you touch the outside of a solid wall on a cold day you can feel the heat from inside the property is escaping. You can improve the thermal efficiency of solid walls by insulating them. This can either be done on the exterior or on the interior of the wall.

Please note that in order for the energy reporter to be able to record the presence of insulation they must be able to inspect it without disturbing the buildings materials. If the insulation cannot be seen the reporter will have to record it as 'unknown' and EPC software will therefore assume that there is none present. 50mm of external or internal insulation should produce an increase in the energy rating of approximately 5 points.

Renewable (solar) energy

There are hundreds of imaginative and ingenious methods of generating energy from renewable sources. Due to the vast complexity and differing efficiencies of these systems, the energy reporter cannot count most of them in their inspection. This is not to say that they have no environmental impact, just that impact cannot be measured in the time that the energy reporter has to do their inspection. The only two renewable energy systems that the energy reporter is allowed to measure are 'solar water heating' and 'photovoltaic panels', (electric generating solar panels). Solar water heating panels use the sun to pre- heat the water supply, significantly reducing the demand on the heating system.

They are usually about 3m2 and fixed to the roof. A photovoltaic (PV) system is one which converts light directly into electricity via panels placed on the roof with no waste and no emissions. This electricity is used throughout the home in the same way as the electricity purchased from an energy supplier. The British Photovoltaic Association has up-to-date information on local installers who are qualified electricians and any grant that may be available. Planning restrictions may apply in certain neighbourhoods and you should check this with the local authority. Building Regulations apply to this work, so your local authority building control department should be informed, unless the installer is registered with a competent persons scheme, and can therefore self-certify the work for Building Regulation compliance.

For other energy saving measures that do not affect the EPC click here.

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