The Council works in partnership with Act on Energy to run the Energy Efficiency Advice Scheme giving free and impartial advice to householders. The advantages to you in making your home more energy efficient are:
- Reduce fuel bills.
- Make your home easier to heat.
- Improve comfort and potential improvements in health
Act on Energy has some great information resources on several different topics including dealing with dampness and mould, no-cost energy-saving tips and installing insulation.
A free-to-phone energy advice line has been set up to advise you on
- How to obtain national and local grants for energy-saving measures.
- Local discount schemes for energy-saving measures.
- Advice on approved energy efficiency installers who will help you save energy
If you would like to call the free Energy Efficiency Advice Scheme, contact:
- Act on Energy - 0800 988 2881
Other energy advice services also provide advice and we have provided some below:
Energy Efficiency Tips and Tricks
We have provided some quick tips and tricks below to help you save on your energy bills and lower your carbon footprint.
No Cost
- Turn lights off when not needed
- Close doors in unused rooms
- Close curtains at night to retain heat
- Clean windows regularly to make the most of daylight
- Turn electrical appliances off at the plug, leaving the TV on standby still wastes money
- Make sure when cooking, the pan fits the ring correctly
- Only fill the kettle with as much water as is required (cover the element of course!)
- Turn down the central heating thermostat by 1-degree centigrade, it can save about 10% of your heating bill.
- Don't put hot food in the fridge or leave the door open
Low cost to you
- Fit energy-saving light bulbs where lights are on for a long time, such as in a hall or children's room
- Fit a flap on your letterbox to stop draughts
- Fix leaking taps
- Draught proof exterior doors
- Radiator foil/shelves are good ways of reflecting heat to the centre of the room
- Replace old appliances, for example, freezers, fridges and washing machines. ‘A' grade appliances will be more expensive but will use less electricity over their lifetime and are usually cheaper in the long run
Some cost to you
- 35% of your home's heat is lost through your walls. Fitting cavity wall insulation is one of the most effective energy efficiency measures. The cost varies depending on the size of the property, but the cost for an average 3 bedroom semi-detached house is around £150
- 25% of the heat is lost from the roof space so fitting 10 inches / 270mm of loft Insulation will stop valuable heat escaping and save money on your heating bill. The average cost for a 3-bedroom semi-detached is £150
- Overhaul your heating system and install a natural gas condensing boiler-the most efficient type of boiler available
- If you are very committed to the environment, then consider solar energy.
Things to remember
It's very important to ensure that any appliance, including cookers or boilers, have enough ventilation to operate safely.
- Do not block up existing air vents or grills, they are there to ensure your safety.
- Make sure any chimneys and flues being used by appliances burning fuel (gas, coal, oil, wood etc.) are regularly swept and checked for blockages. For more information on safety visit the Carbon Monoxide & Gas Safety Society website.
Home Energy Conservation Act (HECA) Report
Home Energy Conservation Act Reports set out what conservation measures Local Authorities consider practical, cost-effective, and likely to result in significant improvement in the energy efficiency of residential accommodation in the area.
Our first report was published in 2013 and has been updated every two years since. These have set out how Worcester City Council intended to help householders take advantage of financial incentives such as the Local Authority Delivery Scheme (LADS), Energy Company Obligation (ECO), Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), Feed-in Tariff (FIT) and any other schemes that have become available.
Through Worcester City's commitment to energy improvement and partnership working with other agencies such as Act on Energy, we have reduced the number of properties that were in low energy-efficient bands such as F and G and increased the proportion of households in more energy-efficient bands.
- Our most recent report – Worcester City Council HECA Report 2019