ACT ON CO₂ energy, money and carbon saving tips

These tips can help you to save money, save energy and lower your carbon footprint in one go! If you follow these simple steps you can save over £300* a year off your fuel bills, that’s almost £3 billion across the UK if everyone takes action.

These ideas also mean you will be lowering the energy you use from fossil fuels, which release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. These are the gases that cause climate change – follow these tips and we could all save 13million tonnes of CO₂ a year.*

There are lots of ways to cut your household energy use; here are our top ten tips:

1. Get your boiler checked for efficiency. If your boiler is over 10 years old the likelihood is that it is not working to maximum efficiency and it needs replacing. If this is the case, it is the perfect time to ask HBS Solarwarm to review your heating system as a whole, and to find out about the new energy sources that could supplement your existing system - so you can save money - and reduce your household CO₂ emissions at the same time. HBS Solarwarm operates in the South of England – covering Hampshire, Wiltshire, Dorset, West Sussex, Surrey, London, Berkshire and Oxfordshire. When our HBS Solarwarm heating and ventilation engineer visits your home he or she will test your old boiler for efficiency and provide you with free advice on which of the new energy saving sources (such as solar power, heat pumps and biomass technologies) might be suitable for your property. To find out more about this service call us on

0800 61 21 200 or complete the online form below:

Please arrange an appointment to test my boiler

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* Name

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2. It pays to have your heating system regularly flushed through. Over time, your heating system will naturally accrue sludge and limescale -particularly in the hard water areas of the South of England where HBS Solarwarm operates. These residues collect in the bottom of radiators, in pipes, and in your boiler, and they reduce the efficiency of your hot water system. You can usually restore your boiler’s efficiency, and bring your heating system up to par by carrying out a chemical or power ‘flush’. The flush will remove the residues and restore the system to optimum efficiency, thereby saving you money on heating your home. When HBS Solarwarm or HBS New Energies install a new energy heating technology into your home, the company will, where possible, flush your heating system through. This service is offered free of charge as it ensures that your new equipment is integrated into a ‘clean’ system, and it guarantees that you gain maximum efficiency and savings from your energy system.
3. Top up your loft insulation. Did you know that the recommended depth is 270mm? Cavity wall insulation and topping up your loft insulation in your home will not only reduce the heat escaping from the roof and walls – it could also save you up to £180 per year.
4. Fill your wall cavities. Around a third of the heat lost in a house without insulation is through the walls. You could save up to £120 on your energy bills each year by insulating your wall cavities. Installation can take just a couple of hours for a typical three-bedroom house and can be done from the outside. If everyone in the UK filled their wall cavities, it would save around £670 million of energy a year.
5. Dodge the draughts. Eliminate draughts and wasted heat by installing a cheap, easy-to-fix brush or PVC seal on your exterior doors. Letterboxes and keyholes should be covered too. Draughts also get in through gaps in floorboards and skirting boards, which allow heat to escape in winter. Stop this waste by filling these gaps with beading or sealant.
6. Switch equipment off at the wall and save £30 a year. Switching off your TV and computer instead of leaving them on standby could save you around £30 a year. If you have children, why not get them involved and encourage them to switch off all their gadgets?
7. Boil only the water you need. Boiling only the amount of water you need for your cup of tea could save you £25 a year.
8. Use your tumble dryer sparingly. Not using your tumble dryer during the warmer months of the year could save you around £10 a year.
9. Switch to energy saving light bulbs. Just one 20W bulb can save you £60 over its lifetime, compared to a standard 100W one.
10. Look out for energy saving domestic appliances. Buying a new washing machine, fridge or dishwasher? Look for appliances that are Energy Saving Recommended – they are much cheaper to run.

For further advice on these and other ways you can save energy, or if you want to calculate your own carbon footprint, visit www.direct.gov.uk/actonco2 or the helpline on

0800 512 012

Alternatively, why not download this ACT ON CO₂ leaflet for more energy saving tips act-on-co2-leaflet-_web-pdf

*All statistics provided by DEFRA based on CERT calculations and relate to an average 3 bedroom semi-detached home. For calculating over all savings to the UK it has been assumed that all households with less than 150mm loft insulations would top up their insulation, all houses with empty but fillable cavities would insulate them, all housed would stop using standby, and CFLs (energy saving light bulbs) would be used in all suitable fittings. All figures correct at November 2008)

1. Source: DEFRA 2. Source: DEFRA. Savings based on 5 kettles a day boiling 1 litre more than necessary each. 3. Savings based on a dryer using 3.5 kWh of electricity per cycle. 4. DEFRA. 5.Source: Defra. Based on £12 heating around 1700 litres of water by electricity to 60c. 6. Source: DEFRA. Calculated based on £30 saving for filling a cavity wall. 7. Source: DEFRA.