Escalating Energy Costs: Investing to keep them in check
James Benn
While Re-B has mostly focused on work to enhance local biodiversity our good neighbours in Buckland have got well ahead with work on carbon emissions. Their ‘Low Carbon Network’, led by resident Ken Caldwell, holds occasional Zoom teach-ins sharing information on the technologies and practices available to reduce our domestic energy consumption – and save money.
What follows is extracted – with Ken’s full blessing – from his recent talk on the Changing Economics of Home Energy. While very few Re-Betchworth supporters would consider that they live in an ‘average’ house, the percentages and pay-back periods below remain broadly true whatever the size of your house – you’ll just need to scale up or down on the ‘typical’ illustrative costs.
The background to all this is the dramatic increase in energy costs: from £1,250 a year per household last winter to £3,500 now. Typically, 62% of that cost is for home heating and 18% for hot water, with the remaining 20% going on clothes washing, fridges and freezers, TVs etc and, lighting and cooking. The talk suggested that there might be some easy wins and went on to look at investing for greater impact.
James Benn
While Re-B has mostly focused on work to enhance local biodiversity our good neighbours in Buckland have got well ahead with work on carbon emissions. Their ‘Low Carbon Network’, led by resident Ken Caldwell, holds occasional Zoom teach-ins sharing information on the technologies and practices available to reduce our domestic energy consumption – and save money.
What follows is extracted – with Ken’s full blessing – from his recent talk on the Changing Economics of Home Energy. While very few Re-Betchworth supporters would consider that they live in an ‘average’ house, the percentages and pay-back periods below remain broadly true whatever the size of your house – you’ll just need to scale up or down on the ‘typical’ illustrative costs.
The background to all this is the dramatic increase in energy costs: from £1,250 a year per household last winter to £3,500 now. Typically, 62% of that cost is for home heating and 18% for hot water, with the remaining 20% going on clothes washing, fridges and freezers, TVs etc and, lighting and cooking. The talk suggested that there might be some easy wins and went on to look at investing for greater impact.
In the discussion that followed, spending money on increasing the insulation in all our roofs came through as the no-brainer, with cavity wall insulation as a strong secondary action.
End note: Buckland Low Carbon Network talks have ranged from installing heat pumps, to PV arrays and battery storage, to using electric cars (and bicycles) and more. Betchworth residents are welcome to join all these discussions, so please email [email protected] if you’d like to be alerted to future talks.
Power Point Slides
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