Saving Energy in Your Home - Articles - Zimbio

The Mininimalist Kitchen - Dishwashers

Fri, 23 Feb 2008 15:30:00 GMT

posted by theminimalist

So many people fret over their kitchens. Either they don't have enough space, or they can't seem to keep them clean and uncluttered. The trick is to make the most of what we need and get rid of the rest and to use our appliances to their full potential rather than acquiring more of them. In future posts, I will discuss how to simplify a kitchen one piece at a time. Today I'm going to talk about dishwashers.

Dishwashers get a bad rap because they used to use a lot of water and energy. This is no longer true of newer models. According to the Tree Hugger site it uses less water and energy to run a dishwasher if it is full than to wash dishes by hand. Also, there are some great dishwashers out there now with the Energy Star label that you can get a tax credit for and sometimes even a cash rebate.

My favorite dishwasher is the double dish drawer made by Fisher Paykel and Kitchen Aid. The drawers are easy to load and you can run one at a time or both together. They use very little water and energy to run, so you can just fill one up and run it. Dirty dishes in the sink or around the house do not bode well with a minimalist, and this is a great way to keep dishes out of the sink. You don’t have to rush to put the clean dishes away because you have more dirty ones. You simply load the other dish drawer.

There are varying speeds the least of which is 15 minutes - plenty for drink glasses. I have a lot of parties and clean up is a breeze because I can put serving dishes in the bottom drawer (run it longer) and glasses in the top and run a quick cycle.

These dishwashers aren't cheap but are well worth the money. There is the option to buy just one drawer for half the price as well. The varying speeds, ease of loading and energy and water savings are worth it even it you buy just one.

Benefits of Venting Skylights

Wed, 24 May 2007 13:55:44 GMT

posted by sjsuarez
Venting Skylights can allow natural lighting into your home and at the same time improve the air quality and ventilation. The additional lighting in the home can reduce energy costs and be an effective way of managing moisture in the home. In your bathroom, condensation is reduced and in the kitchen, releases hot [...]

Benefits of Venting Skylights

Wed, 24 May 2007 13:55:44 GMT

Domestic energy assessment

Tue, 4 Jun 2008 15:17:09 GMT

posted by hipconsultant

The domestic energy assessment seems to still hold myths about what is and is not invloved. We receive questions and concerns from owners fairly regularly. So we have written this post to help explain what an Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA) will be looking at during the visit.

The Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is based upon an assessment of the property carried out by a licensed Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA).

The domestic energy assessment involves:

Establishing the age and construction method of the property.
Measuring floor and wall areas of the property.
Looking at heating systems including the boiler, heat emmitters and controls.
Identifying existing cavity wall and loft insulation.
Identifying any alternative heating (e.g. solar) and energy-efficient products (e.g. energy saving light bulbs).

HIP-Consultant.co.uk will collect specific data on the property as outlined by the Government (RdSAP methodology). This data is then used to produce the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC).

The specific information collected by the domestic energy assessor (DEA) includes:

Heating efficiency

HIP-Consultant.co.uk’s domestic energy assessor (DEA) will evaluate the boiler or the main heating system:

The manufacturer of the boiler.
The model if the boiler has a brand name.
The type of boiler you have, i.e. whether it is combi, condensing, non-condensing or a back boiler.

We will also look at the heating controls within the system for e.g. the thermostat, timer and radiator valves. This enable us to evaluate the energy efficiency of the combined heating system.

Insulation efficiency

The domestic energy assessor (DEA) will evaluate the types of insulation installed in your property. Existing insulation is measured and compared
against current standards:

Loft insulation - The average depth of loft insulation is measured.
Cavity wall insulation - The existing cavity wall is examined externally, either visually or by looking inside the cavity to
determine whether insulation is present.
Double glazing - The doors and windows will be checked for double glazing.

HIP-Consultant.co.uk’s domestic energy assessor (DEA) will all at all times respect your home and answer any questions you may have during the assessment.

Contact HIP-Consultant.co.uk now to discuss your specific queries and/or requirements.

Energy saving tips

Thu, 6 Jun 2008 08:47:39 GMT

posted by hipconsultant

After posting about receiving the email in regard to the lady’s energy saving due to the Energy Performance Certificate; I carried out further research around simple low cost energy saing tips.

There is alot of information out there, our own energy saving tips included. Alot of the advice and information contains similar points.

However, I came accross quite an amusing energy saving tips page at the Energy Saving Centre where one of the tips; tip 23 - is giving children 2p every time they turn the lights off in an empty room.

I felt this was a good slant on ways and means of promoting energy saving to the younger generation whilst also benefiting immediately. It is good to identify what needs doing, though often putting this into to practice can be more challenging.

It is some of the really easy tips to implement that you must go do now if they apply to you.

Turn your thermostat down. Reducing your room temperature by 1 degree °C could cut your heating bills by up to 10 percent. You could save around £40 per year.
Is your water too hot? Your cylinder thermostat shouldn’t need to be set higher than 60°C/140°F. Who needs water coming from the taps where it is too hot to bathe in or put you hands under?
Use energy saving light bulbs. Just one can save you £60 over the lifetime of the bulb - as they last up to 10 times longer than ordinary lightbulbs. Yes, you can get them for those funny light fixings you have.

Due to the last couple of posts and recents events I too will be re-auditing my own current lifestyle and trying to make more positive changes.