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Jill’s Story

Home In March 2021 Jill was desperate; she was £1200 in energy debt.She was very careful and aware of her energy use, but things had got out of control. Here is her story: “I had a sick friend staying, so the heating was on more than usual. My landlady had just upgraded our electric heating system – the new system is very easy to use, but electricity is expensive, and we are off the gas grid. Warm Connections were able to apply for support and all of my debt was paid off. I felt lighter, a huge weight lifted; it was a physical feeling and every part of me felt better. Last winter was tough; we did some preparation – stopping draughts, our landlady changed the oldest, coldest window and the house is now double glazed throughout. We changed the way we used the house in the cold, and we changed the way we did things when we used the kettle – only ever putting the exact amount of water we needed in. We used the fire more. We survived, and met our bills every month. And THEN came the energy price rises in April – it made me mad. We’ll be fine through the summer but I don’t know how we will manage next winter. I have been in touch with our energy company and have sorted a new tariff. We have done all the easy stuff and our landlady has been great. If we are going to manage next winter, we will need to do the faffy things – lining the curtains, door draught excluders, low water use shower head, and I have read that the microwave uses less energy too. We already grow loads of our own food, and cook from scratch. I am worried for us, but am also really worried for my friends. Warm Connections have helped loads – partly motivation, partly information, and partly providing actual energy saving measures.” Previous Post

Insulation – the where, what, who and how

Home A vital part of keeping your home warm Where  Insulation can be fitted above, below and around your house.The easiest is the attic. Below the floor is a simple win if you have access, and on the inside or outside of your walls is the other place. Sadly when it comes to real homes it’s often not quite as easy as it sounds; there are, however, more creative solutions and more products that work in sympathy with the original building. It is clear that better insulation can increase comfort and reduce bills. What  The two big questions are – is the insulation breathable or not (both have a place) and what is the environmental impact of the material itself – to produce, to dispose of and against its lifespan. (sustainable, natural products are becoming more common and performance data is available) Who  This is very challenging at present, especially when linked to the question of funding ….. but if the government is to meet its carbon reduction targets, changes will have to occur. There are larger corporate companies available, often with specialised products and skilled local tradespeople. Funders set criteria for installers but the lack of approved installers in this area means there needs to be an easier pathway to use our local installers, and still access funding. How The questions above often lead to several options, so the final part of the equation relates to cost and funding. There is considerable funding available, some means tested, some non means tested, some related to the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) of the building, and some has constraints on who can be used to install (see above). Summary  More insulation is nearly always a good answer Solutions need to be designed specifically for your property The funding and installer process can be a challenge If you have explored this and come up with a blank it may be worth another look – Warm Connections are here to help. Previous Post

Grants & Crisis Support, Reducing Heat Loss at Home, Renewables, View All

Roller Coaster Weather and Your Boiler

Home Flow temperature and efficiency – ‘It’s a kind of magic’ This winter may be the ‘new normal’ as the climate warms; it certainly highlights how quickly our weather patterns, and particularly the outside temperature, fluctuate. Last month there was a 20 degrees shift in just 12 hours, which presents a challenge for our heating systems. How much heat does a room or house need? Firstly it will depend on the temperature which you hope to achieve. Secondly it depends on how fast heat is lost to the outside world; as it gets colder and windier outside more heat is required to replace the increased heat being lost.If your rooms are heating up too slowly or never reaching the desired temperature, the following may help: More insulation in the house will reduce heat loss (roof, walls, floor, and windows and doors) Reducing draughts – sealing gaps so less cold air gets in and warm air escapes less quickly Check the radiators are working well: Bleed the radiators if necessary so that the whole surface gets hot The pump or pipes might be partially blocked and reducing circulation through the radiators: A plumber could advise on this – it is possible to flush a system The flow temperature may be too low to compensate for the heat losses in colder conditions: Adjust the flow temperature The following advice about flow temperature is relevant for households with gas, oil, electric or biomass boilers, but not heat pumps:What is flow temperature? The flow temperature is the temperature of the fluid leaving the boiler. Obviously hotter fluid arriving in a room will release heat more quickly from the radiator. If the flow temperature is cooler than necessary: Rooms will warm up slowly and may not even reach the desired temperature The pump and boiler will run continuously If the flow temperature is hotter than necessary: More heat is lost from the pipes Heating the fluid 1 degree extra costs disproportionally more as the temperature rises The pump might cycle on and off frequently which is less efficient and increases wear and tear The condensing function will not reclaim as much energy, reducing its 92% efficiency to 10-25% What is most cost effective? Both too low and too high flow temperatures are less efficient than the sweet spot between. In simple terms – as high as is needed but no hotter. Can’t I do the same with the room thermostat or the radiator thermostats? You can control the temperature which you are aiming to achieve in a room with the thermostats, and of course turning the thermostat down will save money. Turning the thermostat up won’t change how fast a room heats up – just the temperature it is trying to reach. Flow temperature affects the speed a room heats up and boiler efficiency, room and radiator thermostats affect the target temperature that you are hoping to achieve. How to adjust the flow temperature – there is commonly a dial with numbers or a scale – try to avoid this being at maximum. Some boilers have an eco setting but turn it up if the house is not warming up. Some systems show the actual temperature and even a second lower figure for the temperature of fluid returning to the boiler. Return temperature and efficiency – the return temperature has a significant effect on efficiency, particularly with condensing boilers. Condensing boilers capture more of the energy in the escaping ‘exhaust’ gases from burning gas. The heat is exchanged into the returning flow from the radiators, but if the return temperature is above 60 degrees the condensing function is less effective or may not even function. So, if you can see the return flow temperature aim to keep it below 60 degrees; turning down the flow temperature will cause the return flow temperature to drop. What about my hot water? For combi boilers, a similar thing is also true for the temperature of your hot water. In colder weather it may not be hot enough by the time it reaches your taps, whilst in the summer it may be scalding hot. Adjust the flow temperature – many boilers have separate controls for the heating and hot water flow temperatures. If you have a hot water cylinder the temperature is controlled in a different way. How often should I adjust the boiler? It used to be beneficial to adjust these settings as the season changed, but with the wild fluctuations in temperature we have seen this winter it makes sense to expect to adjust the flow temperature whenever the outside temperature makes a big shift. This article has some additional information and is clear and easy to read. https://energyguide.org.uk/boiler-flow-temperature/ What about storage heaters? Modern storage heaters automatically take account of the outside temperature when it charges,and will occasionally struggle if the temperature drops very quickly. If you have older storage heaters where the input level is set manually, keeping a good eye on the forecast will help you set the input (the amount of heat stored). There is grant funding available to almost everyone who has older storage heaters for their replacement. Please contact us to find out more. Previous Post

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