Heating consumes by far the greatest amount of energy as can be seen from the figure below. So reducing the heat loss will save a lot of energy, money and the environment.

Energy usage for a typical household (Central Europe)

If it is more than two years since your heating system was checked, it is worth arranging a service visit. Servicing your system will also allow the service engineer to undertake a 'health' check to ensure your system is operating at optimum efficiency. This will minimise your heating bill and save the environment.

If your system is more than 15 years old, it is worth asking the service engineer about the condition of the system, the availability of spare parts and the cost of replacing the existing system with a newer and more efficient heating system.

Costs

The costs will vary depending upon the type and size of house, its age and the condition of the fabric. However current average values for single homes of say 100 m2 in the UK are shown in the table below.

measure	cost (£)	years to recoup cost	CO2 savings/year (kg)
draught proofing	100	4	4
windows single to double glazing	4,000	10	30
solid wall insulation	3,150	8	700
cavity wall insulation	342	3	240
loft insulation (full and top-up)	284	3	200
hot water cylinder insulation	14	1	50

For multi family homes, the costs will be proportionately higher depending upon the size and age of the building.

Grants

It is very likely that some grants will be available through the UK's energy commitment scheme operated by all utilities.

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