moneysaving tips on Radio 2

Happenned to be listening to Jeremy Vine on Radio 2 lunchtime today, with lots of talk about energy saving hints & tips. I guess you can catch it on iPlayer to hear the whole debate.

Most of what they were saying is information that we have said here many times before

# make sure your home is well insulated
# make sure your appliances are efficient
# check if you can get grants before embarking on any new / upgrade installations (a good place to check this is on the excellent energy saving trust website, where they have a grantfinder to highlight your options)
# make sure you use properly trained and accredited companies to undertake any installation work. Traditional central heating boilers can only be worked on by registered gas safe (Corgi) fitters. The newer technologies (solar panels, PV, wind turbines) are not yet as regulated allowing some unscruulous operators in at the moment.
# be sure the outlay and payback makes sense for you, even if mitigated by carbon neutral or green aspirations.

The other thing that came out in the discussion was the movement in tariffs. As winter approaches we will all start using more fuel, so as well as optimising your usage, make sure you are on the best deal from your supplier - and usually the only way you can get this is to switch.

It was nice to hear some of the debate coming into the mainstream (if Radio 2 counts as mainstream) and to hear endorsement for the ideas I have been outlining through this blog.

As a practicing Energy assessor I do have a vested interest to follow these things, and if you live in the Surrey or SW London area and think I can help, please get in touch.