Partner Article

How Father Christmas could rein in energy bills

With temperatures hovering around freezing, energy efficiency specialists Green Deal Solutions have been considering how they might deal with a very special customer after Christmas rush has died down.

“Energy costs are still in the headlines, and with recent price hikes and the imminent cold snap, people need to be saving wherever they can,” said managing director Dean Murray. “This got us thinking, if you were in charge of Christmas, a toy workshop and a troop of elves, what might you change in order to save heat and money ready for next year?”

“Here’s what we think Father Christmas and homeowners should be considering, especially with the introduction of funding to make efficiency improvements for free!”

First up, there’s the factory – three million square feet of toys! Production is high all year round as the nice and naughty lists are kept up to date, and gifts are made and wrapped ready for children around the world to be delivered next Christmas.

After a hard day at work making toys, the elves are tired and retire to their dormitories for the night. With no insulation the building tends to lose a lot of heat, making the radiators work even harder to keep them snug in their beds.

Outside of the main building we find the reindeer. They’re a hardy bunch, and well used to icy temperatures, but we all know that Father Christmas is a sensitive soul and full of goodwill, so he puts a little heater on in their wooden stable to try and keep them toasty, even if much of the warm air does just seep out of the wooden walls!

And what about Mrs Christmas, who spends much of her time in the kitchen baking Christmas cakes, puddings and biscuits, and washing the elves’ little outfits? She will need the heating on to keep warm, the fridge and cooker will be working at full capacity, and with so little light at the North Pole in winter the lights will be on for most of the day too.

That’s plenty for an energy efficiency assessor to be getting on with, so where to begin with measures to save on energy? Here goes…

• Lighting – retrofitting the outdated light fixtures for energy saving versions can reduce the energy requirement by up to 25%, and though there’s not always a lot of daylight in the North Pole, by using skylights, dimmer switches and sensor activated lighting current usage can be further reduced
• New hand dryers can use up to 80% less energy than older versions – and these eliminate the need for disposable paper towels too
• Low flow plumbing vastly reduces the current levels of water used in hand washing and toilet flushing
• Double glazed windows will ensure heat is kept inside the building, reducing the heating costs immediately
• Three million square feet of potential space for solar photovoltaic panels could provide an estimated 27,000 kW of energy (generated through the summer where the daylight is continuous)
• External insulation on all the buildings will create a secure surrounding that locks heat in, giving those heaters a break and keeping the bills down too
• A biomass boiler means using renewable fuel to heat hot water and keep the house and factory warm – living near the forest means a supply of wood chippings too!

Dean continued, “Residents across the country, and of course Father Christmas too, should be seriously considering how well their house performs in terms of energy efficiency. Only a few changes could make a big difference to the monthly bills, and with the Green Deal scheme beginning next month it could even be free, which is great news for all of us.”

For more information visit www.greendealsolutions.net

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by John Leah .