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Energy efficiency in the home

I have just received an energy efficiency appraisal for my house, which is required before I can sell it. It contains advice on steps that could be taking to make it more efficient. These included
  • Fit low energy bulbs at a cost of £15 to save £23 a year
  • Upgrade heating controls at a cost of £350 - £450 to save £38 a year
  • Replace boiler with new condensing boiler at a cost of £1,500 - £3,500 to save £46 a year
  • Solar water heating £4,000 - £6,000 to save £33 a year
  • Replace single glazed windows with double glazed at a cost of £2,500 - £6,500 to save £70 a year
  • Fit photovoltaic panels at a cost of £11,000 - £20,000 to save £222 a year
Apart from the fitting of energy efficient lighting, of which the main benefit is that the units do not need to be changed so often, the payback times for most of the recommendations are between 30 and nearly 200 years! One then has to ask what is the embodied energy in these energy saving measures?

From which it can be concluded that the most effective energy-saving measure I could make would be to put on an extra layer of clothes.

One measure not suggested in the report was the use of a dehumidifier. In damp weather it can feel uncomfortably chilly even though the outside temperature is 15 degrees or more. It is then necessary to heat the building to around 25 degrees. By removing the moisture, the environment is comfortable at a lower temperature. A dehumidifier is also an efficient substitute for a tumbler drier, extracting the latent heat from the evaporating moisture and distributing it around the house as warm, dry air.

Kommentarer

Partially Random sa…
Hello, I know this isn't directly related to this piece (although I did enjoy reading it), but I have a question for you about LVT. I posted it on the Guardian but I don't think you will have seen it.

Here is my post in full:

"@Physiocrat

I have a question for you about LVT.

Say that people build on land and then provide private services, such as clinics or education, and this pushes up the value of land in the area (as services and perhaps skilled employment are within short distance), how then would you value the land on which these services are provided from?

Take, say, a good private school or a clinic, or even a railway station, which adds x amount of value to the surrounding land. Since the property(hypothetically) increases the value of the surrounding land itself, but in order to value the land you should discount the value of the property... then won't you necessarily overestimate the value of the land the school or clinic is built upon since the value of the land it is built upon is related to the service that the building provides?

I would appreciate your thoughts."
22 oktober 2011 kl. 23:38
Physiocrat sa…
Good question. It answer is the same as if everyone in your street improves their house eg restores old buildings, repaints, plants their gardens, etc. This enhances the value of your land even if you do nothing. This is what we mean when we say that land value is created and sustained by the presence and activities of the community.

Each site is valued in turn, on the assumption that it were vacant but that everything around was as it is.
31 oktober 2011 kl. 16:35
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