House that for savings

ECO doctor Paula Owen of the Energy Saving Trust today shows how your house can save you up to £1,000 a year-and help the environment too.

Just properly insulating your loft and water tank and insulating walls can save at least £365 a year.

Dr Paula, left, said: "And just not over-filling your kettle can save an average home around £7 a year." In many cases you can get free grants to help fund insulating measures.

There's more information on the News of the World website at notw.co.uk/green. Or you can call the Energy Saving Trust's helpline between the hours of 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday on 0800 512 012.

1. Take a shower

PEOPLE shouldn't think they can't wash! But taking a shower instead of a bath uses a third of the water.

It's a quick and simple way to save a large amount of energy and water in your home-especially when you couple it with the cost of heating the water needed for a bath.

But many power-showers will use more water than a bath if you leave them on for more than five minutes.

2. Use energy saving light bulbs

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BY replacing all the inefficient light bulbs in your home with Energy Saving ones, you could easily save around £50 a year on your electricity bill.

With such a big saving possible, it's worth replacing your old bulbs even before they wear out.

The modern bulbs have a warm glow, light up quickly and come in a wide range of shapes-plus they last up to 10 times as long as conventional ones.

3. Turn appliances off standby

IF the little red light is showing on your TV, it's on standby-and still using electricity. Remember, that's costing you money.

Look around your house, from computers, printers and modems to hi-fi systems and DVD players. If they have a light on they are using electricity and costing you money.

Turning them off will save you around £37 a year.

4. Draught proofing

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ALTHOUGH you probably don't notice it, poor draught-proofing around windows and doors will be costing you 12 per cent in lost energy a year.

Although some gaps are essential for ventilation, you could still save around £30 a year by fitting draught- proofing wherever appropriate. It might not seem a lot on its own but that's £30 every year for ever once the work is done.

5. Double glazing

IF your house has single glazed windows and is uninsulated-up to 18 per cent of household energy could be escaping through the windows of your home every year.

Double glazing in a typical home could save around £140 a year.

If you've already got double glazing, see my tips on draught-proofing to make sure it's working properly.

6. Water butt

INVEST in a water butt to save the wasted water from your home.

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This mini-reservoir can then be reused in your garden or to wash your car. If you live alone, or generally have fewer people in your home than bedrooms, you could probably save money by having a water meter installed.

These are usually free from your utility companies who are usually keen to fit them for you. Contact Waterwise on 0207 344 1882 or email info@waterwise.org.uk.

7. Update appliances

BY switching to Energy Saving Recommended Appliances in your household and you will prevent valuable energy wastage on a daily basis. Replacing an old fridge-freezer, for example, will save £39 a year. Obviously you might not want to throw out perfectly good items, but when time comes to replace them, look for the Energy Saving Recommended logos.

8. Replace your boiler

IF your boiler is 10 to 15 years old, chances are it won't be efficient. All new boilers are condensing models and highly energy efficient -90 per cent or more.

By replacing an old boiler, and improving your heating controls, you could cut your heating bill by up to 40 per cent-saving a massive £275 a year.

9. Insulate your walls

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NOT everyone has cavity walls that can be filled, but it can save around £160 a year in energy bills.

On older properties, which might not have cavity walls, the savings can be even bigger-between £470 and £500 a year-if you insulate the outside or inside.

As much as a third of your home energy could be being lost through your walls.

10. Insulate your loft

MORE than a quarter of household energy is lost through the roof of an uninsulated home every year.

By making sure your loft is properly insulated-recommended guidelines are 270mm-you could save a staggering £205 a year on home energy bills.

There are loads of grants available to help pay for better insulation too. And make your hot water tank is properly insulated too.

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EASY WAY TO GET FREE CASH

THERE are hundreds of pounds-worth of FREE grants available to pay towards the home improvements shown above.

And to help YOU access free funding in your area, the News of the World has set up a special online CASH GRABBER.

All you need to do is go to notw.co.uk/green -and look for the grabber on the right hand side of our green web page.

Then you simply tap in your post code and tick three boxes to indicate details of your circumstances. The Cash Grabber will then automatically search a special Energy Saving Trust database.

And it will pop up a list of all the funding schemes available to you in your area, along with phone numbers and instructions.

Our service is secure, fast and FREE. You do not need to be on benefits to use the News of the World Cash Grabber or claim most grants (although you may be entitled to additional funding if you are on benefits).

If you do not have internet access, you can still get free information about energy saving home improvements by calling the Energy Saving Trust's helpline between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday on 0800 512012.

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