Forget price caps and green funding cuts - the answer to rising bills is hidden on a housing estate in Oldham.
Tucked away in a new estate in Oldham, there's a couple of houses that are different from the rest. They look pretty unremarkable from the outside, but a glance at their energy bills tell a very different story.
These homes are build to the ultra efficient Passivhaus standard, which combines thick insulation with a clever heat-exchanger that circulates fresh air without letting the precious warmth escape.
With heating bills of around £20 a year, you can imagine what that means for their carbon footprint. The Guardian spoke to resident Justine Hutton, who's now a Passivhaus convert: "I Googled it but I was still sceptical. But it's great. There are no draughts and it's quiet. They should definitely build more like this."
Justine's home isn't the first of its kind, but with energy bills back in the headlines, it's a timely reminder of what's possible, and a perfect illustration of how muddled the whole debate has become.
The argument is dominated by two ideas: the energy price-freeze favoured by Labour, and the Tory move to roll back subsidised insulation schemes.
These are both short-term fixes, designed to control the amount we pay for a unit of energy. But they overlook an arguably more important bit of the energy equation: the amount we have to use to keep warm.
Britain's houses are some of the worst insulated in Europe, forcing people to spend vast sums on heat that escapes straight out through the walls and windows. But as Oldham's Passivhauses show, it doesn't have to be this way.
To read more and view the original article, click here.
Compliance365 is an independent energy consultancy. We provide advice and guidance on all our services; how to save energy; how to save money on your energy bills; and ultimately how to become more energy efficient. Our aim is to be as cost effective and flexible as possible for our clients.
0 comments:
Post a Comment