If every British household installed three compact fluorescent light bulbs enough

If every British household installed three compact fluorescent light bulbs, enough energy would be saved in a year to supply the UK’s street lighting – an amazing statistic.When it comes to more major changes, replacing an old boiler can save more than 20 per cent on fuel bills; even more if you choose a condensing model. Upgrading heating controls improves the efficiency of any central heating system, and combining this with the new boiler can save you up to 40 per cent. Your local Energy Efficiency Advice Centre can give dozens of other examples of potential savings – plus advice on grants you could apply for to upgrade insulation or heating systems.As well as funding the Energy Saving Trust, the Government is also throwing its weight behind energy efficiency in other ways. The first White Paper on energy for three decades will be published later this month, and the trust predicts that one of its key themes will be renewable energy. The Department of Trade and Industry’s £10m Clear Skies initiative aims to give homeowners a further boost in the right direction It will provide not only advice, but cash. If you’re planning to install energy-efficient systems in your home, such as solar water heating or a wood-fuel boiler, you could be eligible for a grant of up to £5,000.

Application forms will become available later this month.Chris Laughton, who runs the Very Efficient Heating Company and the Solar Design Company, used to work in an energy advice centre, helping businesses to cut their energy costs. He decided, however, that he could be more environmentally useful in a practical sense. “I realised that what is lacking is competent installers, and as I have a practical bent it made more sense to get out there myself,” he says.Laughton is now a qualified gas fitter and solid-fuel system installer, as well as an expert in solar heating fitting and chair of the Solar Trade Association. His favourite brief is to simultaneously reduce a household’s fuel bills and its impact on the wider world. But if you’re not quite ready to go the whole hog, the most important single measure you can take, he says, is to look at your boiler: “One simple, modern appliance can make all the difference.” Laughton says most of his clients are concerned with environmental impact and that the financial payback comes as a bonus. “My customers are motivated to be different; they tend to be quite independent and stand apart from the crowd, and they are also intrigued by new technology.”And that technology is moving on apace.

The University of Nottingham is one of the world leaders in the field, and their campus is the site of a uniquely efficient building: the Eco-Energy House. The four- bedroomed detached house, a home away from home to groups of (presumably very cosy) research scientists, bristles with eco-friendly technology, including solar chimneys, solar thermal collectors, wind-catchers, photovoltaic [electromagnetic radiation] devices, light pipes and rainwater collection systems. Its design was a challenge for David Wilson Homes, the firm that put the project together. The house is built around a steel frame, so that the research teams can take whole walls down and replace them with different test materials.James Wilson, MD of the East Midlands region for David Wilson Homes, says his company is proud to be associated with the project.

“We take a keen interest in this field and we’re delighted to have direct access to the latest research. Consumers are increasingly questioning how things are produced, and houses are no different.”Building regulations already require high standards for thermo-efficiency and drainage solutions, and as other elements of environmentally friendly technology become more mainstream, consumers will demand them.” Wilson was so impressed with the Eco-Energy House rainwater collection scheme that he promptly had one installed in his own home. And, he says, it works brilliantly.For your local Energy Efficiency Advice Centre, call 0800 512012 Energy Efficiency helpline, 0845 7277200 or visit DTI’s Clear Skies, The Very Efficient Heating Company/ Solar Design Company, 0151 606 0207, or visit .uk David Wilson Homes, 01530 260777; . M uch has been heard in recent years of the property boom in southern Ireland. And according to Dublin-based agent Robert Ganly of Ganly Walters, there are still far more people moving to Ireland rather than away from it – although he does concede that the pace has slowed since the heady days of the late Nineties “From 1996 until 2000 the market grew at a phenomenal rate. It’s fair to say that prices went up around two-and-a-half times in most places and trebled in Dublin.”

Much has been heard in recent years of the property boom in southern Ireland. Although the situation has calmed somewhat, he still notices many applicants registering who are not local.