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YouGen Blog
Artificial & Alternative Trees Guide
Posted by Louise Hyde on 21 December 2018 at 5:01 pm
If a natural tree is not for you, you could consider an artificial tree or an alternative tree. This post provides some suggested considerations and alternative ideas. 1) The Artificial Tree Considered Benefits The artificial tree has benefits that some households wi…
The Real Christmas Tree Guide
Posted by Louise Hyde on 19 December 2018 at 10:21 am
Following last year’s blog post on the sustainability of Christmas trees, we wanted to provide more guidance on how to be mindful of the resources used to bring a tree to your home. There is much to consider along the supply chain of a christmas tree, from the resources used to grow it, emi…
Five tips before you buy loft insulation
Posted by Dave Raval on 24 October 2018 at 9:13 am
It's easy to forget about your loft when you're looking at your home's energy efficiency. But the Energy Saving Trust point out that a quarter of heat is lost through the roof in an uninsulated home. With low levels not keeping enough heat in, it can have a serious impact. But th…
Does your energy supplier owe you money?
Posted by Sam Tonge on 23 May 2018 at 10:04 am
Earlier this month it was revealed that Npower are to raise their energy prices by an average of 5.3% (£64 a year) for consumers. This move follows earlier price rises announced last month by British Gas (5.5%) and EDF (2.7% for electricity). Npower blame the price increase on policy an…
Get smart about smart meters
Posted by Sam Tonge on 16 April 2018 at 10:36 am
A smart meter can provide you with a detailed breakdown of your gas and electricity usage and costs in real time, best viewed through a linked in-home display. The meter puts an end to the laborious process of estimated billing by feeding your supplier your usage data automatically, meaning…
Carbon Coop leads the way to new models of retrofitting
Posted by Károly Gergely on 7 July 2017 at 11:30 am
Community Green Deal, a project by Manchester-based social enterprise, Carbon Coop has provided useful learning in three areas: technical, social and business-models. A summary of the report can be found here and the full report here. Our Community Green Deal project ran f…
Why buy a hybrid inverter for your solar PV system?
Posted by Aderanti Kudehinbu on 21 June 2017 at 9:45 am
The initial cost of a hybrid inverter is quite high, but this is offset by the ability to use your generated power more flexibly, rather than having to buy energy from the grid when the solar panel isn’t generating. Hybrid inverters have proven reliability across various grid types. Modern …
Exciting battery storage trial for Milton Keynes estate residents
Posted by Chloe Lloyd on 30 May 2017 at 10:40 am
Everybody loves a freebie right? Especially when it involves sustainable energy. Western Power Distribution’s (WPD) Low Voltage (LV) Connect and Manage project is currently offering a free trial to residents in Furzton, Milton Keynes to help develop battery power technologies. Some hous…
Energy efficiency labels are changing (again!)
Posted by Chloe Lloyd on 27 April 2017 at 10:03 am
Have you upgraded any appliances in your home lately? If so, you may have noticed that items such as refrigerators or televisions are rated in terms of their energy efficiency between A +++ to G. Everyone hoped that these ratings would allow you make an informed choice to buy the most energy effi…
Which devices are the most energy intensive?
Posted by Alex Barrett on 25 April 2017 at 3:31 pm
We live our lives surrounded by devices. We work on computers, carry phones and tablets with us wherever we go. Kitchens are full of fridges, freezers, microwaves and washing machines. Some are more energy intensive than others, but all of them are contributing to high energy bills, and higher ca…
Sunny weekend breaks UK solar record
Posted by Chloe Lloyd on 5 April 2017 at 12:59 pm
With days becoming longer and sunnier afternoons on the rise, now is the perfect time to be generating electricity from your solar PV panels. Cast your minds back to the weekend of the 25th March 2017, temperatures were rising and you were dusting the cobwebs off the barbeque. However, that weeke…
Can living in a Smart House help us save energy?
Posted by Alex Barrett on 3 April 2017 at 3:30 pm
With the spread of smart phones a variety of options now exist to remotely control how electricity is used throughout your home. It is now possible to create a “smart house”, where all appliances and devices are connected to a wireless network, so that they can be monitored and contro…
What makes an energy-friendly garden?
Posted by Anna Carlini on 30 March 2017 at 3:01 pm
Don’t we all dream of having a green garden? I know I do. The thought of lush green grass, vibrant leaves and sheltering trees makes me want to retreat into that sweet haven for the whole of spring. But saving water and energy in your garden is something we should all take more care to do. …
Greenwashing: products that dont live up to the label
Posted by Anna Carlini on 29 March 2017 at 4:40 pm
Here at YouGen we love products that are environmentally friendly, and use less energy. But we do expect them to live up to expectations. We have a problem with products that do not match what they promise on the tin. We’ve covered cases where products are misleadingly advertised in our blo…
Can you charge your electric car from a lamp post?
Posted by Gabby Mallett on 27 March 2017 at 5:09 pm
Well actually you can’t, unless you happen to live in Onslow Gardens in Kensington, but some residents there can. Back in December the Government made £2.5m of funding available via its On-street Residential Chargepoint Scheme, which enabled Local Authorities to install charge p…
Show Homes will inspire domestic retrofit finds study
Posted by Gabby Mallett on 24 March 2017 at 2:40 pm
The main purpose of Show Homes is to inform and inspire. In a recent study, we found that they can be used very effectively to raise public awareness of energy efficiency and renewable energy measures, and generate interest among visitors who might then go on to install similar measures in their …
Are smart meters overcharging?
Posted by Gabby Mallett on 14 March 2017 at 11:23 am
I know I have written much about how great smart meters could be. They will help us to get rid of the antiquated idea of estimated bills, they will make is easier for everyone to see where they are using energy and they will make it much much easier for people to switch supplier. But all of…
Green open homes are inspiring people to action
Posted by Gordon Glass on 3 March 2017 at 11:40 am
The inspirational value of SuperHomes and other green open home initiatives was crystalized this week following a UK Green Building Council report. As reported by the BBC, 25 million UK homes must be insulated to achieve the government’s stated goal of an 80% cut in UK carbon emissions …
Pay-as-you-save home refurb set for relaunch after sale of Green Deal loan book?
Posted by Gabby Mallett on 26 January 2017 at 1:21 pm
I can’t remember how many blogs have a written on Green Deal, but I know it’s an awful lot. I was heavily involved with it in the early days, working with big organisations who intended to become Green Deal Providers, working with DECC (now BEIS) to help them to analyse how all …
How will data collected from smart meters help us?
Posted by Jason Ramsdale on 20 January 2017 at 11:50 am
The smart grid revolution is coming, whether you like it or not. With smart meters due in every home by 2020 some of us may be wondering why all this data needed, who will benefit and what risks come with it? We've tried to answer some of these kinds of questions in this blog. What is in …
What does embodied energy mean?
Posted by Alex Barrett on 9 January 2017 at 1:30 pm
We often worry about how much energy it takes to use an appliance or gadget. We can save a considerable amount of energy by being careful how we use our devices, but domestic energy use is just one part of a much larger problem. What about the energy it takes to make that gadget in the first plac…
Does filling your fridge make it more efficient?
Posted by Alex Barrett on 6 January 2017 at 5:10 pm
It has been suggested that a full fridge is more energy efficient than an empty one. Many advice sites actually recommend filling up the excess space in your fridge with bottles of water in order to make it run more efficiently. Unfortunately this is a myth. Let’s examine why this is, and w…
Workouts to watts: does all the energy we produce in exercise have to go to waste?
Posted by Trish O'Flynn on 5 January 2017 at 1:05 pm
It’s 2017 and for many of us the number one New Year’s resolution is to get fit or at least burn off the Christmas excesses. But should all that energy we produce in exercise go to waste? As new gym memberships peak in January YouGen is taking a timely look at the potential for gyms t…
Self-driving cars could save energy
Posted by Alex Barrett on 23 November 2016 at 11:30 am
In 2014 transport accounted for 38% of the UK’s final energy consumption [1]. The majority of this was due to the use of road vehicles, both for private transport and for business. Cars account for a considerable fraction of the greenhouse gasses we emit. As roads get more congested the…
Was switching my energy supplier worth it?
Posted by Gabby Mallett on 21 November 2016 at 11:05 am
OK, so I switched a little while ago and I wanted to tell you how painless it has all been. The new supplier, Bulb, wrote to me almost immediately to welcome me to their new community. They introduced me to their website where I will be able to post meter readings to keep track of my usage (w…
I switched energy supplier and saved
Posted by Gabby Mallett on 3 November 2016 at 10:05 am
The first thing I had to do was work out how much energy I had used last year. That wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be as, rather helpfully, my current energy provider does give me an annual statement and puts on each month’s bill a note of my previous year’s energy us…
Energy vampires are real and exist in your home!
Posted by Jason Ramsdale on 28 October 2016 at 9:50 am
Vampire draw, phantom loads and no-load power are all terms used to refer to the phenomenon of electricity being consumed by appliances that are “switched off” or in "stand-by mode". These appliances can run up your electricity bill and can easily add up to a hundred po…
It is energy switching time again
Posted by Gabby Mallett on 24 October 2016 at 2:20 pm
As we approach winter, and most of you will already have turned your heating on, I wonder how many of you are thinking about switching. Why would you want to have your most costly months on that stupidly high tariff you are paying because you haven’t bothered to shop around? In the su…
Will energy scavenging be the next big thing? Let's stomp!
Posted by Alex Barrett on 18 October 2016 at 1:05 pm
The field of “energy scavenging” or “harvesting” is all about capturing the small amounts of energy that are constantly going to waste [1, 2]. Most tasks produce excess heat, light, vibrations and movement, which mostly goes to waste. A variety of innovative technologies h…
Are electric cars the future?
Posted by NEF Gabby on 23 September 2016 at 12:06 pm
The electric car debate has been a long and contested road, with questions still remaining unanswered about the ability Electric Vehicles (EVs) have to reshape society and replace our gas guzzling needs. Aerospace engineer and Motorsport fan Lukas Willcocks has test driven a number of electric ve…
How a car fanatic transformed his 1960s home for greater efficiency
Posted by NEF Gabby on 22 September 2016 at 2:05 pm
You might think that the worlds of fast cars and home refurbishment are miles apart, but aerospace engineer and motorsports fan Lukas Willcocks sees a focus on high performance in common. Getting more ‘miles per gallon’ out of your home Like in the automotive industry, energy …
There is magic to the fabric: going all out with insulation
Posted by NEF Gabby on 13 September 2016 at 9:55 am
As summer fades into the distant past we all know that the cold months of the year will soon be upon us, but turning up the heating isn’t the only action you can take to keep warm at home this winter. In a recent interview with SuperHome owner Ian Mawditt, he told us how he took a fabric-fi…
How can smart controls help you get more out of a SuperHome?
Posted by NEF Gabby on 9 September 2016 at 2:50 pm
As technology forms an increasingly central part of our lives, more of us are considering how we can use it to exercise more control of our homes. Chris and Lucy Ronketti are already ahead of the game, and thinking ‘smart controls’ in their SuperHome. Smart heating control Chri…
What works when planning a major refurbishment project?
Posted by Idalia Dawidowska on 30 August 2016 at 11:30 am
My partner and I bought our three bed end of terrace Edwardian house in Chorlton cum Hardy, Manchester, in February 2014. The house had a reasonable Energy Performance rating of 58 (band C) but was in need of a major refurbishment. At this point we weren’t thinking much about energy efficie…
What can you do to make an old cold home a cosy home?
Posted by NEF Gordon on 24 August 2016 at 1:45 pm
AgeUK estimate every winter in England and Wales 25,000 older people living in poorly heated homes succumb to the cold. The onslaught of cold conditions can often take many by surprise and can leave us feeling poorly prepared and suffering as a result. Leicester homeowner, Zina Zelter, believes t…
Is boarding a loft with LoftZone the easier option?
Posted by Alex Barrett on 23 August 2016 at 9:45 am
Loft insulation is a vital component of any energy efficient house, but installing the recommended 270mm of loft insulation can cut into storage space. One way to get around this is to add extra joists, or to use a dedicated system like LoftZone, so you can board above the recommended depth of in…
Changes on the way for Domestic Energy Assessments?
Posted by Linn Rafferty on 11 August 2016 at 2:05 pm
I am a co-director of the Green Deal Advisor Association (GDAA), originally established to explore opportunities for domestic energy assessors (DEAs) within the previous government’s Green Deal scheme. Recently, GDAA’s auditing work for Ofgem has confirmed something that we probably a…
Are tumble dryers energy guzzlers?
Posted by Gabby Mallett on 8 August 2016 at 4:56 pm
We all know that drying outside is the cheapest and most energy efficiency means of getting our clothes dry. Even if it's pretty cold outside you can still feel some benefit from this as the wind aids evaporation. Even in really cold weather I will put clothes outside for a while before bring…
Could home refurbishment be the key to a comfortable retirement?
Posted by Richard Vale on 29 July 2016 at 2:50 pm
As a generation of baby boomers look towards retirement, new thoughts and concerns begin to fill their minds. One consideration that should not be missed is the need to keep warm, healthy and comfortable at home. Keeping out the cold, or rather, keeping in the heat, has been at the forefront …
June 2016 the hottest on record - climate change calls for action
Posted by Gabby Mallett on 22 July 2016 at 2:08 pm
The Climate is changing and we need to do something about it. There have been horror stories all over the media this week about raising global temperatures, with records falling like dominos. January 2016 – hottest on record February 2016 – hottest on rec…
Energy price comparison sites may now just show deals earning them commission
Posted by Sandra Hayes on 13 July 2016 at 2:35 pm
Thanks to a recent ruling of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) you are going to find it harder to find a cheaper fuel supplier using a price comparison website. Until the release of the report on 24th June 2016 all price comparison sites had to show all the deals available. This include…
Should we bring back window shutters?
Posted by Alex Barrett on 11 July 2016 at 12:05 pm
If you had walked down the street in the middle of the nineteenth century window shutters would have been a common sight. In the days before double glazing they are an important way of cutting heat loss through windows. These days’ shutters are rarely fitted. Windows are much better at keep…
5 tips to save energy when renting
Posted by Anna Carlini on 5 July 2016 at 10:40 am
The UK is currently going through a boom in renting. Many families, couples and young people may never own their own home, but privately rent from landlords. Young people are so unlikely to have their own property that they are now being called "Generation Rent". Whilst renting it is ve…
Ten Tips for energy efficient cooking
Posted by Alex Barrett on 13 June 2016 at 11:10 am
Cooking uses a lot of energy. Uswitch report that “The cost of cooking accounts for about 4% of the average gas and electricity bill.” Other estimates can be even higher. Luckily there are a lot of things we can do to reduce energy use in the kitchen. Here are our ten tips for energy …
Zero Carbon Homes policy axed despite opposition from the Lords
Posted by Alex Barrett on 17 May 2016 at 11:05 am
The government has succeeded in scrapping the Zero Carbon Homes policy, despite opposition in the House of Lords. Last week we reported on the attempt by the lords to reinstate some of the zero carbon homes measures in an amendment to the housing and planning bill. This sparked additional deb…
Energiesprong aims to revolutionise retrofit in the UK
Posted by Anna Carlini on 11 May 2016 at 12:40 pm
Would you like your home transformed into a net-zero energy house, generating its own energy, all retrofit in less than a week and at no upfront cost to yourself? Well Energiesprong may become the answer to your prayers. What is Energiesprong? Energysprong, meaning “energy lea…
Only one quarter of goods sold online have correct energy labels
Posted by Anna Carlini on 11 April 2016 at 10:20 am
A recent study found that just one quarter of products sold and bought online in the UK had correct energy labels. One in five were not labelled at all. Therefore, despite a consumer’s best efforts, they may not be getting the deal they expect. Energy performance ratings are important i…
The architect's crystal ball: 2016 a year when wind turbines will be out and solar panels in!
Posted by Anna Carlini on 7 April 2016 at 2:15 pm
Sustainability is hot right now in the world of architecture and is expected to only increase in popularity. The RIBA Future Housing Design Trends survey gives architects' predictions for 2016 as well as comparing demand for various home features in 2015 with that of 5 years ago. It…
Increase in VAT on energy saving products postponed
Posted by Alex Barrett on 31 March 2016 at 10:40 am
Amendments to the 2016 budget have removed controversial increases in the rate at which a variety of energy saving measures including solar panel installation are taxed [1, 2]. A variety of energy saving measures have long benefited from lower rates of VAT, being taxed at five percent, rather…
'All that glisters is not gold' in the world of switching energy supplier
Posted by David Dean on 24 March 2016 at 12:05 pm
Recently, my energy supplier contacted me to remind me that my contract was coming to an end. Rather helpfully, they clearly laid out the various alternatives that were available to me: • Sign up to the new, cheaper deal they were offering – providing me with a saving of £89 …
