What is an EPC certificate?

The obvious answer is that it is an Energy Performance Certificate.

But what does it actually do? I'm not sure! On the form it says:-

Use this document to:-

• Compare current ratings of properties to see which properties are more energy efficient
• Find out how you can save energy and money by installing improvement measures

I have just had mine done and have scored 52 points with a potential to rise to 66 points so my property is rated E (band 39-54) and could get into a D (band 55-68) and the top actions I can take to save money and make my home more efficient are:-

• Increase loft insulation to 270mm at an indicative cost of £100-£350 and gain 2 points
• Solar water heating at an indicative cost of £4000-£6000 and gain 3 points
• Solar photovoltaic panels (2.5 kWp) at an indicative cost of £9000-£14000 and gain 6 points
• Wind turbine at an indicative cost of £1500-£4000 and gain 3 points

These recommendations are all well and good but the only realistic one is to increase loft insulation but gaining 2 points still leaves me in band E and at an estimated saving of £74 per annum and assuming maximum cost there is a 5 year payback and joy of joys I could borrow money through the Green Deal at an exorbitant rate of 7%!

The other options, my house points the wrong way to benefit from anything solar - my roof is east/west facing and I only get the afternoon sun and then only in summer, and with a smallish garden I don't have any where to put a wind turbine unless I put one in with my llamas and dog lots of trenches which add to the cost quite significantly.

Not sure any of this will actually make my house more sellable anyway!

What do you think?

Multiheat are specialists in far infrared heating panels!

When did they last take your meter reading?

I have just had my annual electricity bill - they didn't take a meter reading last year & they haven't taken a meter reading this year - they have taken a bit of a guess at it!

If I remember rightly, last year the guess was pretty accurate, I suspect because the quarter before the end of the year they did actually take a meter reading, but not having taken one since this years guess is hopelessly out - nearly £300 out!

I tried to enter a meter reading online, and they obviously don't believe it as it was rejected, and I now await someone to contact me, probably to arrange someone to come and take a meter reading! It does mean that I will take a bit more seriously the request to take meter readings regularly throughout the year so that the bill becomes a bit more accurate!

Now, what should I spend that £300 on?

Multiheat are specialists in far infrared heating panels!

How many times a day do you boil your kettle?

More to the point do you boil too much water in your kettle when you do?

A big outflow of tweets yesterday in my timeline (you can find me on Twitter HERE) about the number of times that you boil the kettle each day and whether you only boil enough water for your needs or whether you always fill the kettle regardless!

Some £68 million pounds worth of energy is wasted each year by kettles boiling unneeded water (according to some news website I read yesterday)!

I boil a kettle for 3 to 4 times a day for my allotted cups of tea - always add a little extra water, but not too much - and at weekends I might have one more! A sort of treat!

Are you wasting money by boiling too much water - is it second nature always to fill up the kettle regardless?

Multiheat are specialists in far infrared panel heaters!

Is Summer finally here?

Actually no it isn't - here we are waiting patiently for those natural infrared rays to appear, warm us up and dry things out - but we are still living in a cloud, a light fog, a mist, a mizzle or whatever you want to call it, it is still wet & miserable!

I am assured that it will turn up some time this afternoon - the sun that is - and we can be forever hopeful!

In the meantime there are plenty of brochure requests to deal with, a quote to get out as well sorting out the dreaded VAT return!

Enjoy the sun when it comes out & watch out for the nasty ultra violet rays - they're the ones that do the damage!

Multiheat is a specialist in supplying far infrared heating panels!

I learned something new yesterday!

Well, they say you learn something new everyday but yesterday I learned why my iPhone battery loses power so quickly when I am off travelling away from home.

Apparently it's all the "Apps" wanted to push and pull notifications and to access the internet constantly. I was shown how to disable the Apps & I was amazed at how many are open doing stuff that I haven't used for ages!

Time for a clean out methinks!

Multiheat specialise in supplying far infrared heating panels!

Win a £5 Amazon voucher!

We are running a competition on our facebook page - HERE!

All you have to do is to like and share our photograph from yesterday!

No catches, that's it!

We are going to run one competition a week during July, so keep checking!

Thankyou

Multiheat is a company that specialises in far infrared heating panels!

Do you take a dog to work with you?

These two little pups are play fighting in the office while I try & concentrate on getting on with work.

I normally have just the one - Lladdie (the one on the right) - and he is very good at reminding me every 40 minutes or so that we need a break for 5 minutes so that we can concentrate so much better when we return!

Today is one of those days where concentration is required as I have so much to get through - including writing this blog - and people awaiting for responses!

In the meantime have you checked out the new "Request Free Brochure" button on our website?