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Energy confidence

Join me, Phil Beardmore, on 17th December 2020 for the Green Homes Grant – Your Questions Answered webinar, in which you will learn about:

 

  • what is a heat pump and how does it work?
  • will a heat pump save money?
  • which insulation measures you can get through the Green Homes Grant?
  • how is solar thermal different from solar electricity?
  • will insulation increase the risk of condensation and damp?
  • what other energy saving products are available through the Green Homes Grant?
You will also find out:
  • who is eligible for the Green Homes Grant
  • what extra help is available to low-income homeowners
  • how thermal imaging can help spot where your home is wasting energy
  • how to make sure that energy saving measures don’t harm wildlife
  • what questions to ask an installer to make sure you are getting the energy saving products that you need, and not being mis-sold
  • how to work out if you are better off or not.
Including a Q&A session in which I will answer your questions on the Green Homes Grant.  

 

There will also be an Ask Me Anything session, in which you can ask me any energy-related question relating to your home or business.

The cost of attending this webinar is just £5.   All proceeds from this webinar will go to Anawim – Birmingham’s Centre for Women – https://anawim.co.uk/ You will be asked to pay £5 for the webinar. I will then pass on all proceeds to Anawim. (PayPal will deduct a few pence from your £5 – I will make up the difference).

 

 

 

If you are a member of Parity (www.parity.uk), then you can pay in Parity PTY.  The cost is £5 PTY.  Please click here to pay in Parity.

About me

Grinning at Moor Street Station

 

I am the West Midlands’ leading expert in:

  • energy saving
  • renewable energy
  • procurement of energy saving products
  • water saving.

My customers include householders, landlords, public bodies, small businesses, charities and coops.

I am independent and impartial.

Phil Beardmore, FRSA AIEMA.

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TESTIMONIALS

Nathalie Rush

Nathalie Rush

Phil is truly an expert in his field. I can understand why most people around the West Midlands choose to go to Phil for energy-saving consultancy. Phil has a thorough understanding of energy conservation and sustainable living. Would highly recommend.  Nathalie Rush, MD, Six Star Insulation.

Claire Spencer

Claire Spencer

His knowledge of community-led sustainability is second to none, and his perspective on local and national issues is invaluable to us. He adds value, and is everything a good consultant should be, and I would recommend him to anyone in our field  Claire Spencer, Sustainable Moseley.

Rosemary Coyne

Rosemary Coyne

It has been hugely inspiring to work with Phil.  While others talk, Phil gets on and does it.  Rosemary Coyne, Coordinator, Sustainable Housing Action Partnership

Ray Walker

Ray Walker

In working with Phil I have been impressed by his level of knowledge and enthusiasm. He has a vast array of contacts and has brought us into contact with other stakeholder in the energy business that would have been much more difficult to achieve without him. I am also struck by his commitment to supporting communities and the most vulnerable client groups.

Ray Walker, Disability Resource Centre

Karen McCarthy

Cllr Karen McCarthy

 

 

 

Phil Beardmore has a long association with Localise West Midlands and is a valued associate on environmental, housing and fuel poverty projects. 

He works with us both as an individual practitioner and leading multi-disciplinary teams on larger projects, delivering high quality results on time and on budget.

 Cllr Karen McCarthy, Localise West Midlands

By registering for this webinar, you agree that I can add your email address to my mailing list.  I will send you occasional emails, and won’t pass your email address on to anyone else.  You can unsubscribe at any time. 

sitting on sofa

 

The Green Homes Grant is a fantastic opportunity to reduce your household running costs and your greenhouse gas emissions.  Homeowners, and landlords, can apply for a voucher for two-thirds of the cost of eligible work, up to a maximum of £5,000.  Some low-income homeowners can get 100% funding up to a maximum of £10,000.

Every home is different, but there are some tips that everyone can follow:

  1. Where is your home wasting energy?  Most energy is usually wasted through the building fabric, mainly the walls and roof.  For this reason, you should start by using the Green Homes Grant for insulation measures such as roof insulation (including room-in-roof), cavity wall insulation, solid wall insulation, and under-floor heating.  These measures are eligible for the Green Homes Grant.  Thermal imaging is a good way of identifying how much heat is being lost through the building fabric. 
  2. No insulation without ventilation.  Most homes in the UK don’t have adequate ventilation, and this causes problems with air quality, and sometimes condensation and damp.  If you are adding insulation to your home, then it’s essential to add ventilation.  You can’t fund ventilation through the Green Homes Grant, which is a mistake in my view.  Ventilation can include air vents, low-energy extractor fans, or mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) which re-uses the heat from air passing in and out of your home.   
  3. Once you have insulated the walls and roof, then you could consider a form of renewable energy for heating your home, or hot water.  Heat pumps provide space heating, and some models can also heat your hot water.  Solar thermal is a simple and effective technology that uses the sun’s heat to pre-heat hot water for washing, reducing the amount of gas or electricity you need to use to heat water.   Biomass pellet boilers use wood pellets to provide space heating and hot water. All of these measures are eligible for the Green Homes Grant.
  4. Most homes in the UK are still using heating controls that were designed in the last century.  We are now two decades into the 21st Century and there have been great strides made in heating controls, including smart, remote controls that you can control with a smartphone or with household artificial intelligence gadgets.  Heating controls, along with thermostats, are eligible for the Green Homes Grant.
  5. If you have single glazed windows, then you can use the Green Homes Grant for double or triple glazing, or secondary glazing.  If you live in a conservation area and you aren’t allowed to install double glazing, then secondary glazing is a good way to increase thermal comfort.  This might be an option for people living in the Bournville area of Birmingham, for example, who aren’t allowed to replace their windows.
  6. Don’t make the mistake of having the same energy saving measures as one of your friends or neighbours.  Every home is different, and every household is different.  Putting the wrong energy saving measures in the wrong building can be an expensive mistake.  

If you need help deciding on how to use the Green Homes Grant, then I can give you impartial and personalised advice on what measures will give you the most cost-effective savings on fuel bills and greenhouse gas emissions for your home.  You will get a personalised advice report, and as an option, a thermal imaging report.  

If you’re a homeowner then book an energy advice package now so you can get on with your Green Homes Grant application.

If you’re a landlord or property manager then please contact me for a discussion about how I can work with you to decide what’s best for your property portfolio.  

 

 

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dining room

 

Are you thinking of getting an air source heat pump or ground source heat pump for your home?  Maybe using the Green Homes Grant that was announced in August 2020?  Or maybe you would like to heat your business premises with a heat pump?

A heat pump is like a fridge in reverse:

  • an air source heat pump uses electricity to remove heat from the air outside, and brings it into your building;
  • a ground source heat pump uses electricity to remove heat from the ground outside, and brings it into your building.

This video  from the USA will take you through the science if you need to know.

Here are my top tips for heat pumps
  1.  Your building needs to be very well insulated.  The roof and walls need to be insulated to at least the standard of the 2010 building regulations.  It’s best to insulate the floor too, if possible.  If your building isn’t adequately insulated then the excessive heat loss means that a heat pump could end up being too expensive to run.
  2. Check whether the heat pump you are considering is capable of providing hot water for washing, as well as space heating.  If it isn’t, then you will need a secondary source of hot water, such as an immersion heater.
  3. Get the best heating controls that you can.  Smart, zoned heating controls give you maximum control over heating your building, and maximum energy savings.  heat pump
  4. Heat pumps are most economical when they are replacing expensive fuels such as heating oil and electricity.  Switching from heating oil or electric radiators to a heat pump also gives the highest savings in greenhouse gas emissions.
  5. Make sure you shop around for the best electricity tariff to keep your fuel costs as low as possible.  Some suppliers, such as Octopus Energy, are now offering Agile tariffs through a smart meter, which are advantageous for people with heat pumps.
  6. Make sure your proposed installer has relevant accreditations such as Trust Mark and MCS Certified.
  7. Heat pumps are best as part of a whole-house approach to energy saving.  Make sure you take independent advice on how you can maximise energy savings in the whole building.  It’s advisable to take independent advice on choosing which heat pump is best for your home, and which installer to use.     
  8. If you need independent advice on heat pumps, or any aspect of energy saving in your home, then check out my advice packages for householder.  Businesses please click here

 

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