save energy
Find out more with these useful links for home owners and businesses
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Live energy source dashboard for the UK
(Business links at bottom of page)
Warm this Winter Campaign
Warm This Winter is a new campaign demanding the government acts now to help people struggling with energy bills this winter and to ensure we all have access to affordable energy in the future.
The government needs to act to lower energy bills now and in the future.
Severn Wye
Severn Wye Energy Agency is a sustainability charity working towards the basic human needs of warmth, good health, and a safe home now, and promoting energy efficiency and low-carbon energy for the future. Severn Wye work with people to overcome fuel poverty and act on climate change by putting energy at the heart of everything they do. Energy saving tips.
related news
News related to to renewable energy from the Guardian
Latest updates from Renewable UK Cymru - a good source for news relating to Wales.
guides & advice
get help with your utility bills
(Wales) https://www.gov.wales/get-help-your-utility-bills Financial support and advice to help you with your utility bills.
energy at home
retrofitting
Find out about support and funding that is currently available to householders within Wales.
Cartrefi Clyd (Welsh for Cosy Homes) offer a subsidised service to help homeowners make their properties fit for the future, whilst managing the challenges associated with retrofit. Put simply, retrofit means applying improvements to your home to make it as clyd as possible. Community Energy Wales members have been busy setting up a service offering retrofit advice - to ensure that your home is as cosy, efficient and kind to the planet as possible. You will find information here on retrofit support and funding, along with case studies of how to retrofit different types of homes.
efficiency
UK Gov. Guide https://www.gov.uk/improve-energy-efficiency
If you own a property in England or Wales you can get recommendations for home improvements that could make your property cheaper to heat and keep warm.
For each recommendation you can see:
an estimated cost of making the improvement
how much you could save on your bills
next steps if you want to make the improvement
A comprehensive homeowner's guide to maximising energy efficiency currently and beyond - https://www.cotswoldco.com/homeowners-guide-to-energy-efficiency/index.html
how much does electricity and gas cost?
Between 1 January and 30 March 2025, Ofgem’s energy price cap is 25p per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity and 6p per kWh for gas.
During this time, typical households in England, Scotland and Wales will pay around £1,738 annually on energy bills. This is £21 more than under the previous energy price cap. See the Energy Saving Trust for useful detail on lowering costs for domestic users.
Making your home more eco friendly and lowering climate impact - guides and saving electricity https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/energy-at-home/
From Which? 10 ways to save on energy bills
Effective ways to make your home more energy efficient and save money on gas and electricity https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/cutting-your-energy-bills/article/how-to-save-on-your-energy-bill/10-ways-to-save-on-energy-bills-aX2RS8b8llMR
Choose a renewable energy generating supplier – and support renewable energy production whilst reducing C02 emissions. It takes only ten minutes to switch. Check out… https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/energy/shopping-guide/gas-electricity
Choose between a ‘green power supply’ (where the electricity company ensures that for every unit of electricity used, the same amount of green electricity is generated) or a ‘green fund’ (where the company takes the extra that you pay on your bill and invests the money in renewable energy projects). Check if there is a supply from a local community source.
Sustainable Wales have used suppliers such as ‘Good Energy’ as their supplier (100% renewable energy).
Buy energy efficient products – low-energy (LED) light bulbs, fridges, washers and other gadgets becoming available. Check Energy Saving Trust’s and Ethical Consumer’s websites to see guidance to energy efficiency: Energy Saving Trust and www.ethicalconsumer.org
Go Compare energy cost calculator for appliances - Ever wondered whether it’s cheaper to run a gas or electric oven? Or how about an electric blanket for 3 hours versus turning the heating on for 30 minutes? Well now you can find out.
11 Steps to smart heating Ethical Consumer - “When we talk about smart heating, we mean using systems that allow you to heat your home only when and where it’s needed. By controlling your heating systems via your home wifi, it can delay your heating if you’re going to be late home or choose only to heat the kitchen if that’s the only room you’ll be using. “
Reducing internet use - Globally these emissions are on a par with aviation c.1 billion tonnes greenhouse gases p.a. Remove amount of unnecessary data use, storage and data waste: Clickclean.org. Green Web Foundation. Ethical.net ‘How to reduce your internet carbon footprint’. Jack Lenox’s talk ‘How better-performing websites can help save the planet’ Information on global internet energy use: https://www.energyhelpline.com/help/a-guide-to-global-internet-energy-usage
Measuring your Carbon footprint, try the calculator at https://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx and https://footprint.wwf.org.uk/#/
devices - mobile phones
Repairability rating of mobile phones from ifixit.
Fairphone - “Designed to last, with fair and recycled materials. iFixit score: 10 out of 10. The Fairphone 4 has been awarded a perfect score for repairable design. Fairtrade gold certified. We’re the first and only smartphone company to integrate Fairtrade gold into our supply chain.”
using refurbished mobile phones
“Attributing carbon impact to multiple users of the same product is a methodological exercise that we won’t explore here, but suffice to say, it doesn’t paint a clear picture to guide purchasing decisions. One thing is crystal clear though: the longer a consumer uses its smartphone, the lower its carbon impact. This principle applies to buying both new and refurbished phones. The average estimated use period of a smartphone is 2-3 years, meaning anyone in the market for a new smartphone should aim to use the device for at least 3-4 years, and ideally as long as it continues to receive critical updates and keeps up with its applications.” More information (Carbon Trust Dec 2024).
reduce, repair, reuse, recycle
Repair Cafe Wales logo
Repair Cafe Wales “Repair Cafe Wales is a registered Charity (1210850) supporting pop up events held on regular dates where the local community can get their broken household items repaired for free by volunteers. It’s a social way to combat the general frustration with wasted materials, resources and a loss of skills.
The types of things we fix include clothes, household electrics, technology, woodwork, children’s toys, furniture, bikes.
We recognise that the shift of humanity into a throw-away society is not a sustainable one.
Committed to opening repair cafes in every town, village, city and suburb in Wales, we are focusing our energies on nurturing a cleaner, more sustainable world whilst our communities are inclusive and safe environments for people of all ages and backgrounds to share knowledge, skills, and to generally connect.”
electric vehicles
Changing to an electric vehicle?
https://electriccarguide.co.uk/ research, information and guidance for new EV owners. This site supports owners with educational guides and resources to help them transition from petrol cars to electric cars.
The Next Decade of Electric Cars: What You Should Know - https://www.autotrader.co.uk/cars/electric/future-of-electric-cars/
As governments push to reduce carbon emissions, electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming more accessible and viable options for consumers whilst also balancing the need to protect the environment.
The guide shares useful information such as:
A good overview of EVs - including a look at its history from the very first electric car in the 1800s to the hybrids and Teslas of our modern era.
The environmental and economic benefits of driving an electric car and what the upcoming 2030 petrol and diesel car ban will mean for consumers.
Advice for owning electric vehicles - including costs (taxes, insurance, servicing, resale values), government subsidies for EVs, and tips charging at home or for long journeys.
The future technologies and developments we can look forward to as electric vehicles become mainstream.
Here are a few interesting statistics found on the guide:
Travelling 100 miles can be 850% cheaper in an electric vehicle vs. a petrol or diesel engine car.
As many as 6.5 million people (24% of UK consumers) plan on owning an electric car by 2026.
There are now over 515,000 electric cars registered in the UK as of 2021.
See below for a commercial vehicles alternative fuels guide… in the SME & Business section
community energy
“Communities are creating a radical alternative to our fossil fuel driven energy supply. So what is community energy, and how can consumers support it?
Community energy can give us control over our energy supply. It can create local jobs, lower energy bills and stronger community ties.” Ethical Consumer - What is Community Energy? ‘Community energy’ is when citizens work together to build renewables or support households in reducing their consumption. It often refers to community-led generation projects, for example a wind farm or solar panel project which members of the community part or fully own.
Energy Saving Trust - guide to renewables
Welsh Government renewable toolkit The Wales Community Renewable Energy Toolkit has been developed to help community groups take forward the development of renewable energy projects. It is designed to be accessible to people with different levels of understanding of the technology, project development, financial and legal issues.
Community Energy Projects: UK Government: A guide aimed at local groups who are interested in setting up a community energy project.
Friends of The Earth Cymru - Community energy topics
Community Energy Wales Community Energy Wales is a not for profit membership organisation that has been set up to provide assistance and a voice to community groups working on energy projects in Wales.
good practice in the real world - Eco Homes
An example of a renewable cluster in Wales (you can almost see it from our office!) Cenin Renewables where Solcer house is based. Solcer house was designed by Cardiff University to be the UK’s first purpose-built, low-cost energy smart house, capable of exporting more energy to the national electricity grid than it uses.
Eco-homes become hot property in UK's zero-carbon ‘paradigm shift’ Guardian article
SME & business support for energy saving
An SME’s guide to reducing your carbon footprint and environmental impact (RMS)
UK Business Climate Hub - Reduce energy costs and cut carbon: it's good for business
The FSB Sustainability Hub for small businesses (very good guides for reducing your environmental impact and lowering costs).
The British Business Bank has a wealth of information and guides on how to create a sustainable business and prepare for green growth. Take action with their green business guides, jargon busters and helpful explainers. Find out what Net Zero actually means with their Green Decoder. This online guide has been co-created with Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Trent University to help smaller businesses decipher the terminology surrounding decarbonisation.
A guide to alternative fuels for commercial use https://courierexchange.co.uk/blog/alternative-fuels-explained/
“Emissions from petrol and diesel vehicles are a significant source of the world’s air pollution, which is why many drivers are looking into alternative fuel sources to reduce their carbon footprint. With the UK government’s Net Zero Strategy, reducing fuel emissions is on the agenda as it becomes a target to decarbonise all sectors of the UK economy by 2050.
As a result, alternative fuels are rising in popularity. These are fuels other than petroleum or diesel that can power vehicles but have a lower carbon footprint. We break down six alternative fuels for vehicles to determine which are the best options for the environment.”
Carbon footprint guide for business (Carbon Trust). This introductory guide is designed to help businesses understand organisational and product carbon footprinting.
related organisations
March 2016 - a smarter energy future for Wales report briefing (National Assembly for Wales - download for full report below)
downloads
A Smarter Energy Future for Wales report - National Assembly for Wales. March 2016 - PDF 5.5mb
Call for Small Scale Renewable Energy Proposals March 2017
Institute of Welsh Affairs: Re-energising Wales - Funding renewable energy projects in Wales (PDF download)
Resources from the 2017 Transition Bro Gwaun Renew Wales Regional Event (Coastal Energy Event)
Downloads
Community energy Orkney presentation - ppt
TBG Tidal energy project presentation (MSL) - ppt
Pembroke dock marine final summary (marine energy) - PDF
REVCymru electric car share club notes - doc
Complete set of notes and presentations from the event (zipped archive c.15mb)
Questions to ask decision-makers about community energy
- to ask politicians/policy makers Word document (English) and Word document (Cymraeg)
Please note we don’t accept article link proposals from commercial companies (such as listicles or advertorials with referral links).
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