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Cut your energy costsA homeowners guide toenergy performance improvements
planning a new bathroom
HOMEOW
NER
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Take the opportunity to install the
latest lighting technology to suit
your needs, tastes and tasks.
See page 4.
Lighting Save 3%
Wasted hot water is costing you.
Go for taps with low flow rates
and look into water efficient
appliances. See page 4 and 5.
Water Save 4%
Up to 15% of heat can be lost through the floor. If
you are replacing your bathroom suite, and your
bathroom is on the ground floor, or above a garage,
now is the best opportunity to insulate. See page 4.
Floor Save 6%
Typically up to 35% of heat is lost through walls.
Before installing the bathroom suite, internal wall
insulation can be fitted. This also minimises the
need for re-plastering. See page 6.
Walls Save 24%
A lot of unwanted draughts occur aroundwindows. Updating as well as draught
proofing will significantly reduce heat loss.
See page 6.
Windows Save 3%
Energy saving benefits wh
Assumptions: % savings are the maximum savings that can be achieved. Savings are based on the fuel bill saving
for the bathroom, not the whole house. All figures are based on a 3-bed semi-detached house.2
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Purchase and install the
most water efficient products.See page 4.
Water EfficientProduct Labelling
The savings from installing all these measures in your bathroom
will vary depending on shape, size and other features. They could
be approximately 54 per year for a typical mid-terrace house
and around 68 for a typical detached house.
Overall savings Save 37%
Ensure your bathroom has all gapsfilled where cold air can enter,
especially around water and waste
pipes. See page 4.
Draught proofing Save 2%
n planning a new bathroom
Your total carbon emissions
could decrease by up to 4%
for the whole house.
Overall carbon savingsSave 39%
It is financially beneficial to consider energy performance at the same time asyou are carrying out home improvements. It also prevents further disruptionsfollowing the refurbishment. The measures highlighted in this guide will saveyou money on your bills, help reduce the carbon emissions of your home andimprove its quality and comfort.
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4/104 Talk it over with your builder
Draught proofingThis is one of the cheapest and most efficientways you can save energy.
Its important to minimise unnecessary heatloss from draughts coming in through floors,walls, around service pipes and cables, andaround windows. Once a new bathroom suiteis installed, its very difficult to tackleunwanted draughts - so ensure your builder
is blocking even the smallest of gaps.
At the same time, you must maintain the rightlevels of ventilation in the bathroom to prevent
mould growth, or even damp. Good ventilationfrom an extractor fan will protect from dampwhich may occur if moisture is not vented out.There are a range of extractor fans availablebut discuss arrangements that best suit yourbathroom with your builder.
LightingYour lighting needs may change if you areupdating your layout, but it must comply withspecific criteria for bathrooms. But the adviceis always to opt for low energy lighting.
Low energy compact fluorescent lights (CFLs)save power, whilst performing as well astraditional bulbs. High-powered LEDs are nowwidely available, have improved dramatically
in recent years, and are particularly suited totask lighting and spotlights.
Floor
Few people consider the option of floorinsulation - even though it is an idealopportunity to prevent your feet gettingcold in winter.
About 15% of a homes heat loss is throughthe floor. If your bathroom is on the ground
floor, or above a garage then you shouldconsider insulating your floor as it will notbenefit from the heat of a downstairs room.Removal of your old bathroom will give easieraccess to insulate the floor.
Add energy efficient measur
Water Efficient ProductLabelling Scheme
The Bathroom Manufacturers Association hasreleased the Water Efficient Product Labelling
Scheme (WEPS). This label will help informthe purchase and installation of waterefficient products, and uses a simple fivepoint scale to indicate performance.
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Water efficiencyOver 25% of the average household heatingbill is spent on heating water, costing around200 per year. When planning changes toyour bathroom, consider water saving featureswhether you are refurbishing or installinga new suite.
ShowerIf space is tight, an over bath shower may
be more practical than installing a separatecubicle. Showering typically uses less waterthan bathing. This also means less energyis used to heat the water.
The most important thing is to choose theright products for your situation, so establishyour water pressure. If you have high waterpressure installing a flow restrictor on your
shower will save you water (NB. not suitablefor power showers). If you are looking to buya new shower head, accelerator products areavailable which use less water but give thesame bracing sensation produced by highflow rates.
If your property has gas water heating, itsbetter to avoid electric power showers as theyare typically more expensive to run. If you have
an electric shower you should not fit a flowregulator otherwise it may damage performance.
es as you improve your homeBath
New bath designs minimise the amount ofwater required, using up to 30% less waterthan traditional designs.
WCIf you are replacing your toilet, look for dualflush toilets which have a split flush button,so giving a choice of how much water isrequired to clear the toilet bowl. Otherwise,a dual-flush device can be fitted to yourexisting WC. Alternatively fit a hippo or asave-a-flush cistern displacement device
which are available free from water companies.
TapsChoose aerated or regulated flow taps.Aerated taps add air to the water flow, soyou use less water, but the pressure remainsthe same. Where sink taps or shower unitsare not being replaced, it is possible to fitflow regulators which often contain precisionmade holes, filters or flow aerators to better
regulate flow, are easy to install and do notcompromise on experience.
Discuss all options that best suit yourbathroom with your builder.
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6/106 Phone free for advice 0800 512 012
Windows
Here is a major source of heat loss. If youhave to replace them because of work toyour bathroom, you may be required tomeet certain specifications set down by2010 Building Regulations. Ask your builderfor more information.
What are the best windows available?Options include replacement double or
triple glazing, and secondary doubleglazing. As well as cutting draughts andcondensation, outside noise can be reduced- and the overall appearance of yourbathroom will be enhanced.
Your builder should be able to advise onyour individual situation. If you want to dosome research, the British FenestrationRating Council is a good place to startwww.bfrc.org
Just like appliances and houses,windows are rated on an A to Gscale. C-rated windowsare now a minimumrequirement inBuilding Regulations,but windows with a
higher rating willperform even better.
Walls
Up to 35% of heat escapes through walls -so adding insulation will be a big factor inmaking your home much more cosy. Internalwalls can be insulated on a room-by-roombasis. If you are replacing or refitting yourbathroom suite, upgrade the insulation whilethere is easy access to the walls.
You should be aware that 2010 Building
Regulations may require you to upgrade yourinsulation if old plaster needs removing, orif dry lining is being applied. Find out morefrom your builder or local building control.
What materials will be used?It comes down to cost and space. As technologyimproves, the range of insulation materials isincreasing. Because insulation only needs tobe fixed to the inside face of the external walls,it will take up a small amount of room space.
Anything else?If your home was built after 1920, thechances are it has cavity walls made of twolayers with a small gap between them. Theycan easily be filled with insulation.
If your cavities have not already been filled,you may be able to treat the whole house foraround 250 and save up to 110 per year onheating bills. There could be financial helpavailable. For information on grants seeenergysavingtrust.org.uk/gid
Houses with solid walls have no gap. So evenmore heat escapes than through cavity walls.External wall insulation and/or internal wallinsulation can be applied to the whole house
but the total cost is higher than for a housewith cavity walls.
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Useful sources of informationEnergy Saving Trust advisers can help you with grants and offers available in your area, as well asproviding a wide range of advice. See back page for more information. Other useful sources include:
Find a Builder or tradesperson through the Federation of Master Builders. fmb.org.uk/fab
The Planning Portal is the UK Governments online planning and building regulations resourcefor England and Wales. planningportal.gov.uk
Be inspired by Old Home SuperHome, a network of existing homes that have undergone an
energy-efficiency retrofit. sustainable-energyacademy.org.uk
Make an informed decision when choosing water efficient bathroom products.water-efficiencylabel.org.uk/consumer.asp
Steps to an energy efficient home
The information in this guide may have already prompted you to consider various energy efficient
measures to have done when you are upgrading your bathroom. Of course, you will need to factoradditional costs into your budget. However, by adding measures at the same time other work isbeing done allows you to future proof your home against energy price increases.
The bathroom is only one room within your home. Adding energy efficientmeasures as you refurbish each room will increase its overall efficiency making it more comfortable and gradually reducing your energy bills.In addition, you will also improve the overall EPC rating of your home,making it more attractive to a future buyer. Guides for the kitchen and
living spaces will help you achieve this. Other guides in the pipelineinclude loft conversions, and heating and hot water systems.
The kitchen guide will help you planrefurbishment work. If you are replacing units,it is the best opportunity to install internalwall insulation before the units are fixed. It willalso give you advice on other measures such aslighting, water and of course appliances.
The living spaces guide will help you planrefurbishment work to living areas such as lounge, dining room andbedrooms. You may notice some rooms are colder than others, orsusceptible to unwanted draughts. This makes it very difficult tomaintain temperatures in the winter. This guide will help you identifyways to reduce loss of heat, thereby making your living spacesmore comfortable.
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these savings but attention to detail is vital
to attaining maximum performance.
Rooms for improvement
up to
4%savings pa
up to
4%savings pa
up to
22%savings pa**
up to
6%savings pa*
up to
4%savings pa
up to
68%savings pa
up to
14%savings pa
This illustration gives you an idea of what can
be achieved throughout your whole house if youwere to make energy efficiency improvements
in every room.
The measures outlined in this guide show
the maximum cost savings. All recommended
measures need be installed to achieve
Visit energysavingtrust.org.uk 8
Assumptions: % savings are the
maximum savings that can be achieved.
All figures are based on a 3-bed semi-detached house.
* Loft conversions** Heating and hot water system
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The energy performance of your home
Talk it over with your builder 9
Many of the homes in the UK are old andinefficient. This means wasted energy and highfuel bills. Our homes also contribute to around25% of the UKs carbon dioxide emissions.
To help homeowners understand the energyefficiency of their homes, and the impact onthe environment, Energy PerformanceCertificates (EPCs) were developed.
The EPC provides an energy efficiency ratingfor the home on an A to G scale, just like therating you find on fridges and other householdappliances. The most energy efficient homewill have an A-rating, with the least efficient
having a rating of G.
A qualified energy assessor will carry out aninspection of your home and creates the EPC,which will show the rating for your home andsome recommendations.
There is a legal requirement to have an EPCwhen selling a property, even though HomeInformation Packs are no longer required.
A poor EPC may start to affect the value ofproperties, so it is worth considering takingsteps to make even small improvements.
How will upgrading my bathroom helpmy EPC?Although the EPC rating is based on thewhole property, a lot of energy is used in thebathroom. Carrying out all or some of therecommendations in this guide could help
improve the overall energy rating for thehome. In certain circumstances, a changefrom one band to another is possible.
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Freephone helpline: 0800 512 012
Grants and offers database: energysavingtrust.org.uk/gid
Compare products atenergysavingtrust.org.uk/Recommended
Calculate the cost of your water usage:energysavingtrust.org.uk/water
The Energy Saving Trust provides free and impartial advice on how tostop wasting energy. Our advisors can help you with grants and offersavailable in your area, as well as providing a wide range of advice.
Guides for buildersThere is an accompanying guide for builders that contains more detailed
information on achieving the measures set out in this guide. The full series
will also be developed for the builder.
Energy Saving Trust, 21 Dartmouth Street, London SW1H 9BP Tel: 020 7222 0101
energysavingtrust.org.uk
CE349 Energy Saving Trust July 2011. E&OE.Printed on Revive Silk which contains 75% de-inked post-consumer waste and a maximum of 25% mill broke.
Assumptions: any costs and savings in this guide are based on a 3-bed semi-detached house.
All savings are the maximum that can be achieved and relies all recommended measures installed, and
attention to detail is vital.
This publication is intended for general guidance only and not as a substitute for the application of professional
expertise. The Energy Saving Trust cannot accept responsibility for any loss, damage or other liability resulting
from such use. So far as the Energy Saving Trust is aware, the information presented in this publication was
correct and current at time of last revision.
