Energy Saving: Your Questions Answered

What happens when you put two energy experts in a room and ask them your questions about bills, energy, and the environment? We’re back for 2020 and we’re answering all the questions you asked while we were away. We cover insulation, triple glazing, the DECC, and celebrate the 2019 energy mix. If you have questions about energy saving, we have the answers.

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WHAT IS DECC?

DECC is the Department of Energy & Climate Change, a now defunct department of the British government. Controversially, DECC was scrapped and became part of Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy in July 2016. We’re wondering if it’s likely to come back any time soon.

 

WHAT IS TRIPLE GLAZING?

Put simply, triple glazing is 3 panes of glass instead of 1 or 2. The claim is that by having an extra pane, you will increase efficiency and reduce noise. We already know that double glazing makes a significant improvement over single glazing, but even so, upgrading from single to double glazing takes a long time to pay back in terms of energy efficiency. So would making the jump to triple glazing make that much of a difference?

 

WHAT IS A U-VALUE?

The U-value signifies the heat lost through a given thickness of a particular material. You don’t really need to understand the mechanics of how it is calculated; instead it is useful to be able to compare different substances by their U-values. The lower the U-value is, the better the material is as a heat insulator.

 

WHAT IS THE UK’S ENERGY MIX?

We haven’t had the full figures released yet for the last quarter of the year, but the first part of 2019 saw a significant shift towards renewbles, providing 38.9% of our electricity. Nuclear provided 18.4%, gas 38.8%, oil 2.9%, and coal 1%. 

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Read More:

• Internal and Cavity Wall Insulation (The Insulation Masterclass Series Pt 3)
• Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC)
• Triple glazing – Is it worth it?
• Should I get external wall insulation on cavity walls?