Be aware of what things cost to run

HELLO AGAIN, in the next five years there will be smart metering in all houses, according to Energy Minister Eamon Ryan. This is where the electricity usage will be monitored, showing how and when your electricity is been used.

I would say that in time the rates will change at different times of the day, to try and take the pressure off the national grid. At the moment from five to seven in the evening the grid is under pressure to supply all the electric needs to the people. So it will be important to manage your electricity usage.

Last week in the column I touched on the different kilowatts (kWh) used by different things. It is important to understand how much electricity is used to power any appliance. A good indicator is the energy rating on appliances, 'A' rating being the best 'G' being the worst. 'A' rated appliances will cost more when you buy them but the saving they give over their life time will more than cover the initial cost difference. The difference between an 'A' rated and a 'D' rated appliance could be as much as 55% more expensive to run.

There are products out there that show how much electricity you are using at any given time. So as you turn on an appliance the rate will change, showing what each appliance is costing to run. These monitors show the kilowatts per hour, the cost in euro's per hour and the green house gases in kilograms per hour, usage at that moment.

 

This is a wireless devise that has a sender box connected to your meter reading box which allows you to walk around the house with a remote monitor, as you turn things on and off it will show the cost so you realise what things cost to run.

 

It is also handy to use as a safety device, you will get to know how much your home cost to run when every thing is turned off (your fridge and circulation pumps will be left on). So if you leave the monitor at the door you normally leave the house through, you will get to know that it should be at, for example 1.5cent per hour. Then if you see it up at around 30-40 cent per hour you could have an iron left on or something that could be a fire risk.

I use this monitor myself at home; I find it a great gadget. The whole family are now aware of what things cost to run. The kids try to get it as low as they can; it's nearly like a competition with them, to see who can get it the lowest.

They are retailing at €49.95 + €9.95 postage and packing (€59.90).

There is a special offer to Kilkenny Alive reader's €45 + €9.95 postage and packing (€54.95), or €75 fitted.

If you are interested in buying an Electric Monitor you can e-mail me at info@thermaloss.ie.

I got some e-mails from people during the week; I hope I can help with these answers:

 

Martina in Urlingford "Is there any danger of a house being too air tight?"

 

Yes there is, a house needs to be able to breath. If a house is to air tight you could have a build up of mould, condensation, dry rot, odours etc. these could become a problem and cause your house to deteriorate more rapidly than a house that is able to breath.

It needs to be able to expel moisture and other gases from inside and take a supply of fresh air from outside.

How can you tell if a house is to air tight?

• The air inside your house is stuffy and stale.

• Excessive condensation on your windows

• The pilot light on your gas appliance keeps going out.

• The smell of exhaust gases is present in your home. Although you can not smell carbon monoxide, other exhaust gases do have an odour.

If you see these signs contact a certified heating contractor or a ventilation specialist to check your home.

It is unlikely that any house built without any special effort to air seal it would be too air tight. At the end of the day it is important to get the balance right in your home, not too draughty and not too air tight.

 

Francis in Wicklow "Which is the best type insulation?"

How long is a piece of string? springs to mind! There are so many different types of insulation, it is impossible to say one type is best. Simply, because certain insulations are better for different applications. The one rule of thumb is to check what the k-value is on the product, and then calculate the u-value. Then the cost becomes a factor, so I can't give a general answer but I will go into more detail in the coming weeks about this topic.

The lower the k-values on these products the better;

Hopefully these helped you out.

I must sign off now but you can check in next week for more energy saving news. Don't forget if you have any questions you can e-mail me on info@thermaloss.ie and I will try to include them in my column

 

 

 

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