15 March 2010People living in Westerham and Crockham Hill have the chance to start making some summer energy savings by taking part in a free survey.
Sevenoaks District Council is writing to residents in the Westerham and Crockham Hill area over the coming days giving them the chance to take part in a free home energy efficiency survey by professional surveyors from the Kent Energy Centre.
The surveyors will advise on the best ways to reduce home energy consumption as well as offering discounted loft and cavity wall insulation where appropriate.
Surveyors will be available to carry out the surveys from 2 to 6 July, they will carry both a photo ID card and a letter from the Council confirming their identity.
Cllr Carol Clark, the Council Cabinet member with responsibility for home energy efficiency, says: "Being energy efficient means anything from turning lights off when you leave a room to ensuring your walls are properly insulated. These free surveys offer Westerham and Crockham Hill householders a great chance to make their own contribution to solving the problem of climate change and to ensure that wasted heat doesn’t mean wasted money."
Research carried out by the Energy Savings Trust shows that 35% of the heat lost in an uninsulated home is through the walls and that up to £160 on energy bills could be saved each year by insulating cavity walls. An insulated wall also saves 1 tonne of CO2 per year.
The Energy Savings Trust also estimates that loft insulation can save between £180 and £220 a year and that double glazing can reduce heat loss through windows by 50%, saving around £80 to £100 per year.
Loft Insulation can cost as little as £199 to install and normally pays for itself through lower fuel bills in one to three years. Residents who receive benefits may qualify for free insulation grants.
Homes which need cavity wall insulation will usually have been built between 1930 and 1976. Those built before 1930 may have solid walls, whereas those built after 1976 will usually have filled cavity walls. Although most houses already have some loft insulation, many have less than the recommended level of 270mm (or 11 inches). Kent Energy Centre can arrange for loft insulation to be topped up as well as installed for the first time.
Sevenoaks District Council is working in partnership with the Kent Energy Centre to carry out the surveys. The Kent Energy Centre is a non-profit organisation offering free and impartial energy efficiency advice to residents throughout Kent and is supported and part funded by local authorities from across the county.
For more information or to book a survey contact the Kent Energy Centre for free on 0800 358 6669 (lines open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) or e-mail enquiries@kentenergycentre.org.uk.
The surveys operate on a first come first served basis.
