Run down your living costs with a new home

With hikes in energy prices becoming an increasing concern, homeowners need to be more savvy than ever when it comes to energy saving in the home and cutting down on running costs. George Wimpey has teamed up with the Energy Saving Trust to offer homeowners tips when it comes to keeping their energy bills down.

Mat Colmer from the Energy Saving Trust says: "Worry over the state of the economy, the increase of energy bills and the impact of the ‘credit crunch' are never far from householders minds. However, saving energy in the home can help by saving up to £340 per year on utility bills as well as reducing our impact on the environment. Whether it's getting advice on the simple measures you can do, doing a home energy check or getting information on the grants available to you, people should give our network of advice centres a call to find out what they can do today!"

Cavity wall and loft insulation come as standard in all George Wimpey homes as well as double glazing, meaning that fuel bills are instantly reduced when compared to older homes. There's also a full layer of insulation beneath concrete floors to prevent cold and damp rising and eating into fuel costs. So when it comes to energy efficiency, there couldn't be a better time to buy.

New properties have long claimed benefits over old in terms of energy efficiency and a recent independent assessment*, revealed just how much homeowners could save by buying new. Using Energy Performance Certificates the study highlighted that those living in a new home could use 55% less energy, save 65% on heating, lighting and hot water bills and generate 72% less CO2 emissions than those living in an older property. One of the most striking differences came in the cost of heating the home which totalled just £241 in the new house, compared to £947 in the older property.

George Wimpey sales and marketing director Debbie Whittingham comments: "We are encouraging anyone who is looking to reduce their monthly energy bills to consider buying a new home. This could significantly reduce the amount spent on both fuel bills and maintenance costs. As we are currently offering a range of special discounts and packages, moving home could be easier than you might think!"

Top Tips For Running Down Your Costs

* The average household wastes £37 each year by leaving appliances on standby. Switch it off at the plug!
* If you can control the radiators in each room independently (i.e. they have their own Thermostatic Radiator Valve - TRV on wet central heating, or on/off switches or timers on electric radiators) make sure you turn them off in any un-occupied rooms. You can set timers on electric radiators so they come on a short while before you need the room, or go in a little while before you need to use the room and turn the TRV back on if you have wet central heating.
* If everyone boiled only the water they needed to make a cup of tea instead of filling the kettle every time, we could save enough electricity in a year to run the UK's street lighting for 7 months.
* Washing clothes at 30 degrees instead of a higher temperature uses around 40 per cent less electricity, saving around £11 per year.
* Whole house recycling: It's common for people to recycle in the kitchen but forget other rooms. Recycle the waste from all the bins in your house. For example, if you can recycle plastic bottles then all plastic bottles can go into your collection, including shampoo bottles.
* Replacing one standard bulb with an energy saving bulb will save on average £3 a year, or up to £6 for brighter bulbs.
* Close your curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping through the windows.
* Always turn off the lights when you leave a room.
* A dripping hot water tap wastes energy and in one week wastes enough hot water to fill half a bath, so fix leaking taps and make sure they're fully turned off!
* Every bit helps - turn your thermostat down by 1 degree.

George Wimpey has a range of properties on offer across the North Yorkshire region.

For further information, log on to Georgewimpey.co.uk.

For free, independent and local energy saving advice, log on to Energysavingtrust.org.uk.