The latest solution to deal with current dramatically rising gas bills is now available from Zenex with their GasSaver, an energy saving device, which reduces the gas consumption required for domestic hot water by up to 40%!

The Zenex GasSaver is a boiler flue attachment that recovers heat from the waste combustion gases normally lost, and uses it to pre-heat the domestic hot water supply.

It is installed on top of a standard gas boiler as part of the flue-way and recycles heat from the waste gas.

Chris Farrell, Managing Director at Zenex Technologies said: “With all of the big six energy providers raising their prices in the last months by up to 19%, millions of Britons face a huge increase in their gas bills. Many consumers are desperate for proven money-saving solutions that will reduce their soaring expenditures.”

“The Zenex GasSaver is a device that is easy to install, has no moving parts, is silent, and does not require any electricity or gas to operate. The device recovers heat from the flue gases and helps the boiler deliver hot water much faster to the tap, reducing the need to run lukewarm water down the drain, saving both water and energy consumption.”

With average gas consumption bills of £850 per household, the Zenex GasSaver can reduce the bills by up to £220 per year.

The patented GasSaver has been independently tested by the Building Research Establishment and added to their list of approved energy saving devices.

The Zenex GasSaver is priced around £500 and is a highly cost-effective addition to a new boiler installation.

It is sold under licence by the boiler manufacturers, Baxi and Alpha, as the Baxi MultiFit GasSaver and Alpha GasSaver.

The GasSaver is also recognised under the Government’s SAP scheme and can be used to count towards the energy rating of a dwelling. These energy savings, can also help a dwelling reach the various standards under the Code For Sustainable Homes.

For more details and a full technical specification of The Zenex GasSaver, please visit the website.

This year Baxi launched their latest range of combi and system boilers, which all come with the THINK combustion management system, the cutting edge in boiler technology.

The great new range includes:

The brand new Baxi Neta-tec Combi - compact dimensions make this the perfect choice for homes where space may be limited

The Baxi Duo-tec – with additional features that made this award-winning original so popular, increasing energy efficiency and reliability.

The Megaflo System Compact – now with cupboard fit; this boiler is compatible with the Baxi Solarflo solar thermal range, making it a great system boiler for the future.

The THINK Combustion Management System.

• Gas adaptive control: continually monitors the air and gas coming in and adjusts to make sure the burner in your boiler is always working at maximum efficiency. This means you always get the heat you are paying for, for the lifetime of your boiler.

• Wide modulation range: this means that your boiler works at 100% when you need the most heat, but as your home warms up, it turns itself right down so that the temperature you have set is maintained without the boiler switching itself on and off.

• Less gas is used as a result and, consequently, lower fuel bills. It also means that your boiler doesn’t have to work so hard, so there’s less wear and tear on its parts, making it much more reliable.

• Also, because you’re not using so much gas, your carbon footprint is smaller too!

• Automatic set up: All the new Baxi boilers are suitable for both natural gas and LPG. When fitted by your installer , the boiler recognises the gas type and adapts itself accordingly, making it much easier and quicker to install.

The Benefits: Baxi boilers are now quicker to install, helping you to save more on your fuel bills.
Offer lifetime combustion efficiency and set a new benchmark in reliability.

For further information about Baxi’s latest central heating boilers, please visit the website.

With energy prices soaring and temperatures plummeting this winter, now is the perfect time to wise up on the most cost effective changes you could be making within the home.

VPhase has compiled the following Top Ten Money & Energy Saving Tips to help your home, your pocket and the environment in 2011:

1. Domestic Voltage Optimisation
Save energy, CO2 and around 10% off your electricity bills, by installing a VPhase voltage optimisation device.

The unit costs approximately £250 when installed by a qualified electrician and sits next to your fuse box. It’s simply a matter of fit, forget and save instantly! To see how much you can save visit theVPhase website.

2. Energy Saving Light Bulbs
Energy saving light bulbs use 80% less electricity than traditional bulbs and last 10 times as long; by swapping all the light bulbs in your home you could save around £37 per year.

3. Briquette Maker
Recycle unwanted packaging and paper and turn it into a natural and effective alternative to charcoal.

4. Upgrade Home Appliances
Home appliances account for a significant chunk of your household CO2 emissions, so treat yourself by upgrading to Energy Saving Trust recommended home appliances.

5. Turn Down Your Thermostat
Turning your thermostat down by just 1°C could save you around £55 a year.

6. Generate Your Own Electricity
Investing in renewable energy technologies like solar panels, will not only help reduce your CO2 emissions but will also be an added financial benefit for the coming year. Renewable energy technologies are a great investment - especially with government feed-in tariffs now in place.

7. Switch Off
Leaving appliances plugged in and switched on at the socket means they are still using energy.

8. Home Insulation
Did you know around half of heat lost in a typical home is through the walls? Cavity-wall and loft insulation can save you money and make your home warmer and more comfortable.

9. Plug In Energy Meter
Be more aware of how much energy your various electrical appliances consume with an energy meter. You can also check the overall incoming voltage level to your property.

10. Replace Your Boiler
Save up to £225 a year on your heating bills, by replacing an old G-rated boiler with an A-rated condensing boiler.

For more information about energy saving products please visit the VPhase website.

Everest, one of the UK’s leading home improvement companies, has launched a new business arm, Everest Energy.

The business will initially operate in the Meridian television region across the South of England prior to a national roll-out, and will focus exclusively on selling and installing boilers and central heating systems, solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, which generate cheap green electricity from sunlight, and a selection of other energy efficiency products for the home.

Simon Jarman, Everest’s Managing Director, said: “Everest has been improving homes for many years with its energy efficient windows and we feel that the time is now right to move into energy generation.

As with its home improvements business, Everest Energy will only install the highest quality and most efficient products on the market. It will therefore only fit highly energy efficient ‘A’ rated boilers.

It is estimated that approximately 4 million homes in England are fitted with the least efficient types of boilers, which are potentially costing households hundreds of pounds annually in higher energy bills and are more harmful to the environment.

Everest’s Solar PV panels can save the average household up to 40%5 off a household’s electricity costs, meaning UK households could save up to £5 billion a year collectively – or £186.40 each - on their energy bills by having these panels installed.

In addition, in April 2010 the Government launched the Feed-in Tariff (‘FIT’) scheme, which means that energy suppliers have to make regular payments to householders and communities, who generate their own electricity from renewable or low carbon sources, such as Solar PV or wind turbines.

Homeowners with Solar PV panels can earn 41.3 pence for every kWh produced regardless of whether it is sent back into the grid, which could equate to £1,200 per year or over £30,000 over 25 years with a 2.88kWp system.

The full range of products available from Everest Energy includes:

• High efficiency boilers; Passive heating monitoring; Solar PV panels;

• Solar Thermal panels Loft insulation; Cavity wall insulation; Voltage optimisation.

Everest Energy will not be providing an emergency boiler repair service.

For further information on the Everest new energy products, please visit the website.

Tel: (0800) 008 7167

Baxi Ecogen is the first, commercially available micro-CHP (Combined Heat and Power) unit for the home.

“Baxi Ecogen heralds the most important step-change for the home heating industry since the condensing boiler” says Mark Kelly, Baxi Group’s CEO. “This is the first, wall-hung micro-CHP unit.

In addition to being available for private homes, it can be specified by local authorities, housing associations and private developers. It will help them meet Level 3 of the Code for Sustainable Homes; tackle fuel poverty issues more effectively and significantly cut carbon emissions. Baxi Ecogen is a unique, world-class technology for the 21st century home”.

• The appliance’s Free Piston Stirling Engine (FPSE) generates up to 1kWh of electricity, whilst providing abundant supplies of space heating and hot water for the home.

• The unit responds to an initial heat demand up to 6kW by igniting the engine gas burner. The heat causes the gas inside the FPSE to expand, moving a piston up and down between a copper coil. As a result, electricity is generated in a similar way to an alternator in a car.

• If the heat demand moves above 6kW, Baxi Ecogen’s supplementary burner fires up to offer an additional 18kW of heat. As the heat demand in the home falls, the appliance’s controls can modulate operation down to 3kW, while still generating electricity to provide maximum energy efficiency.

• Extensive field trials in over 400 UK homes have shown that Baxi Ecogen units can reliably satisfy up to two thirds of a typical household’s electrical requirements.

For all electricity generated, the householder will receive 10pkWh, using the recently announced Government Feed-In Tariffs (FIT) scheme, effective from April 2010. Any unused electricity can be exported back to the grid for which the householder will receive a further 3pkWh.

Using its many years’ experience as Europe’s premier heating equipment manufacturer, Baxi Group has designed the appliance to be a similar size to a conventional wall-hung domestic boiler. The unit is suitable for use on open vented and sealed systems, making it ideal for straightforward specification and installation within a wide variety of new-build and replacement projects.

Dedicated intelligent Baxi controls can be incorporated into the system, to enhance comfort, increase energy efficiency even further and ensure the unit is suitable for a broad range of property types and sizes.

For further information visit the Baxi Ecogen website.

Tel: (0844) 871 1525

Reliability and efficiency have always been at the heart of the Rayburn concept. But now, with the advent of the new 480 CD, these benefits are even more pronounced.

Rayburn understands that a dependable heating system is essential in order to provide comfort and hot water all year round.

The 480 CD has a balanced flue, which means that there is no need for a chimney and it can be conveniently situated against any suitable outside wall.

Independently tested, results show the boiler to be 90% efficient, an ‘A’ rating, which means lower fuel bills and lower emissions.

The level of efficiency is achieved because the Rayburn 480 CD uses modern gas condensing boiler technology, with a proven, super-efficient heat exchanger built in.

In addition, this utilises the heat energy from the boiler’s exhaust gases, (lost to the atmosphere with a conventional boiler), to also heat the water in the system.

As an extra assurance, the boiler has been designed to deliver proven reliability; it is fully modulated, so that it only produces the output required, which means that it can heat a two bedroomed flat, as efficiently as a six bedroomed house.

It also has an ‘Eco Setting’, which can regulate the temperature of the water within the system, so that it’s kept at the optimum level.

It can heat up to sixteen average radiators, and is fully compatible with existing systems, opened and sealed; so, unless your radiators are due for an overhaul, there’s no need to change them.

Colours available: Cream, Claret, Dark Blue, Aqua, British Racing Green, Black and Pewter.

For further information visit the Rayburn website.

The government is offering a £400 rebate when you replace an existing, working G-rated oil or gas boiler with a modern A-rated boiler.

But with Rayburn’s innovative boiler scrappage incentive, there are no fewer than THREE ways to save:

Saving
Rayburn’s 480CD gas condensing central heating boiler is A-rated, so if it is purchased to replace an older G-rated boiler you will qualify for the government’s scrappage rebate of £400.*

Saving 2
Rayburn is matching the government’s contribution by dropping the price of the ultra-efficient Rayburn 480CD gas central heating range cooker by £400 so that everyone can benefit - even if they’re not replacing an older boiler. That means you can now save up to £800 on a brand new Rayburn.

Saving 3
If you buy a new Rayburn now, not only could you qualify for the government’s £400 rebate and get £400 off, but you will also benefit from the fact that Rayburn is holding VAT at 15% until 29th March 2010.

For more information on the innovative A-rated Rayburn 480CD, visit the Rayburn website.

The Boiler Scrappage Scheme has moved a step closer to reality following its inclusion in the Pre-Budget Report from Alistair Darling.

Supporters of the campaign ‘Reheat Britain’ say that the scheme, much like the car scrappage scheme, will help households replace costly, inefficient boilers with a grant of £400 to contribute to the replacement costs.

In addition homeowners will save up to £310* a year in fuel bills by replacing a less efficient boiler, which with the additional benefit of the £400 grant makes this proposition even more attractive.

Glow-worm, the leading boiler and heating appliances manufacturer, has been supporting the petition scheme since its launch in 2009.

The decision will now mean that homeowners can receive a £400 incentive to scrap G rated boilers. The scheme is likely to help over 125,000 households a year, when it comes into fruition this year.

Darren Finely, Commercial Director at Glow-worm says: “There is approximately 4 to 4.5 million homes with old style boilers, which are working on efficiencies of around 70%.

Today’s energy efficient SEDBUK A rated boilers can achieve efficiencies of anything up to 90% plus.

Add this to advances in home insulation controls and solar thermal, then there are seriously significant amounts of energy savings for people and direct benefit to the environment.

“The Energy Saving Trust offer a credible list of recommended A rated boilers, including the full A range from Glow-worm, and we would encourage homeowners to consult this list to ensure that they find the right boiler.”

To read about Glow-worm’s continued support of the scheme visit them at: www.needanewboiler.com

*Energy saving and consumption, calculated using DEFRA data for a three bedroom semi-detached house, with an old heavy weight boiler.
Money saving calculated using the British Gas Websaver tariff September 2009.

Your house will soon feel the full force of the British weather again with winter’s wind, rain and snow inevitably on the way.

Here are five jobs for your home that you need to do as soon as possible, to get ready for winter.

1.Service your boiler
Now is the time to check your boiler is in efficient working order so that it doesn’t let you down when you most need it.
Gas Safe Register recommends you get your boiler checked annually by a registered engineer - mainly to protect you and your family from Carbon Monoxide poisoning.

This may be a good time to replace an old boiler for a newer model. Paul Coupe from Northern Gas Heating, nationwide installers of condensing and heating boilers says: “If your boiler is over 10 years old, you could be wasting up to half the gas you buy!

Replacing an old boiler with a new condensing model, can save around a third on your heating bills and it dramatically reduces CO2 emissions too, making it much better for the environment.”

2. Clean out your gutters
With autumn on the way your gutters are liable to be filled with debris such as falling leaves, twigs etc. As they’re designed to direct rainwater away from your house, a faulty gutter can cause water damage, which is expensive to fix.

Gutters should be cleaned out twice a year, once in spring and once in autumn, but if they are directly below trees, this may need to happen more often.

3. Seal draughts to windows and doors
It’s no good having a boiler in tip-top order, if the heat it’s pumping out is leaking through cracks and gaps in your windows and doors.

Around a fifth of heat lost from the home is due to draughts, but this can be fixed simply by locating draughts and sealing them and is a much cheaper solution than replacing old, draughty windows or doors.

Installing draught proofing will save you around £25 and reduce your CO 2 emissions by around 130kg a year. (Depending on the age of your property.)

One important thing to remember, however, is to ensure your property is adequately ventilated; e.g. trickle vents for windows can be closed and opened according to need.

4. Insulate your loft
The Energy Saving Trust reports houses with un-insulated lofts, lose around a quarter of their heat via the roof and this is especially important in winter as your heating bills may literally go through the roof!

There is of course an associated cost, but as your loft insulation will be effective for around 40 years, you will make back the money over time and start reducing CO2 emissions straight away.

5. Inspect your roof and chimney
Your roof is the first point of contact between your house and rainfall or snow, so if your roof is collecting snow for days on end and has weak points, you could end up with some costly leaks.
Now is the time to check that your roof… is weatherproof.

Web: http://www.northerngasheating.com
http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Home-improvements

British Gas New Energy and AlertMe have announced an agreement to trial home management energy technologies. The aim is to help British Gas customers cut their energy consumption, save money and reduce their household carbon emissions.

Home energy usage accounts for more than one quarter of total energy consumption across Europe and the United States and consumers are increasingly looking for ways to save money and help the planet.

The energy-saving technology from AlertMe.com is cheap and easy to use and can help consumers make significant savings on their residential energy costs, year-upon-year.

Connecting the AlertMe Energy Kit, to the Internet via the home’s broadband connection, provides an online service that is easy to use from home, office or even while on holiday.

It constantly measures and controls individual appliances within the home, as well as measuring and managing the overall energy usage. The home-owner can then conveniently view this information and change settings accordingly.

Gearóid Lane, Managing Director of British Gas New Energy, said: “… it’s all so simple to use - never again will consumers need to stick their heads into a poorly-lit airing cupboard, to struggle with complicated controllers.”

The first offering to be trialled with British Gas, will be an automated heating control system, which makes it easy for consumers to adjust their home heating for minimum energy costs, without compromising comfort.

The system is easy to set up and allows the consumer to alter their heating at any time from the Web or any mobile phone.

For more information on the deal, visit:

Web: http:// www.alertme.com
Tel: (0845) 200 2873