With climate change seen as the greatest environmental challenge facing the world today, many people are taking steps to reduce their own impact on the environment.  One of the best ways to do this is by making your house energy efficient.  Aside from doing your bit for the future of the planet, you could also save a lot of money by going energy efficient in your home.

Insulation
Good insulation will keep the heat within your home and therefore reduce the cost of heating bills.  Heat escapes through doors, windows and walls, but the biggest culprit for heat loss is from the roof of a house.  Therefore the most effective part of a house to insulate is the loft.  Another key contributor to the loss of heat from a house is through the walls.  If they are cavity walls then insulation can be added in the space between the inner and outer part of the wall, and this is a very effective method for reducing heat loss.  More difficult to thoroughly insulate are solid outside walls, which can be insulated either internally or externally using cladding.

Glazing
Another source of heat loss is from windows.  Although double glazing can be expensive, the initial cost is vastly outweighed by the long term reductions in heating costs.  Double glazing has the added bonus of reducing outside noise considerably.

Heating
If your house is centrally heated you can make it more efficient and less expensive by investing in a new boiler.  Boilers over the age of twenty tend to be highly inefficient and although the initial cost of fitting a new one can be high, you will ultimately stand to save between 30 – 40% on bills.  British Gas are currently offering up to £700 off the price of boilers and boiler installation until 31st May 2008 so not only will you stand to save money in the long term but the initial cost is reduced.  For the environment, you’ll also be reducing your household CO2 emissions by about 30%.

Lighting
Energy saving light bulbs use less electricity but give the same light output.  They can last up to ten times longer than ordinary bulbs and can work out to save you about £10 per year on every light fitted with an energy saving bulb.

Refuse
Although the financial savings aren’t as immediate with refuse, with speculation about UK councils planning to start charging for refuse collection it could become a hot topic.  Simple changes you can make include getting a compost bin for organic waste, which you can add to overtime and use as fertilizer for your garden.  Making full use of recycling facilities is also a real way to reduce the number of bags you throw out each week.

For more information about being energy efficient in your home please see the Energy saving trust website.

When you begin considering getting a new boiler installed it is worth spending a little time looking around for a good high quality engineer to install and fit the unit. This is why it is necessary to look for CORGI Registered Engineers and avoid the many 'cowboys' offering their services. It is vital to approach a reputable company, such as British Gas who insist that all of its boiler engineers are CORGI registered.  Not only will they be more proficient at the installation of gas boilers, they will also be more safety conscious, and will be able to advise you of any concerns that they may have.

So what does it mean to be a CORGI Registered Engineer and why is it so important? As with most industries in the UK the gas industry has a national watchdog, that watchdog is CORGI. As the national watchdog it is most concerned with Gas Safety in this country. Their aim is to ensure that you can find trades people that are highly trained and competent in the installation of gas-related equipment. However, CORGI’s main concern is for the consumer’s safety and therefore they maintain that CORGI Registered Engineers are the only engineers you should approach.

As an organisation, CORGI strives to ensure that standards within the gas industry are rigorously adhered to. They also make sure that the industry standards are forever improving in line with the needs of the consumer and that domestic gas use is always become more efficient and safer. Most companies now expect CORGI Registered Engineers as the industry standard. Major gas providers such British Gas, will ensure that all of their engineers are trained to a level that qualifies for CORGI Registration. For instance British Gas has over 5,500 CORGI Registered Engineers available on call throughout the day and night.

Due to CORGI Registration requirements you know that a major competitor, such as British Gas, has spent a lot of time and effort training their staff to be the best of best. For example, British Gas has spent thousands of pounds creating training academies in order to train homecare their staff. What's more the training programmes offered by companies like British Gas are often award winning programmes. Not only does this mean that their engineers are the most highly qualified but they are improving standards across the market.

So if you are planning to have a new boiler installed in your house then it is worth getting a registered CORGI Engineer to do the work.  They will be qualified to install any unit that you may decide upon, be it a combination boilers (or combi boiler as they are also known) or a condensing boiler.  If you do not go to one of the UK's major providers then it is always worth making sure that the person at your door is CORGI Registered.  If they are they will be able to show you their CORGI ID Card and when you see that familiar CORGI name you will know that the person standing at your door is a safety conscious professional.