Top Energy Savers: game Playing with the cards The idea of the Top Energy Savers game is to show how the various Green Deal energy saving and generating measures perform in different types of households. The cards contain information about the average cost, bill savings, carbon dioxide savings and SAP increases to be expected from installing various types of home improvements. These factors change depending on the type of heating fuel used and the type of house they re being installed into. Therefore separate numbers are given for oil, gas and electric fuelled properties and for flats, mid-terraces, semidetached and detached properties. In some combinations of improvements and properties the cards will contain negative numbers, meaning that the price of annual bills will rise or that the SAP rating will decrease. There are two ways you can play with the cards as a game, or as a tool for training. The game is an energy-based top trumps. Playing this game will familiarise players with the different values on the cards and give an idea of the bill savings, carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) savings and SAP changes that can be expected from different types of improvements in different types of properties. The training exercise presents different householder energy scenarios with the goal of working out the best improvements for each scenario based on the home energy upgrades listed on the cards. This training will be useful for groups who want to give Green Deal and home energy improvement advice directly to householders. Top Energy Savers instructions Materials needed: Cut out the set of Top Energy Savers cards Number of players: 2-4 players (aged 14+) The goal of this game is to trump the other players by playing energy efficiency improvement cards that have a higher or lower value than the rest. The cards are dealt out among the players and are held by each player in a pile so that only the topmost card is visible. The starting player then chooses a category from their topmost card and calls out the category criteria based on the fuel type, the type of housing, and whether they are playing bill savings, CO 2 savings or SAP increase. e.g. mid-terraced, oil, annual bill savings. Average cost and disruption are not included. The starting player also decides whether they are going to play high or low for the round i.e. whether the highest value or the lowest value number (best or worst improvement) will win the trick and tells the other players. The player doesn t yet reveal their own value from that category.
Going clockwise, the players take it in turns to call out the value of the category from their top card. The player who started then reveals their own card s value. The player with the highest or lowest value on their card wins the round and takes all cards used in that round, including their own, and puts them at the bottom of their pile. As an alternative, each player calls out the name of their card when they hand them to the winning player, or as an alternative, the other players can try to guess what the winning card is before it is revealed. The winning player then looks at their topmost card, and chooses the category for the next round. If a player has a N/A value on their card then they do not participate in that round of play and wait until the next category is called. In the event of a draw, the cards from that round are placed in a pile in the centre and a new category is chosen by the same player from the next card in their pile. The winner of the round gets to pick up all the cards in the centre as well as the cards from that round. The winner is the player who obtains either the whole pack of cards, or the most cards after an agreed amount of time. Energy saving scenarios Materials needed: Cut out the Top Energy Savers cards, and the home energy scenario cards. Number of players: 2-8 The aim of this training is to enable players to learn about the different Green Deal home energy improvements that would be suitable in a variety of realistic household situations. It will be of particular use to inform groups who will be giving Green Deal advice or making recommendations directly to householders. The Top Energy Savers cards are laid out on the table so that they are visible to all of the participants. The participants take it in turns to answer the questions listed on the scenario cards using the Top Energy Saver cards for guidance. Each scenario card has a home energy scenario displayed on one side and the correct answers on the other side of the card. If the group wants to make the training session more challenging, the training could also be run without participants consulting the Top Energy Savers cards when suggesting answers. If a group wanted to turn this training exercise into more of a competition or a game, a scoring system could be implemented with each player gaining a point for each answer that they get correct.
Cavity wall insulation Average cost 340-580 Average disruption @@@ MAINS GAS Annual bill savings, 90 82 158 270 413 377 721 1,233 SAP increase 5 4 7 9 OIL Annual bill savings, 119 108 207 354 639 583 1,115 1,908 SAP increase 7 5 8 10 ELECTRIC Annual bill savings, 127 121 247 434 913 866 1,768 3,112 SAP increase 8 7 11 13 Internal wall insulation Average cost 5,500-11,000 Average disruption @@@@@ MAINS GAS Annual bill savings, 88 91 174 299 510 534 867 1,743 SAP increase 6 5 9 11 OIL Annual bill savings, 116 122 233 399 792 829 1,582 2,705 SAP increase 7 6 10 12 ELECTRIC Annual bill savings, 167 175 363 643 1,194 1,259 2,601 4,604 SAP increase 10 8 13 16
External wall insulation Average cost 10,500-19,500 Average disruption @@@@@ MAINS GAS Annual bill savings, 119 124 239 410 544 593 1,093 1,874 SAP increase 7 6 10 13 OIL Annual bill savings, 156 163 313 538 840 880 1,691 2,889 SAP increase 8 7 12 14 ELECTRIC Annual bill savings, 176 185 382 678 1,258 1,325 2,734 4,836 SAP increase 11 10 16 20 Full loft insulation (0-300mm) Average cost 240-350 Average disruption @@@ Mid-terraced Semidetached Detached MAINS GAS Annual bill savings, N/A 167 177 240 N/A 762 811 1,097 SAP increase N/A 9 8 8 OIL Annual bill savings, N/A 219 233 314 N/A 1,178 1,255 1,696 SAP increase N/A 11 9 9 ELECTRIC Annual bill savings, N/A 236 275 390 N/A 1,688 1,969 2,789 SAP increase N/A 14 12 12
Top-up loft insulation Average cost 165-350 Average disruption @@ MAINS GAS Annual bill savings, N/A 9 10 17 N/A 43 46 77 SAP increase N/A 1 1 1 OIL Annual bill savings, N/A 12 13 22 N/A 67 71 120 SAP increase N/A 1 1 1 ELECTRIC Annual bill savings, N/A 13 15 26 N/A 93 110 188 SAP increase N/A 1 1 1 Heating upgrade (boilers or night storage heaters) Average cost 2,000-4,700 Average disruption @@@ MAINS GAS Annual bill savings, 263 307 388 552 1,200 1,404 1,774 2,522 SAP increase 10 10 12 12 OIL Annual bill savings, 383 448 565 803 2,065 2,413 3,044 4,322 SAP increase 14 15 15 15 ELECTRIC Annual bill savings, 205 266 400 645 1,469 1,902 2,865 4,613 SAP increase 9 10 12 13
Double glazing Average cost 5,000-7,500 Average disruption @@@ MAINS GAS Annual bill savings, 53 67 67 83 241 305 309 382 SAP increase 2 3 2 2 OIL Annual bill savings, 69 88 89 110 375 473 479 595 SAP increase 3 3 2 2 ELECTRIC Annual bill savings, 77 100 111 145 556 716 800 1,045 SAP increase 4 4 4 3 Draught proofing Average cost 90-160 Average disruption @ MAINS GAS Annual bill savings, 14 16 16 21 64 73 75 98 SAP increase 1 1 1 1 OIL Annual bill savings, 18 21 21 28 99 113 116 152 SAP increase 1 1 1 1 ELECTRIC Annual bill savings, 21 24 27 38 148 173 195 269 SAP increase 1 1 1 1
Hot water tank insulation jacket (80mm) Average cost 50-70 Average disruption @ MAINS GAS Annual bill savings, 71 72 72 71 327 329 329 323 SAP increase 3 3 2 1 OIL Annual bill savings, 94 94 94 93 505 509 508 499 SAP increase 3 3 2 2 ELECTRIC Annual bill savings, 68 69 67 65 555 560 547 529 SAP increase 2 2 1 1 Heating controls (TRVs) Average cost 300-370 Average disruption @ MAINS GAS Annual bill savings, 29 45 43 52 134 208 197 242 SAP increase 1 2 1 1 OIL Annual bill savings, 38 59 57 69 208 322 305 372 SAP increase 1 1 1 1 ELECTRIC Annual bill savings, N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A SAP increase N/A N/A N/A N/A
Floor insulation Average cost 450-800 Average disruption @@@@ MAINS GAS Annual bill savings, N/A 29 45 69 N/A 132 205 316 SAP increase N/A 1 2 2 OIL Annual bill savings, N/A 38 59 91 N/A 204 316 489 SAP increase N/A 1 2 2 ELECTRIC Annual bill savings, N/A 44 74 119 N/A 312 530 855 SAP increase N/A 2 2 3 Air source heat pump Average cost 5,000-10,000 Average disruption @@@@ MAINS GAS Annual bill savings, N/A -224-283 402 N/A 1,141 1,442 2,052 SAP increase N/A -6-7 -8 OIL Annual bill savings, N/A 178 223 316 N/A 1,141 5,474 7,777 SAP increase N/A 4 4 4 ELECTRIC Annual bill savings, N/A 275 432 705 N/A 5,923 8,090 12,159 SAP increase N/A 9 10 13
Ground source heat pump Average cost 9,000-17,000 Average disruption @@@@@ MAINS GAS Annual bill savings, N/A 25 31 44 N/A 1,972 2,425 3,447 SAP increase N/A 3 2 1 OIL Annual bill savings, N/A 427 538 764 N/A 5,114 6,457 9,174 SAP increase N/A 12 12 13 ELECTRIC Annual bill savings, N/A 472 682 1,062 N/A 6,700 9,072 13,555 SAP increase N/A 17 20 22 Solar hot water Average cost 3,500-5,000 Average disruption @@ MAINS GAS Annual bill savings, N/A 99 101 105 N/A 453 465 484 SAP increase N/A 2 2 1 OIL Annual bill savings, N/A 128 131 136 N/A 689 706 735 SAP increase N/A 2 2 1 ELECTRIC Annual bill savings, N/A 113 115 120 N/A 862 883 920 SAP increase N/A 2 1 1
Solar PV (2kW) Average cost 5,000-7,500 Average disruption @@ MAINS GAS Annual bill savings, N/A 229 229 229 N/A 1,431 1,432 1,432 SAP increase N/A 9 7 5 OIL Annual bill savings, N/A 229 229 229 N/A 1,432 1,432 1,432 SAP increase N/A 8 6 4 ELECTRIC Annual bill savings, N/A 229 229 229 N/A 1,432 1,432 1,432 SAP increase N/A 7 6 4 Microwind (1kW) Average cost 2,000-3,000 Average disruption @@ MAINS GAS Annual bill savings, N/A 166 166 166 N/A 1,041 1,041 1,041 SAP increase N/A 3 3 2 OIL Annual bill savings, N/A 166 166 166 N/A 1,041 1,041 1,041 SAP increase N/A 3 2 1 ELECTRIC Annual bill savings, N/A 166 166 166 N/A 1,041 1,041 1,041 SAP increase N/A 3 2 1
Biomass boiler Average cost 8,000-9,000 Average disruption @@@@ MAINS GAS Annual bill savings, N/A 73 79 97 N/A 4,998 6,305 8,953 SAP increase N/A -6-7 -9 OIL Annual bill savings, N/A 474 585 815 N/A 8,193 10,337 14,679 SAP increase N/A 4 3 3 ELECTRIC Annual bill savings, N/A 237 382 639 N/A 9,757 12,931 19,040 SAP increase N/A 6 8 10
Mrs X lives in a 1950s urban, semidetached house. She had double glazing installed 7 years ago and her loft has been insulated up to the current standard. Her gas combi-boiler is 13 years old and although she considered cavity wall insulation when she had her loft upgraded she decided against it at the time. She doesn t want to install anything that will cause too much disruption. What 3 Green Deal energy efficiency improvements could be recommended to Mrs X? Mr G lives in a Victorian mid-terrace house in an inner city area. The house has solid walls and gets very cold in the winter. The combi-gas boiler was replaced a year ago with full heating controls and Mr G had the windows double glazed last year at the same time, to help with the cold. He s got a bit of loft insulation that was put in 10 years ago. Name 2 improvements that could be recommended to Mr G to help keep the house warm in the winter? Mrs F lives in a rural stone cottage set in 2 acres of land within a conservation area. She looked into putting solar panels on the roof but wasn t granted permission to do this from the local planning authority. The cottage has full loft and internal wall insulation. She currently uses oil heating but would like to generate her own heat from a renewable source. What measure could Mrs F apply for to help her to do this? Mr H lives in a modern, semi-detached, 3- bedroom house with his wife and 2 young children. One of the bedrooms is located in the loft of the house. They recently had cavity wall insulation installed and would like to reduce their fuel bills but don t want to do anything too disruptive or expensive due to their young children. They use a standard gas boiler. What 2 measures could they install to reduce their bills with minimal disruption? Miss R lives in a mid-terrace house and she would like to improve the SAP rating of the home as she is thinking of selling the property next year. The home is currently heated by an old oil boiler. What top two measures would you recommend for her to improve the SAP rating of the property? Mrs W lives in a detached house with cavity walls in a rural area that is not connected to the gas grid. The house has no insulation. She uses electricity to heat the property, and has recently become concerned about the impacts of climate change after heavy flooding in the area. She would like to apply for the Green Deal measure that can save her the most CO 2. What would you recommend to Mrs W?
Answer: (one from) Internal wall insulation, external wall insulation, top-up loft insulation. Answer: (three from) Cavity wall insulation, heating upgrade, heating controls, draught proofing, floor insulation. Answer: (two from) Heating controls, draught proofing, hot water tank insulation jacket. Answer: Ground source heat pump, air source heat pump or biomass boiler. Answer: (one from) Air source heat pump, ground source heat pump, biomass boiler. Answer: Heating upgrade, ground source heat pump.
Mr K lives in a semi-detached, cavity-walled house in an area that he has just discovered has much higher than average CO 2 emissions per household. He recently had a new gas condensing boiler installed, but is interested in renewable energy and would like to reduce his household CO 2 emissions as much as possible. Can you recommend the top 2 technologies to reduce CO 2 emissions that would be compatible with his current heating system? Mr Q is newly married and has recently purchased a flat in a solid-walled, gas heated property with his wife. They re keen to make the place as energy efficient as possible and would like to install the measures that will have the largest financial savings on their fuel bills. They are not able to make any major changes to the exterior of the flat. Which top two measures could they apply for in their flat to make the largest savings on their fuel bills? Miss D lives in a rural, detached property that is not on mains gas. She currently has an oil boiler that is over 20 years old. Her property is listed and cannot have solid wall insulation but she had the loft insulation topped up under a local scheme. She has an interest in environmental issues and has already installed solar PV on her roof when the feed-in tariff started. She wants to replace her heating system and is keen to pick the best option for saving money and CO 2. Which improvement you recommend? Miss V is a student and lives in a flat in an inner city area. The flat is on the fourth floor of a five floor building, and is generally quite warm all year round. However, she has noticed that her wooden sash windows have some gaps and that her door seems to let the draughts in. She doesn t have a lot of money to invest and doesn t want to pay off a long term loan. What measure could she install in the flat that would help with the cold? Mr J lives in a large detached farmhouse that is heated mainly by night storage heaters, but with electric underfloor heating as well in some areas. He is keen to generate his own electricity as both he and his wife work from home and use a lot of their electricity during the day. Although the house is well insulated they still have fairly expensive electricity bills. What would be the 2 best renewable energy measures to install under the Green Deal that could help him to reduce his energy costs? Mrs Y lives in a 1960s cavity-walled, detached property which has gas central heating. She had the walls and floor insulated a few years ago and decided to upgrade her boiler earlier this year. The windows are single timber framed and haven t been upgraded since she bought the property. The property is not suitable for heat pumps. She wants to make her home more energy efficient and take advantage of the Green Deal finance available to fund more expensive improvements within her home that she wouldn t be able to afford on her own. What 2 improvements could she fund in her home using the Green Deal?
Answer: Internal wall insulation, heating upgrade. Answer: Solar PV panels and solar hot water. Answer: Draught proofing. Answer: Biomass boiler. Answer: (two from) Double glazing, solar PV, solar hot water, micro wind. Answer: Solar PV and either a ground source heat pump or an air source heat pump.