Latest news with #energybills
CNET
8 hours ago
- CNET
What Size Heat Pump Should You Buy for Your Home?
It's summer, and that means your home is going to need cooling if you want to stay comfortable as the temperatures rise. Although you could add a few of the best window air conditioners to cool down your home, but a good heat pump system might be the better option for you. It's always a good idea to keep an eye on the thermostat, but choosing the right technology can make it even easier to maintain the perfect temperature. Heat pumps can be a great option for homeowners. They offer a few benefits -- they're up to 50% cheaper to run than standard central air conditioners, according to the US Department of Energy. They're also useful in both hot and cold weather. If you're among the 78% of US adults stressed out about energy bills, as found in a recent CNET survey, you would do well to pick the right heat pump. If you want to get the best out of a heat pump, it's crucial to choose the right size for your home. You should avoid spending money on a pump that's too powerful for your needs and needs more energy, or one that's too weak for your needs and needs to run harder to keep up with the space. So how do you pick the right one? We've got all the answers to your questions, below. The importance of finding the right size heat pump It might seem like the size of your heat pump isn't that important. After all, what's the worst that can happen if it's a bit too small or too large? You might be surprised to learn just how important it is to find the right size. Having a heat pump that's either too small or too large can result in unnecessarily high energy costs. If your heat pump is too small for your home, it likely won't work properly. You could end up paying higher heating and cooling bills because the heat pump will struggle to heat and cool your home. Because the heat pump has to work harder to get your home to the right temperature, you can also expect to pay higher repair and maintenance costs. On the other hand, oversized heat pumps will produce more energy than you need, which wastes energy and reduces efficiency. Google's Nest Thermostat is a steal at $130 Google's Nest Thermostat is a steal at $130 Click to unmute Video Player is loading. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Next playlist item Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 2:21 Loaded : 4.21% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 2:21 Share Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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Google's Nest Thermostat is a steal at $130 How to size a heat pump There are a couple of different methods you can use to find the right size heat pump for your home: Manual J and square footage. We'll discuss each of those in further detail below. Manual J Manual J calculation is the industry standard of sizing a heat pump. It was established by the Air Conditioning Contractors of America to help determine the proper size heat pump for your home based on eight different factors. The eight factors that Manual J considers are: The local climate, including how many days per year you need heating and cooling Your home's square footage and layout How many windows you have and where they're located Your home's air filtration The insulation quality in your home How many people live in your home Your preferred temperature Heat-generating appliances in your home Square footage There are a lot of factors that go into calculating your heat pump size, and it can be complicated to determine how each of those affects your heat pump needs. Luckily, there's a simpler approach you can take to choose the right size heat pump. In general, every 500 square feet of your home will require one ton of air conditioning capacity. Here are some guidelines to help you determine how many tons you'll need: 500 square feet: 1 ton 1,000 square feet: 2 tons 1,500 square feet: 3 tons 2,000 square feet: 4 tons 2,500 square feet: 5 tons 3,000 square feet: 6 tons It's also important to know what each ton equals in BTUs, or British thermal units, which is the measurement used to determine heat pump sizing. Use this chart to help you determine the BTUs needed for your home: Heat pump size guide undefined Home size (in square feet) Heat pump size (in tons) Heat pump size (in BTUs) 500 square feet 1 ton 12,000 BTUs 1,000 square feet 2 tons 24,000 BTUs 1,500 square feet 3 tons 36,000 BTUs 2,000 square feet 4 tons 48,000 BTUs 2,500 square feet 5 tons 60,000 BTUs 3,000 square feet 6 tons 72,000 BTUs Once you know the appropriate number of BTUs required for your home's heat pump, you can start shopping for the right one. Remember that you can also work with an HVAC expert who can help offer some guidelines and advice. The bottom line Finding the right heat pump size for your home is critical when it comes to saving money on energy and keeping your home at the right temperature in both the winter and summer. Sizing your heat pump may seem difficult at first, but it's actually pretty simple to figure out. And luckily, there are plenty of heat pump sizing calculators available online to simplify the process further. And once you know what size heat pump you need, the process of finding the right one should be a breeze. Keep reading to learn more about heating and cooling your home:
The Independent
10 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
Why millions more households will receive the £150 Warm Home Discount
The Warm Home Discount scheme has been expanded to provide £150 directly off energy bills for around six million people, including 900,000 families with children and 1.8 million households in fuel poverty. To be eligible, the bill payer must either receive the guarantee credit element of pension credit or be on a low income. An additional two million people will now receive the automatic discount, after the previous requirement for low-income households to have 'high energy costs' to qualify for the payment was removed. The £150 discount is applied automatically to eligible customers' energy bills between October and March. This positive development for households comes as energy regulator Ofgem is set to drop its energy price cap by 7 per cent for July to September. Rule change to bring £150 winter energy discount to millions more – here's who's eligible
The Sun
a day ago
- Business
- The Sun
Over 2.7million households to get free £150 cost of living cash this winter in big update
MORE than 2.7 million households are set to benefit from a £150 cost-of-living benefit this winter. An additional 2.7 million households will now be eligible for the subsidy, which will apply to every billpayer on means-tested benefits. 3 3 It will take the total number of claimants to more than six million. The expansion is the latest in a series of cost-of-living measures Sir Keir Starmer hopes will placate Labour rebels furious at welfare cuts. The PM said: 'I know families are still struggling with the cost of living, and I know the fear that comes with not being able to afford your next bill. 'I have no doubt that, like rolling out free school meals, breakfast clubs and childcare support, extending this £150 energy bills support to millions more families will make a real difference.' The new expansion to the cost-of-living measures will see 900,000 families with children and a total of 1.8 million households in fuel poverty will benefit this year. The Government has said the expansion of the Warm Homes Discount means families will be able to plan for winter knowing they will be offered support. The government has also frozen fuel duty and are increasing the minimum wage. Bill payers living in England and Wales will qualify for the discount if they receive means-tested benefits. Following Rachel Reeves' u-turn on the Winter Fuel Allowance last week everyone over the State Pension age in England and Wales with an income of, or below, £35,000 a year will benefit from a Winter Fuel Payment this year. The move comes after the chancellors disastrous attempt to axe the universal Winter Fuel Payment in July last year just weeks after entering office. Keir Starmer confirms huge winter fuel payment U-turn But fears have been raised immediately by economists that taxes will have to rise to pay for the winter fuel u-turn. The Treasury say there will be no permanent additional borrowing to pay for the move. A total of nine million pensioners are set to benefit from the payment this year. 3 The Government plans to offset the expansion of the Warm Homes Discount with new efficiency savings across the energy system. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: 'Millions of families will get vital support with the cost of living this coming winter, demonstrating this government's commitment to put money in people's pockets through our Plan for Change." Part of the Plan for Change, the government hopes the expansion of the Warm Homes Discount will help to combat the cost-of-living crisis and directly benefit working families. The Government has estimated that 100,000 families in North East England, 280,000 in north West England and 270,000 in the West Midlands will receive the benefit for the first time. Meanwhile 110,000 families in Wales and 240,000 in Scotland will receive it this winter for the first time. What is the Winter Fuel Payment? Consumer reporter Sam Walker explains all you need to know about the payment. The Winter Fuel Payment is an annual tax-free benefit designed to help cover the cost of heating through the colder months. Most who are eligible receive the payment automatically. Those who qualify are usually told via a letter sent in October or November each year. If you do meet the criteria but don't automatically get the Winter Fuel Payment, you will have to apply on the government's website. You'll qualify for a Winter Fuel Payment this winter if: you were born on or before September 23, 1958 you lived in the UK for at least one day during the week of September 16 to 22, 2024, known as the "qualifying week" you receive Pension Credit, Universal Credit, ESA, JSA, Income Support, Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit If you did not live in the UK during the qualifying week, you might still get the payment if both the following apply: you live in Switzerland or a EEA country you have a "genuine and sufficient" link with the UK social security system, such as having lived or worked in the UK and having a family in the UK But there are exclusions - you can't get the payment if you live in Cyprus, France, Gibraltar, Greece, Malta, Portugal or Spain. This is because the average winter temperature is higher than the warmest region of the UK. You will also not qualify if you: are in hospital getting free treatment for more than a year need permission to enter the UK and your granted leave states that you can not claim public funds were in prison for the whole "qualifying week" lived in a care home for the whole time between 26 June to 24 September 2023, and got Pension Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance or income-related Employment and Support Allowance Payments are usually made between November and December, with some made up until the end of January the following year.
The Independent
a day ago
- Business
- The Independent
Millions more people to get £150 winter energy discount after rule change
Around two million more people will receive an automatic discount on their energy bills this winter as Labour confirms the expansion of an annual scheme. Around six million people in total will now receive the Warm Home Discount, taking £150 directly off their energy bills. This includes 900,000 families with children and 1.8 million households in fuel poverty, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) said. The government's Warm Home Discount scheme was introduced in 2011 and delivers a £150 cut to domestic energy bills for qualifying recipients. The one-off discount is applied automatically to an energy bill between October and March. To be eligible for the payment in England and Wales, the bill payer must either receive the guarantee credit element of pension credit or be on a low income. Before the announcement, those in the latter category were also required to have a home with 'high energy costs', as assessed by DESNZ. This critera has now been removed, unlocking the discount for millions more. The payment does not need to be applied for, as energy providers are obligated to pass on the discount to their eligible customers automatically. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: 'I know families are still struggling with the cost of living, and I know the fear that comes with not being able to afford your next bill. 'Providing security and peace of mind for working people is deeply personal to me as prime minister and foundational for the Plan for Change. I have no doubt that, like rolling out free school meals, breakfast clubs and childcare support, extending this £150 energy bills support to millions more families will make a real difference.' The positive news for households comes before energy regulator Ofgem drops its energy price cap for July to September by 7 per cent. The average annual bill will decrease from £1,849 to £1,720. In May, ministers decided to partially reverse changes made to the Winter Fuel Payment for pensioners last year. Separate to the Warm Home Discount, this payment is made to eligible pensioners to help towards energy bills. In previous years, it was paid to all pensioners, but restricted to just the very poorest in 2024. It will now be paid to all pensioners below a taxable income threshold of £35,000 following the latest changes.
BBC News
a day ago
- Business
- BBC News
Warm Homes Discount: Millions on benefits to get £150 off bills
Double the number of households in Britain will get £150 off their energy bills this winter as the government changes the rules on who qualifies for the Warm Home on means-tested benefits will automatically see the money knocked off their bills no matter what size of property they live in. While debt charities and energy groups have welcomed the move, some say the scheme still leaves out some of those most at risk, including those on non-means tested benefits. Simon Francis from the End Fuel Poverty Coalition said: "With bills still hundreds of pounds higher than in 2020, millions will continue to face unaffordable energy and cold, damp homes this winter". It's energy companies who pay for and distribute the £150 discount to people's bills across England, Scotland and Wales. But it's the government which sets the criteria for who should receive it. Those rules were tightened under the previous administration, limiting the payment to those on the guaranteed element of pension credit, or those on means-tested-benefits living in a home with a high energy the qualification about property size, type and home energy score is being scrapped. As a result this winter 2.7 million more homes will get this extra energy bill help, including almost a million households with extension comes hot-off-the-heels of the government U-turn to re-instate the Winter Fuel Payment to the majority of pensioners. The bill for expanding the Warm Home Discount will be paid by energy companies and could be passed on through the Standing Charge, so it's possible all customers will see a slight increase in bills in the Autumn to cover this announcement. However, the government say any rise will be cancelled out by savings made by cutting energy company's expenditure and doing more to sort problem bills controlled by the energy price cap have been reduced over the summer months, and Standing Charges fell in all areas because the rules on what expenditure companies can pass on was restricted. However, current market expectations are for another rise in gas and electricity bills from the start of October because of higher oil and gas energy suppliers, Energy UK's chief executive Dhara Vyas welcomed today's announcement and said she hoped to see more help for those most in need "by accelerating progress on a new improved targeted support scheme."
