The Leaf: Issue 9 Jan 2022 – Help Make 2022 The MOST EFFICIENT YEAR YET For The UK As Energy Prices Skyrocket

We all want to go forward into 2022 positively after another tough year in 2021, but positive news of fewer Covid cases and restrictions easing was overshadowed by crippling energy price rises. This resulted in a host of smaller energy firms going under, outcry for government financial support and widespread concern for the most vulnerable households that are being hit the hardest.

In this first issue of The Leaf in 2022, we’ll show you our 5 key energy-saving topics we’ll be talking about this year where you and your customers can make some of the biggest savings, and how to achieve them, after a quick update about sustainability actions here at Drayton.

A New Biodiversity Garden for Plymouth

As part of our commitment to a holistic sustainability approach, we know it’s not just about reducing our carbon emissions. We’re excited to announce work has begun at our Plymouth factory and office site to convert a disused area into a green space, for our employees to enjoy during their breaks, along with a quiet, minimally disturbed area dedicated to promoting local biodiversity, with pollinator-friendly plant species and refuges for wildlife.

Our employees will soon get the chance to tell us what they want to see in our new biodiversity garden, and to get involved with its creation and upkeep.

Disused sheds at the rear of the site have been cleared and what remains is a blank canvas for us to realise this exciting biodiversity garden project. To support its development and ensure that what we build and what we plant is best for our particular location, an environmental survey will be carried out at the future garden’s location next month.

Eco-friendly Packaging Launching in France and Germany

You might have spotted in our September issue of The Leaf that we’re introducing eco-friendly brown (otherwise known as kraft) packaging across our range of products, which reduces the environmental impact of our packaging’s manufacture and enables easier recycling and disposal.

The great news is that the eco-friendly packaging for Wiser products is making its way to retailers in France and Germany by the end of March this year. We look forward to letting you know when you’ll see this new packaging in the UK soon.

2022 is THE year to improve efficiency across the UK

Lets’ face it, 2021 was another difficult year for all, not helped by record energy price rises which saw dozens of energy firms go bust last year. And it doesn’t stop there, according to Ofgem, energy prices will rise by a further 54% (£693) from April 2022, as default tariff caps are increased, putting more households under pressure.

But there are steps we can take to reduce energy bills and with heating being a major energy expense in the home, professional installers everywhere are gearing up to support customers in maximising their efficiency. This represents a major opportunity for installers to upskill in the field of efficiency, and drive their business ahead of the competition by offering the most efficient solutions at this time of great need.

Changes to Building Regulations Part L are just around the corner – including mandatory system balancing, room-to-room control and low flow temperature – to improve home heating efficiency in the short term, with several benefits:

• ●  Reduce energy usage and household bills
• ●  Prepare heating systems across the UK for the transition to low carbon heating technology
• ●  Motivate heating installers to upskill to maximise heating efficiency for their customers
• ●  Lower household carbon footprint to help the UK meet its net zero goals

Read more about How Adopting These New Minimum Installation Requirements Can Grow Your Business

How to help make 2022 the UK’s most efficient year yet

Professional heating installers are on the frontline of making significant improvements to residential heating efficiency across the UK, so we’re helping our customers find installers like you in their local area. Want your contact details on our websites? Join the 9° Network today to appear in our online installer search tool. Offer these services today to educate your customers on how they can start saving more energy and money today:

1. 1. Switch to smart heating controls – By upgrading a basic (Class I) thermostat to a modern device (Class V or above) that better modulates the boiler, homeowners could save 12%* energy even with no other measures being taken, and save up to 6% more on top of that by upgrading to smart controls like Wiser that offer superior control to finetune and schedule the system, along with other smart modes which in total could save £200 a year in energy bills. Find out more about Saving Energy With Wiser.

1. 2. Get multi-room heating – Research shows that adding room-to-room control with thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) in every room saves up to 19%* more energy compared to no room-to-room control. Wiser radiator thermostats combine the benefits of room-to-room heating with smart control.

1. 3. System balancing – Whilst it’s best practice, industry research found this important step isn’t always carried out as standard for new boiler installations, despite findings it could save 8.8%** energy by improving radiator efficiency. Remember to offer to check and rebalance systems. Drayton makes the process easier with the Drayton Balancing Key, allowing balancing from the valve body with no need to drain the system.

1. 4. Turning the thermostat down by 1% - Research shows this easy step can save up to 10% energy, that's around £80 saved a year on heating bills. This step is easy, free and it’s unlikely customers will notice a reduction in comfort.

1. 5. Lower flow temperatures - Setting the boiler to a lower flow temp can save 8%*** energy consumption. This step also paves the way for heat pump compatibility in future. If the existing radiators in the home can offer the right amount of comfort, then running a heat pump will work in the same way and not require radiator upgrades on top of the cost of the heat pump install.

These key steps will be big news in the realm of home heating from this year on, and we’ll soon be providing you with more detailed information and recommendations on each of these steps, plus opportunities to upskill with free training videos and resources. Join the Drayton Community Facebook group today to learn more about combatting energy price rises using this efficiency toolbelt, get ahead of the competition by taking action now, and help your customers see real results in their bills.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn today.

Now learn more about some of the smaller improvements homeowners can make to in the home to make big savings and reduce energy use and wastage, with How To Improve Heating Efficiency In 10 Steps from our October 2021 issue of The Leaf.

In the trade?

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*BEAMA and Salford University Energy House Research 2021

** BEAMA, CIPHE, HHIC, HPA, SEA

***HHIC