0:00:02 > 0:00:04This looks like a typical street
0:00:04 > 0:00:07that could be anywhere in the country, but this place is special.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12With energy bills going through the roof,
0:00:12 > 0:00:14the residents here have agreed
0:00:14 > 0:00:16to take part in a unique challenge.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21They're going to try and slash their gas and electricity consumption
0:00:21 > 0:00:25by a whopping 30% in just three weeks.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27Can they do it?
0:00:39 > 0:00:42The challenge is to try and cut not just your bills,
0:00:42 > 0:00:46but also your general consumption.
0:00:46 > 0:00:51And we have set that challenge, it's quite tough, at 30%.
0:00:51 > 0:00:56- Ohh!- We have with us an energy sustainability expert, Dr Alan Owen.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00Alan has had a good look at your houses in this street.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02They're all quite modern houses, Alan,
0:01:02 > 0:01:05so presumably they're relatively energy efficient, are they?
0:01:05 > 0:01:09- No, not particularly.- Why is that?
0:01:09 > 0:01:15Poorly insulated...is the main thing, either floors, lofts, walls.
0:01:15 > 0:01:21To demonstrate how poorly the houses are insulated and where the heat is being lost,
0:01:21 > 0:01:24Dr Owen has brought energy technician, Gordon, along
0:01:24 > 0:01:26to Bill and Mi Yong's house.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30So what we are going to do now is we're going to do the thermal-imaging test.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35Gordon's taping up the vents and he's also sealing up the front door.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39The idea is that we seal the areas which might leak.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42So what we're looking to do is to pressurise the house
0:01:42 > 0:01:45and try and force the warm air which is inside the house
0:01:45 > 0:01:46out through any gaps.
0:01:46 > 0:01:53A thermal-imaging camera is used to detect the infrared radiation coming from the house.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58They've had the heating on all morning, so if there are any leaks
0:01:58 > 0:02:01they should show up as a bright white image on the screen.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06There's some slight leakage at the bottom of the door there
0:02:06 > 0:02:08where there's maybe a gap at the bottom of the frame.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11And you can see that change in temperature.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13I've been looking at this area above at the eaves,
0:02:13 > 0:02:16- that's showing me that there's a lot of air coming out here.- OK.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19So there is a lot of air getting in through your attic space which should be cold.
0:02:19 > 0:02:25The gaps in the house are allowing the warm air to escape through convection.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28What the thermal-imaging camera doesn't tell us
0:02:28 > 0:02:31is how big a volume of warm air is leaving the building.
0:02:32 > 0:02:37To find that out, Gordon is going to fill the house with theatrical smoke.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43If there are any gaps, they'll be able to see the smoke escaping.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47Ohh! Oh, look!
0:02:47 > 0:02:50It's pouring out of this end wall.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56- But how is it getting up into the eaves?- It's making its way out
0:02:56 > 0:02:59through gaps and cracks in the structure, into the cavity wall,
0:02:59 > 0:03:03and then from there it then comes out through roof spaces and vents in the wall.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06And all that air will carry heat with it.
0:03:06 > 0:03:11I would guess for the cost of probably three or four tubes of mastic,
0:03:11 > 0:03:16you could save somewhere between £180 and £300 a year in gas.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18Bill, I think it looks like you're going to have
0:03:18 > 0:03:22- a very, very busy weekend, darling. - Thank you for that, Alan. - ALL LAUGH
0:03:24 > 0:03:25As part of this challenge,
0:03:25 > 0:03:28we've installed energy monitors inside their homes
0:03:28 > 0:03:33and Dr Owen has been monitoring their data remotely for the past couple of weeks.
0:03:34 > 0:03:40So 30%, guys. And to help you, we've got Lucy Conway here.
0:03:40 > 0:03:45- Now Lucy lives on the island of Eigg which is totally off grid, is that right?- Yes, that's right.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47We generate all our own electricity,
0:03:47 > 0:03:51so it means that we're very careful with how much electricity we use.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55Lucy is going to be on hand over the next three weeks
0:03:55 > 0:03:59to give you lots of tips and tricks on how you can save energy.
0:03:59 > 0:04:06And, as you know, our team have been filming with you over the last few weeks.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10Well, let's have a look at what some of you have been up to.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17- ALL LAUGH - Ah!
0:04:17 > 0:04:20How proud are you of your fridge, Norman. That's spectacular!
0:04:20 > 0:04:23Oh, and another one! ALL LAUGH
0:04:26 > 0:04:31Do you have any idea how much running those fridges and freezers costs in a year?
0:04:31 > 0:04:37- No.- It's £180 a year just on your fridges.- Just on the fridges?!- OK.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40Fridge freezers are on 24 hours a day,
0:04:40 > 0:04:427 days a week,
0:04:42 > 0:04:45so choosing an energy-efficient one could save money.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47Look for the energy rating label.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51The ratings are based on fridges of the same size.
0:04:51 > 0:04:56If the electricity tariff is around 15 pence per kWh,
0:04:56 > 0:05:01these are the average annual running costs of a 253 litre fridge.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10- Jill, how many times do you put the kettle on a day?- Quite a lot.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14I put the kettle on and then get waylaid by, normally, a child,
0:05:14 > 0:05:19so I'll probably click it on a few times before I actually make myself a cup of tea.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22On average a UK household
0:05:22 > 0:05:25boils the kettle a staggering 1,500 times a year.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31With an energy tariff of around 15p per kWh...
0:05:31 > 0:05:34this will cost £26.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38This is how it compares to a dishwasher,
0:05:38 > 0:05:41desktop computer and microwave.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48- That is a huge telly.- That is a huge telly. Is this a plasma telly?
0:05:48 > 0:05:50- Yes.- Yeah. They're huge energy guzzlers.
0:05:50 > 0:05:55Televisions can be the most power hungry of all entertainment appliances,
0:05:55 > 0:05:58but plasmas are the worst offenders.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03With an energy tariff of around 15p per kWh...
0:06:03 > 0:06:07a CRT TV using 119kWh
0:06:07 > 0:06:11costs £18 per year.
0:06:11 > 0:06:16An LCD TV using 199kWh
0:06:16 > 0:06:18costs £30 per year.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22And a plasma using 658kWh
0:06:22 > 0:06:27costs a huge £101 per year.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30Why did you go for such a big telly?
0:06:30 > 0:06:32- It was the biggest we could find.- Yes!
0:06:32 > 0:06:35- But why?- It was a competition.- It was a competition?
0:06:35 > 0:06:39- Yes.- What with the neighbours?- Yes. - ALL LAUGH
0:06:39 > 0:06:42Before they try to cut their energy use,
0:06:42 > 0:06:45I want them to understand just how much energy
0:06:45 > 0:06:48it takes to power a simple domestic appliance.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52I've invited Colin Tonks along to the street,
0:06:52 > 0:06:56who's using bicycles to set up a mini power station.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00I know you take these bikes all over the place to schools, to festivals,
0:07:00 > 0:07:02what are you hoping to demonstrate?
0:07:02 > 0:07:07Well, I'm hoping to demonstrate to people just how much energy it takes to power everyday objects.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09The first question we ask is, where does energy come from?
0:07:09 > 0:07:12- Some people will say it comes from the plug socket.- Yeah.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14And that gives us the opportunity to engage people
0:07:14 > 0:07:17and say, "No, there's all these different fossil fuels
0:07:17 > 0:07:21"that we have to burn before we can actually consume this resource."
0:07:21 > 0:07:26Is a kettle something that even our wonderful, energetic Stonehaven residents
0:07:26 > 0:07:29would be able to power with a bicycle?
0:07:29 > 0:07:32- I'd like a cup of tea, so... - Are you up for it?
0:07:32 > 0:07:34- ALL:- Yes.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36Yes? OK, well, I think to be kind to you,
0:07:36 > 0:07:38we'll start with just one cup.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42One cup of water, Jill. So we'll stick that in a kettle.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46The street will need to use their own steam
0:07:46 > 0:07:50to get this kettle to a boiling point of 100 degrees Celsius.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54One, two, three. Go!
0:08:02 > 0:08:03You can do it!
0:08:06 > 0:08:08Jill, I want you in here.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11How often do you boil your kettle every day, do you think?
0:08:11 > 0:08:13Ten, 15 times a day.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16- Come on, I'm parched!- Are they ever going to do it?
0:08:19 > 0:08:24If everyone in the UK only boiled the water they needed to make a cuppa,
0:08:24 > 0:08:27in one year we would have saved enough energy
0:08:27 > 0:08:30to power the UK's street lights for two months.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36Go on!
0:08:36 > 0:08:4094! 95! 96!
0:08:40 > 0:08:4398! Final push! Come on!
0:08:43 > 0:08:48- Yes!- Yes! It's clicked! You've done it!- Well done, everybody.
0:08:48 > 0:08:5112 people pedalling for seven minutes
0:08:51 > 0:08:54has resulted in one tiny cup of tea.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57It's been a lot of fun, but will it
0:08:57 > 0:09:01make Jill think more seriously about her kettle?
0:09:01 > 0:09:03Was that a bit of a shocker for you?
0:09:03 > 0:09:06It was, really, to see how much energy it actually needs.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12Six families are being challenged
0:09:12 > 0:09:16to cut their energy use by 30% in just three weeks.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20To motivate them, I'm sending them to the town of Lockerbie
0:09:20 > 0:09:22to see what's behind
0:09:22 > 0:09:24some of the most energy-efficient homes in the country.
0:09:24 > 0:09:29It's these houses that we hope are going to inspire our Stonehaven residents.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31They're known as "passive houses"
0:09:31 > 0:09:35and the best thing for the people who live in them
0:09:35 > 0:09:39is that their energy bills are a fraction of the national average.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44I can tell you, on average
0:09:44 > 0:09:49you're paying over £1,700 for your energy bills a year.
0:09:49 > 0:09:54Let's see...what the difference is with the people living here.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57So shall we go over?
0:09:57 > 0:10:00- Morning, Rosie!- Hello. - ALL: Hello.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04- Who lives in this house with you? - There's me and there's three girls with me.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06- OK.- Uh-oh!- Three daughters. - ALL LAUGH
0:10:06 > 0:10:12So, presumably, that means you've got girls...using hairdryers
0:10:12 > 0:10:15and computers and all the regular things.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19- Yeah. Yeah, plenty.- Yeah. What about central heating?
0:10:19 > 0:10:23- We don't have central heating. - Right. OK. And is it cold in there?
0:10:23 > 0:10:26- No, not at all. No, the opposite. - SHE LAUGHS
0:10:26 > 0:10:28- Do you believe her? - ALL: No!
0:10:28 > 0:10:29SHE LAUGHS
0:10:29 > 0:10:33Can I ask you to reveal what you pay a year
0:10:33 > 0:10:35for all your energy consumption?
0:10:35 > 0:10:37Right, this is all my electricity.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39So on top of this, I use some logs but not a lot.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43And this is £538 for the whole year.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45So we need to find out
0:10:45 > 0:10:51- how you can pay, really, a fraction of what these guys are paying. - Uh-huh.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54The man to tell us is Thomas Froehlich,
0:10:54 > 0:10:58who helped build this low-cost rental housing.
0:10:58 > 0:11:05- The house is orientated as much as you can towards the sun...to make use of the sun heating the house.- Right.
0:11:05 > 0:11:10They had to be super well-insulated and we have virtually draught-free houses.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14And the remainder of the heat in the house is virtually provided by people themselves
0:11:14 > 0:11:19- and kettles and...- So the heat is generated
0:11:19 > 0:11:24- by Rosie, her three girls and the appliances that she uses.- Uh-huh.
0:11:24 > 0:11:28Now that sounds like a heavenly idea. It's brilliant!
0:11:28 > 0:11:32- Well, Rosie, if you're brave enough to let in the Stonehaven rabble... - Absolutely.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36In you go, guys. Shoes off, please.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40On the roof, Rosie has solar panels to heat her water,
0:11:40 > 0:11:45and inside there's a log burner that does the same job if there's no sun.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49This also acts as a back-up heat source.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52- It's lovely and cosy in here, isn't it?- Warm!
0:11:52 > 0:11:55Inside Rosie's house it's already 20 degrees.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58Let's see if we can warm it up even further.
0:11:58 > 0:12:04So all the kids, you're all going to become heat generators.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08When I say "go", all the boys are going to run up the stairs, quick as you can.
0:12:08 > 0:12:13And then all the girls are going to run down the stairs. Three, two, one. Go!
0:12:16 > 0:12:19The children are running up and down, getting hot,
0:12:19 > 0:12:23and hopefully increasing the temperature of the house.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26To do that it needs to be airtight, so the heat doesn't escape.
0:12:32 > 0:12:38Rosie, are there any downsides of having to live in a sort of airtight house?
0:12:38 > 0:12:40- Oh, yeah. We can't have a cat flap, actually.- Oh, right.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44And same for the letter box, we just have a box on the wall outside the house.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51Thomas is there anything practical that any of them,
0:12:51 > 0:12:56or indeed anyone, can do to make their house more energy efficient?
0:12:56 > 0:12:59Apply insulation on the house, in the roof and all that.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02So this must be the first approach because that's the lasting one.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05It wouldn't make sense to just put solar panels on the house,
0:13:05 > 0:13:10- because you would just replace lost energy with renewable energy.- Right.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14And so energy conservation goes before energy creation.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16And everyone in the living room.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22When we came in the temperature was 20 degrees.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28I can now reveal that the temperature has gone up to...
0:13:28 > 0:13:3025 degrees.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32ALL: Ooh!
0:13:32 > 0:13:37- And it has cost Rosie absolutely nothing.- Wow!
0:13:37 > 0:13:39- Ta-dah! - ALL LAUGH
0:13:39 > 0:13:40We have to charge you now!
0:13:42 > 0:13:47The heat we've generated is drawn into these vents in the ceiling.
0:13:47 > 0:13:53It then flows into this clever contraption in Rosie's utility room, a heat-recovery system.
0:13:53 > 0:13:59The warm air we've generated is used to heat up fresh cooler air coming in from outside.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08The fresh warm air can then be circulated into every room in the house.
0:14:08 > 0:14:14And all that free heat will continue to be recycled long after we've gone,
0:14:14 > 0:14:17because it cannot escape through cracks and gaps in the walls.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26On average, well over half the money we spend on fuel bills
0:14:26 > 0:14:30goes towards heating our homes and providing hot water.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36One way to cut that figure is to
0:14:36 > 0:14:37harness the power of the sun.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41But this is Stonehaven on the east coast of Scotland.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44It's April and its two degrees outside.
0:14:44 > 0:14:49Can solar energy make much of an impact here?
0:14:49 > 0:14:53Engineering expert, Marty Jopson, has come to show the families on this street
0:14:53 > 0:14:57how to make a little bit of sun work hard for them.
0:14:57 > 0:15:02What we're going to do is we're going to build a solar air heater.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04OK, let's have your cans on the table.
0:15:08 > 0:15:14We need to turn all these cans...into a long tube of cans.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17So the first thing we need to do is knock holes in the bottom.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19And again.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29What we're going to do is we're going to glue these all together and make a long tube.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37Right so that'll take a while to dry, but what we have to do next...
0:15:37 > 0:15:40- Paint it!- Is paint it, exactly. - Whoo-hoo!- Cos it has to be...
0:15:40 > 0:15:41What we want is we want it to be
0:15:41 > 0:15:43completely matt black, so it will
0:15:43 > 0:15:45trap as much heat as possible.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55Whilst that's drying, do you want to come in and I'll show you what we've got inside?
0:15:58 > 0:16:01- ALL: Whoo! - Yes, lots of cans.
0:16:01 > 0:16:06The black cans absorb the light and the heat from the sun.
0:16:06 > 0:16:11The heat travels to the inside of the cans by conduction, where it warms the air.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15Convection causes the air to rise through the metal cans,
0:16:15 > 0:16:19bringing cool air in from the bottom to be heated.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22This free heated air is then fed to the house.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31So, there you go, all finished.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35MUSIC: "Walking On Sunshine" by Katrina & The Waves
0:16:36 > 0:16:39We've got a bit of sun, so...I'm hopeful.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47The temperature out here is currently...six degrees.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50- Wow! Sub-tropical(!)- Yeah, exactly.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53What do you reckon the temperature in here has got to?
0:16:53 > 0:16:55- What do you reckon?- 12.- 12 degrees.
0:16:55 > 0:17:01- It has got to 76.6 degrees centigrade.- Wow!
0:17:01 > 0:17:05- Is that hot?- OK, that's just up here right at the top.- That is amazing!
0:17:05 > 0:17:08And rising as we speak. It's ferociously hot up here.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12So I'm going to send half of you indoors and we'll give you a walkie-talkie
0:17:12 > 0:17:15and you can then relay the temperature to us.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22Oh, wow! It's amazing! It's really hot, girls.
0:17:22 > 0:17:24This is, what, 80 degrees, something like that.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27In there they're getting 27-30 degrees.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29- What do you reckon?- This is great.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32It's free...and it's working a lot better than I thought it was going to work.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40The sun is not the only free source of energy,
0:17:40 > 0:17:45wind is another natural resource that can be harnessed to power appliances.
0:17:45 > 0:17:50Engineering expert, Marty Jopson, wants to show the families how this can be done.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53So, what we're going to do is we're going to make a wind turbine.
0:17:53 > 0:17:58And I thought we would try and power something
0:17:58 > 0:18:01fairly straightforward and simple like a blender.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04We're going to use a bike wheel, right?
0:18:04 > 0:18:06This is just an ordinary wheel off a bicycle.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10And we can turn this into a wind turbine
0:18:10 > 0:18:13with the aid of a bit of tape. That's all we need.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21Over. Over.
0:18:21 > 0:18:22Over.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28- Well done. - ALL: Whoo-hoo!
0:18:28 > 0:18:31That's our wind turbine.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33And that should do the job.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37Marty is connecting the home-made wind turbine to the blender
0:18:37 > 0:18:40using a bicycle chain and gears.
0:18:40 > 0:18:45It's fixed to a wooden post, so that it sits up high to catch the wind.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49So the wind turns this, turns the chain, chain turns that...
0:18:49 > 0:18:5390 degrees into our mixer.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56We're going to take this down to the beach. There's good wind on the beach,
0:18:56 > 0:18:59cos it's uninterrupted coming off the sea. Who wants a milkshake?
0:18:59 > 0:19:00ALL: Me!
0:19:00 > 0:19:02Come on, then, let's go down the beach.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12The wind has got what's known as kinetic energy, right,
0:19:12 > 0:19:15so this is the energy of movement.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17So some of the kinetic energy of the wind
0:19:17 > 0:19:20is turned into rotational kinetic energy of the wheel,
0:19:20 > 0:19:24which moves the chains and we get kinetic energy through to here from here.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26So we're capturing that kinetic energy.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29The wheel's spinning round, but at the moment there's no load on it.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32So we've not attached the chain yet, that's the next thing,
0:19:32 > 0:19:34and the question is, will it spin with the chain on?
0:19:34 > 0:19:37- Probably not.- Right, shall we hook it up?
0:19:47 > 0:19:49Blow!
0:19:52 > 0:19:54ALL CHEER
0:19:59 > 0:20:02It's picking up speed.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04Well, it's turning!
0:20:05 > 0:20:08So, let's just see what the wind speed is that we've actually got.
0:20:08 > 0:20:12About...10mph wind here.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15- Even we can blow faster than that. - Exactly, even we can blow faster than this.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19I have a cunning plan.
0:20:19 > 0:20:20Stand back! Stand back.
0:20:20 > 0:20:24ALL LAUGH
0:20:32 > 0:20:35CHEERING Are we getting...?
0:20:35 > 0:20:37Who wants a milkshake?
0:20:37 > 0:20:39ALL: Me!
0:20:43 > 0:20:50So, I think what this has proven is that if you want to run a 350-watt blender,
0:20:50 > 0:20:56you need more wind...even than this and a much bigger wind turbine.
0:20:58 > 0:21:04With just three weeks to slice a massive 30% off their energy consumption,
0:21:04 > 0:21:08the families in this street need all the help they can get.
0:21:08 > 0:21:13Energy expert, Lucy Conway, is on her way to offer some tips.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16Jill loves her big wooden floors,
0:21:16 > 0:21:19but because there's uninsulated concrete underneath,
0:21:19 > 0:21:23valuable heat is being lost through conduction.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26The average is round about ten to 15% heat loss through the floor.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29Your floor could lose about 35% of the heat.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31When we get visitors, we always say
0:21:31 > 0:21:33bring your slippers because the floors are cold.
0:21:35 > 0:21:40This little gizmo measures the temperature of...anything you point it at, really.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44The floor is 18.6 degrees centigrade.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46If we point it at the rug...
0:21:46 > 0:21:48ALL LAUGH
0:21:48 > 0:21:49..you get 19.6.
0:21:49 > 0:21:54So it's a degree warmer on the rug than it is on the floor.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58Lucy has a plan to solve the problem of Jill's chilly floors.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00Ta-dah!
0:22:00 > 0:22:02- Carpets.- Carpets, indeed.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05So can you give me a hand bringing these into the living room?
0:22:05 > 0:22:09- What do you think your mum will make of these?- They won't go with her lounge.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11They won't go with her lounge. Oh, no!
0:22:20 > 0:22:23- That looks absolutely awful now. - LAUGHTER
0:22:23 > 0:22:25It's not my taste at all.
0:22:25 > 0:22:30You will save between four and six percent on your energy bills just by having rugs down.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32I'll keep them down to see if it helps...
0:22:32 > 0:22:36- for the rest of the challenge.- We'll see how it goes for the rest of the week.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40- It's increased the floor temperature by over a degree already.- Yeah.
0:22:41 > 0:22:47Others on the street are also discovering how important it is to prevent heat loss.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50We all realised pretty quick that insulation was the way to go.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52It's nice and cheap and it can be quick.
0:22:52 > 0:22:59So I've been working my way round the house insulating things and the next one is the loft hatch.
0:23:02 > 0:23:08Effective draught proofing around windows and doors can save around £30 per year.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12Norman's hot water tank is uninsulated,
0:23:12 > 0:23:16which means it's losing valuable heat every day.
0:23:17 > 0:23:23- Right, this is the hot water jacket, which costs about £10...- OK.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25..and will save you about £50 a year.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31It reduces the heat loss by 75%.
0:23:34 > 0:23:39I didn't realise it would save you so much money. Just something so simple and so cheap.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43Poor insulation causes needless energy waste.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45These are the approximate savings
0:23:45 > 0:23:48that could be made per year with improved insulation.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53A grand total of £560,
0:23:53 > 0:23:58which is over a third of the average annual UK household energy bill.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01However, you do have to take into account how much it costs
0:24:01 > 0:24:04to install these measures in the first place.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10Reducing heat loss is one way to cut down on energy use,
0:24:10 > 0:24:12but it's not the only way.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15I got a marker pen and I measured two cups,
0:24:15 > 0:24:19cos it's only Peter and I that actually have a cup of tea or coffee.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22- But I'm quite impressed with my little mark.- I'm very impressed.
0:24:22 > 0:24:27Now Jill is only using the energy she needs to boil the kettle.
0:24:27 > 0:24:32Bill and Mi Yong also need tips on how to save energy.
0:24:32 > 0:24:34So how about moving the telly
0:24:34 > 0:24:37to make this beautiful light room even lighter.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40- That's free energy from the sun. - Yeah.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43I'm quite happy not having TV down here at all.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46- Now there's a radical idea, Bill. - It's not just the TV,
0:24:46 > 0:24:49it's the stereo system and the sub-woofer and everything else.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52It took me ages to set this up!
0:24:52 > 0:24:57Lucy's off to see how Sheila's changing her energy habits.
0:24:57 > 0:25:03Before the challenge started, we had the thermostat set to between 21 and 22,
0:25:03 > 0:25:06so it's now between 18 and 19.
0:25:06 > 0:25:12Turning down the thermostat by just one degree can save around £65 pounds a year.
0:25:12 > 0:25:17However, Sheila needs to do more than just turn down her thermostat.
0:25:18 > 0:25:23This is a household that loves a long shower.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27Lucy's got some tips to save water and money.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29So the plan is we're going to fill this bucket
0:25:29 > 0:25:32- and see how many litres it takes in a minute.- OK.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36- So each line here is a litre.- OK. - So we can work out
0:25:36 > 0:25:41- how much water you're using in a minute in the shower.- OK. Interesting.
0:25:41 > 0:25:45- And then we can work out how much energy that is.- Right.- OK?- OK.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47Go!
0:25:51 > 0:25:54Three, two, one.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56- BEEPING - Oh!
0:25:56 > 0:26:00- So I think that's about five litres of water in a minute.- Uh-huh.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04The bad news is if you were to have a 32-minute shower,
0:26:04 > 0:26:07which I believe somebody in this household did the other day,
0:26:07 > 0:26:11- that would be 160 litres.- That's a huge amount.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13- It's two bathfuls.- Oh, is it?
0:26:13 > 0:26:18If two people take showers that last 32 minutes every day,
0:26:18 > 0:26:21over the course of a year the pennies soon add up.
0:26:21 > 0:26:26- £467.20.- Really?! Just for showers?
0:26:26 > 0:26:30Just for two showers, two 32-minute showers a day.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32- Oh, dear! We need to do something. - BOTH LAUGH
0:26:32 > 0:26:34Absolutely.
0:26:34 > 0:26:40Lucy's leaving Sheila with a shower timer, which will help her make the savings she needs.
0:26:41 > 0:26:45Next, she's back to see Norman about his fridges.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47Pop a piece of paper in like that.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50And if you can pull the paper out that easily,
0:26:50 > 0:26:52then your seals aren't working properly.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55- OK.- So have a look at your seals.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58You may find they just need cleaning, or you can get replacement seals.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02Loose seals mean lost energy...and money.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07Before she leaves, Lucy's making one last visit to Bill and Mi Yong's
0:27:07 > 0:27:12to see if they've been persuaded to move their huge telly away from the window.
0:27:12 > 0:27:18- Hello! You've got a very different living room.- Yes, it is.- Look at this! It's amazing!
0:27:18 > 0:27:20It is, isn't it?
0:27:20 > 0:27:25So you've moved the telly and you've pulled up the blinds. What's it like?
0:27:25 > 0:27:28Wonderful! Marvellous!
0:27:28 > 0:27:31When your blinds were down and the window was full of television,
0:27:31 > 0:27:36you were losing 70% of all that free, sunny solar heat
0:27:36 > 0:27:38that was coming into your living room.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41- When you think about it now... - How stupid was it?
0:27:41 > 0:27:44- Does it sound really stupid?- Yeah.
0:27:45 > 0:27:46It's results day.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50Time for energy and sustainability expert, Dr Alan Owen,
0:27:50 > 0:27:53to reveal if the families have managed to cut
0:27:53 > 0:27:58the amount of gas and electricity they use by 30% and save money.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03So, this is it...the results are in.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07Alan, do you want to tell us how the whole street did?
0:28:07 > 0:28:11The whole street achieved a saving between them
0:28:11 > 0:28:13of 49.8%.
0:28:13 > 0:28:14ALL CHEER
0:28:14 > 0:28:1749.8%?!
0:28:17 > 0:28:20Nearly 50%!
0:28:20 > 0:28:22That is incredible!
0:28:22 > 0:28:29So your challenge was to save 30%. You have absolutely blitzed that!
0:28:29 > 0:28:32I think a huge round of applause.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35APPLAUSE
0:28:44 > 0:28:47Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd