A short round up of how to boost your HIP rating and reduce energy consumption in your home with important A labelled appliances that really make a difference

Boost your HIP rating and reduce energy consumption with the new ALPHA2

Consumers could be saving the energy of five nuclear power plants

With Home Information Packs and energy performance surveys now compulsory for the sale of all homes with three or more bedrooms, every watt of wasted energy could be reducing the value of houses. Grundfos, World leader in developing and manufacturing pumps, today launches the brand new ALPHA2 circulator pump, designed to significantly reduce CO2 emissions.

Energy savings start in each and everyone's house, and switching to an A-rated washing machine just isn't enough! To effectively save energy and money we all need to look deeper. Grundfos' latest innovation from their new generation of A rated circulator pumps, the ALPHA2, circulates water from the boiler using as little as 5 watts. This A-labelled pump could reduce an average European household's total power consumption by up to 10 per cent.

For more than two years Grundfos has persistently worked to increase awareness on circulator pump efficiency and its overall importance. There are more than 120 million circulators in operation in Europe today, and the majority are D rated and simply not efficient enough. Their needless waste of precious energy not only increases the CO2 emission, and thereby they are co-responsible for global warming, but also the consumer's electricity bills. By choosing ALPHA2, A-rated circulators, consumers can reduce both their outgoings and harmful CO2 emissions.

Choose A - Ace your HIP
Most people aren't even aware of the fact they have a circulator pump. Bearing in mind that this appliance, if not A-rated, consumes a large amount of energy, means it's a major hidden energy thief in the home. This results in, not only higher bills and CO2 emissions, but also could affect the home energy rating.

Since the 10th of September 2007, all homes in England and Wales with 3 or more bedrooms need a Home Information Pack, which includes a home energy rating. They also require an Energy Performance Certificate that tells the house owner how efficient his or her home is on a scale of A to G. The most efficient homes, which should have the lowest fuel bills, are in band A, and are more likely to appeal to potential buyers than those with a lower rating.

"Nowadays, most people want to reduce their bills and become more eco-friendly. Add to that the fact that Government legislation has introduced the Home Information Pack, and you can see the importance of having an A-rated circulator pump," says Calvin Pope from Grundfos. "That's why, in all product development and improvement, Grundfos strives to develop the most energy-saving and cost-effective products. The ALPHA2 represents a benchmark in the pump business, when it comes to energy savings."

Your pump, your electricity bill
A-rated circulator pumps use up to 80 per cent less energy than typical D-rated pumps. So they offer great opportunities of reducing energy consumption. The organisation Europump estimates that if all heating circulators in Europe were changed to ALPHA2, A-rated models, it would save 44 billion kWh every year. This is the equivalent to the energy produced by five nuclear power plants.

Some facts about the ALPHA2: more efficient and compact
• ALPHA2 is the first small circulator equipped with the unique Grundfos feature AUTOADAPT for optimum pump operation. AUTOADAPT is an intelligent regulation function linked to the permanent magnetic motor, that keeps the pump operating at peak efficiency, It carries out regular proportional pressure adjustments and automatically sets the pump operating profile to a more efficient performance curve whenever possible - resulting in even greater energy savings!
• Thanks to its new and improved compact design, ALPHA2 can be easily installed even in the most confined spaces. ALPHA2 also has all the other benefits of the ALPHA range, such as LED display, showing electrical connection (and power consumption), and Plug and Pump electrical connection - All saving time on installation.

For more useful tips, visit www.grundfos.co.uk or www.energyproject.com