But, unlike most investments, at least they do have a guaranteed return.’I swapped an oil tank for solar panels’When he retired two years ago, David Sowden moved with his wife from Leeds to the village of Crosby-on-Eden near Carlisle. “It’s a detached ex-Ministry of Health house that was built for the local nurse in 1955,” he explains.He was in the process of totally revamping the house when he ran into difficulties. A previous occupant had removed a lintel, leaving an old boiler as a support. The builder who helped him out with that problem also told that he could get a grant for insulation.”I got cavity wall insulation and the loft insulation brought up to spec. It cost me £146,” he says.”There’s no mains gas in the village so I have to rely on an old oil tank for heating.

As a result I was asked if I’d be interested in solar panels.”These would have cost around £1,100, but as this was a pilot project he ended up paying £650 for the panels, which help supply his hot water “I filled up with oil last October,” he says. “I checked it three or four days ago and I reckon I’m about 250 gallons up.”With domestic heating oil costing around 27p a litre that represents a saving of around £300 over almost a year from his total investment of £800. WHERE TO GO TO SAVE ON ENERGYOne spin-off from government concern about global warming is the number of places giving impartial advice on energy saving. Although these focus on reducing CO2 emissions, they also offer ways of saving money.* For people who would rather deal with somebody face-to-face there are 52 Energy Efficiency Advice centres around the UK. For details call 0800 512 012.* The Government’s Energy Saving Trust website is filled with useful tips. It even has an interactive grant finder to see if you can get help with insulation. * The boiler efficiency database includes recommendations for size of boiler according to property.

.uk* THe Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency provides independent 25-year guarantees for cavity wall insulation. * The Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF) is the trade association for double glazing companies. .uk* Corgi is the national watchdog for gas safety. * Oil Fired Technicians Association is the trade body covering oil-fired central heating.

* There are a number of websites that will recommend gas and electricity suppliers on the basis of your energy consumption and where you live. Nationwide building society this week hit out at the creeping plague of cash machines that penalise unsuspecting members of the public by charging up to £5 a time. Royal Bank of Scotland has bought Hanco, the largest operator of fee-charging ATMs. And HBOS and Abbey National have sold non-branch machines to fee-chargers.Stuart Bernau, a Nationwide executive director, said: “This hits the poor hardest, because it is usually a flat rate.