An excellent approach to lessen your carbon footprint, make your home more sustainable, and perhaps even lower your energy expenses is to choose renewable energy sources for your home’s electricity and heating. The benefits are unquestionably substantial.
Renewable Energy: What Is It?
Natural energy sources, including the sun, wind, biomass, and water, are used to produce renewable energy. These renewable energy sources also replenish themselves spontaneously.
Due to the fact that the process of producing energy from these renewable sources generates little to no greenhouse emissions, as opposed to fossil fuels like coal and oil, it is also sometimes referred to as “green energy” and “clean energy.” We must abandon these conventional energy sources if we are to protect the environment and stop climate change.
1. Solar energy
Solar photovoltaic panels installed on your roof allow you to harness the power of the sun to power your home. These solar panels convert the sun’s energy into electricity that can be used to heat your house and run your electronics.
The panels can produce electricity during the day and are not dependent on sunshine to function, however, they do produce more on days with higher sunshine. Batteries can be used to store electricity produced during the day so that you can continue to use it when the sun sets. And as part of the government’s Smart Export Guarantee, any extra energy you don’t consume can be sold into the national electrical grid (SEG).
One of the main benefits of solar energy is that you may increase the sustainability of your home by using solar panels to generate your own clean electricity. Furthermore, solar panels can lower your reliance on the grid and even lower your electricity costs. You may reduce your annual electricity costs by an average of £705 with the help of our solar panels and battery storage1. Even better, you can stretch the expense out using a variety of payment methods.
2. Solar heating
Heating and hot water can also be provided year-round using solar energy. Solar panels are used in solar heating systems and can be installed on a roof, a free-standing frame, or even hung from a wall. You will need around five square meters of space that receives direct sunlight for the majority of the day in order for them to heat water that is stored in a hot water cylinder using the energy they produce. You’ll need larger panels, the size of which will depend on the size of your home if you want to utilize them to power your heating as well.
3. Heat pumps with an air source
An air source heat pump is a type of renewable energy system that uses heat from the outside air to heat your home and supply hot water. It functions similarly to a refrigerator, but in the opposite direction, by drawing heat from the outside air and using it to warm your house. Heat pumps function in all climates and may heat your home in conditions as low as -15 degrees by drawing heat from the air.
Compared to conventional oil or gas heating, air source heat pumps are a more environmentally friendly heating solution, which can improve your home’s energy efficiency and lower your carbon footprint. Additionally, compared to outdated electric storage heaters or outdated gas boilers, this healthy and environmentally sustainable type of heating operates nearly silently and can save you up to £1,330 annually.
It may be wise to consider installing an air source heat pump now since the UK government will start awarding grants of £5,000 later this spring. These awards can help cover the upfront costs of having a heat pump installed in your home.
4. Wind power
There are more uses for wind turbines than the large wind farms you see in open spaces. Smaller wind turbines can be mounted on a building directly or as a free-standing pole for houses. The wind turns the blades, which turns the internal turbine and produces power. This is how they produce electricity. A 6kW pole-mounted turbine is predicted to save your annual electricity costs by roughly £340 while also generating about £235 in SEG payments4.
5. Systems using biomass
For heating and hot water, biomass heating systems burn organic materials like wood pellets, chips, or logs. While compared to fossil fuels like coal and oil, this kind of heating produces less carbon dioxide since the amount of carbon released when burning wood in these systems is limited to the amount that the tree absorbed while it was growing. Furthermore, compared to an outdated electric heating system, it is predicted that a biomass system can save you up to £870 annually.
Additionally, biomass plants can offer businesses a sustainable energy source that will enable them to cut their carbon emissions and significantly contribute to the UK’s future demands for the creation of heat and electricity.
6. Hydroelectric power plants
If your property is near a lake or river, this renewable energy source may be a perfect choice for you. It generates power from water flowing downhill. Although there are numerous major hydroelectric power plants in operation, you may also buy tiny ones for your house. These are capable of producing enough electricity to run a house with a one-meter drop in a river.
100% sustainable energy sources, including wind, biomass, and solar, are used to power all of the households that we serve. Additionally, we provide 100% renewable electricity to our qualified small business customers in addition to the residences of our customers. There are still more fantastic possibilities for your house, though. You can make the most of your renewable electricity by using it to power your car by installing an electric vehicle charger at your home.
All of these renewable energy sources may also be appropriate for your company, and there are numerous community energy programs already in operation that bring together neighborhoods to link to a renewable energy program.
If you are interested in more articles like this, here’s one about solar panels being energy efficient.
