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When it comes to Renewable Energy Sources - what is best for me?
There is no doubt that we as a nation are starting to warm to the idea of generating energy from a renewable source. Next time you are out and about, simply lift your head to the roofs of homes around and I will be bitterly disappointed if you are not confronted by an array of solar panels or indeed a token wind turbine for example. Advancements in technology have made it easier and more affordable to generate heat and power from sustainable, environmentally-friendly sources and as a result, small-scale microgeneration projects have sprung up across the United Kingdom.
With government targets in place for the production of energy from renewable sources, for reducing carbon emissions and for ensuring that all new homes are as sustainable as possible, it has never been more important to consider renewable energy. Add to this the potential financial benefits associated with the Renewable Heat Incentive and Feed-In-Tariff scheme and renewable becomes a very attractive long term solution. In order to help you through this process, we at doineedplanningpermission.co.uk wish to set out some of the key considerations that may help inform your decision when it comes to choosing the right technology for you.
Biomass/wood-fuelled heating
This is arguably the most traditional of all home heating sources. Although burning wood might on the face of it appear to be at odds with a clean, green source of energy – the fact that CO2 produced by wood burning is absorbed by growing trees means that in essence this is carbon neutral.
Considerations: The ongoing cost of fuel is an important aspect together with compliance with local building regulations and smoke free zones. Also, don't forget that wood is bulky and therefore, you need to have a storage area near to your boiler as the last thing you want to be doing on a winter's evening is heading toward the garden shed for more supplies.
Cost: Whilst the price will depend on your home and its heating together with hot water needs, a typical log pellet boiler will start at around £3,000. A wood burning stove with a back boiler to run ten radiators would cost around £600-£700.
Ground Source Heat Pumps
A ground source heat pump uses pipes buried a few metres below the earth's surface to extract the heat the ground has absorbed from the sun. This heat which stays constant year-round is then transferred into the home to warm radiators or heat a hot water system.
Considerations: The installation will require your garden to be dug up or a borehole sunk. Ground source heat pumps are only suitable for homes with lots of surrounding space and if your home is poorly insulated the pump will need to use more electricity to effectively heat your home.
Cost: Between £9,000 and £17,000 depending on the size of your home and how well it is insulated.
Air Source Heat Pumps
Air source heat pumps work by extracting the ambient heat from the air outside your home and converting it into a temperature suitable for heating. They can operate effectively despite outside temperatures being as low as minus 20 degrees C.
Air source heat pumps can be easily installed in flats and other properties with limited space.
Considerations: Planning permission may be required if you particularly live in a Conservation Area or your home is Listed.
Cost: Air source heat pumps generally cost £6,000 – 10,000 for a detached home including installation.
Wind Turbines
By far the most well known of all renewable energy sources. However, in order to allow the technology to work efficiently for you, you will need to live in a windy location, away from nearby buildings and trees.
Considerations: Erecting a wind turbine requires planning permission and the turbine will only be effective if sited in a windy location.
Costs: According to the Energy Saving Trust, a small roof mounted system can cost around £2,000. Larger, mast mounted systems will set you back up to £24,000.
Solar Thermal
Solar thermal is the most common and simplistic use of solar energy in the home. It works by using the sun's energy to heat water stored in panels on your roof before transferring this to the water in your cylinder.
Considerations: You will need a roof space of at least 5 square metres facing east to west through south.
Costs: An average system should cost around £4,800.
Solar Voltaic
Solar Voltaic cells generate electricity form the sun's rays. The technology allows electricity to be generated even on cloudy days! It is a clean green source of fuel that under the Feed-In-Tariff scheme allows any excess energy to be sold back to the national grid.
Considerations: You will need a roof that faces within 90 degrees of south and is clear of any obstructions such as trees.
Costs: An average 2.2kW system will cost about £12,000.
Micro CHP
Micro combined heat and power provides a way of generating your own electricity and reducing your carbon footprint. This technology allows the simultaneous generation of heat and electricity from the same energy source. You will expect to pay about £5,000 for this technology.
When it comes to renewable energy sources, there are many possibilities and the one you may decide to choose will depend your own personal circumstances. We would love to know what option you may have opted for.
Renewable Energy
As part of the Government's spending review it was announced in October this year that the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme, or RHI, will go ahead, hopefully by June 2011. What, I hear you cry, is the RHI?! We are all by now well aware of the planet's limited fossil fuel supply and that we need to look to greener, more renewable forms of energy. Heat production accounts for around half of the UK's carbon emissions and the RHI is part of the Government's strategy towards supporting a low carbon energy future. It will provide long-term support for renewable heat technologies, from household solar panels to industrial wood pellet boilers. The Department for Energy and Climate Change has stated that it “remains committed to the ambition of moving from 1% to 12% of all heat generated from a renewable source by 2020.” And it's not just about trying to minimise the effects of climate change. Meeting those targets could provide several billion pounds worth of investment opportunities and create up to half a million jobs in the renewable energy sector by 2020 - a welcome prospect for the future.
So how can you and I as householders do our bit? Fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas are limited and will eventually run out. By contrast, energy such as wind, solar and wave power can be constantly replenished. There are more and more companies now offering the domestic user the opportunity to rethink their energy supply. From solar panels, wind turbines and ground source heat pumps - it's all available. For more information and advice on what may be suitable for your home or business check out the green energy companies on our Who Can Help page.
The Heat Is On - Will the Government's Aspirations of Zero Carbon Living become a Reality?
Did you realise that by 2016, the Government will expect that all new homes that are built will be zero carbon? In order for a house to be classed as being zero carbon, it will have to generate as much power as it uses over the course of a year. For most of us, the idea of having a home that generates enough power to meet its own requirements would appear as likely as the 50 pence litre of petrol. However, the zero carbon home is not a figment of imagination but became a step closer to mass reality with the first four-bedroom house being unveiled in Kent this week.
The question that begs to be asked is how can we really achieve this?
There is no doubt that meeting this objective will be expensive. In most cases, traditional building materials and construction techniques will not cut the metaphorical mustard and will have to be markedly improved. Where we site a house and how it is orientated will have to be considered. For example, there will be an expectation that new build properties will be orientated in such a way as to maximise space heating from the winter sun and shade from cold northerly winds. Following traditional street patterns may have to be jeopardised in favour of space heating orientation. Don't be surprised to find that those icy drafts synonymous with older properties will be consigned to history and instead, we can look forward to air tight rooms and entrance lobbies designed to reduce mass migration of heat. All very well but what do we do with the excessively flatulent dog in an airtight room?
The fun doesn't stop there. We can look forward to motion detection lighting, which means it will only come on when areas within the home are actively populated and intelligent software to prioritise the use of appliances and stagger their use.
Ways of physically generating renewable energy include the use of ground or air source heat pumps for hot water and space heating together with the use of biomass as a fuel. For the generation of electrical power, it is likely that in future, our roofscape will be populated by micro generating wind turbines and banks of gleaming photovoltaic cells adorned to roof planes. This will certainly have an impact upon the appearance of sensitive landscapes and conservation areas.
Our local environment will determine what our buildings will look like. Zero Carbon will mean that road miles will be reduced in favour of using locally sourced materials. Moreover, we can look forward to harvesting our rainwater and recycling it through the use of reed bed technology for example.
There is no doubt that the technology is there but in these times of economic belt tightening, can all those involved in the delivery of homes stomach the additional burden of meeting the zero carbon challenge?
Does the idea of living in a draft proof room do it for you?
We look forward to your comments.
