Selecting renewable sources for your home’s energy requirements are a fantastic way to reduce your carbon emissions, decrease your dependency on fossil fuels, and potentially lower the cost of your energy use.
In addition to this, renewable energy sources are certainly the power of the future, and by switching now, you can be part of a growing group of conscientious homeowners leading the energy transition into the future.
Renewable Energy Explained
Renewable energy is power generated through natural resources, such as the wind, sun, biomass and water. All of these energy types are naturally replenished, as opposed to fossil fuels which are not.
They can also be referred to as clean or green energy, since the process of generating this kind of energy emits little or no greenhouse gas – unlike fossil fuels such as coal or oil, for example. Taking a step away from these traditional sources will be crucial in our continual efforts to turn the clock back on climate change and improve the quality of the air we breathe.
Ways to Utilise Renewable Energy at Home
Solar Power
By utilising solar photovoltaic panels, that can be installed on the roof of your home; you can take advantage of the suns energy to generate electricity for your home. These panels absorb the sun’s rays and convert it into electrical energy that is then used to warm your home and provide power for your appliances and electricals.
Despite popular belief, these panels can collect energy during cloudy days, although obviously, you’ll find that more power is generated during sunnier days. Also, any power collected during the day can be stored in batteries so you can still use the power after the sun goes down.
Along with improving your homes overall carbon footprint, you can also reduce your reliance on the national grid and save, depending on where in the country you live, up to £300 on your annual electricity bill.
Wind Energy
When you think of wind turbines, you’d be forgiven for thinking about the huge ones that you see on wind farms. However, smaller turbines are available for domestic use too. Turbines generate electricity as the blades are moved by the wind, which powers an internal turbine that creates electrical power. As per the Energy Saving Trust, a pole-mounted turbine of about 6kW could save a homeowner about £250 a year.
Biomass
Biomass heating systems burn down organic material, such as wood pellets, logs and chips to generate heat and hot water.
This is a great low carbon option for generating energy, as the wood that is being burned will only emit as much carbon as the tree has absorbed during the years and months that it has been growing.
Hydroelectric Systems
This energy source utilises water that is flowing downstream to generate energy for a property – this means if your home is situated near a lake or river, this is certainly an option worth looking into.
The UK has four large scale hydroelectric power stations in operation at the moment, but it is certainly possible to scale down and have a similar operation installed for your home if it is situated near a river with a one-meter drop.
Air Source Heat Pumps
Image from Renewable Energy Devon
An air-source heat pump is a renewable energy system that takes the heat from the outside air to recycle it in the home to provide heat and hot water – think of a fridge, except in reverse.
This green and clean energy heating system is almost silent during operation and can actually save you more than £300 a year on your heating bill when compared to a similar oil-fired system.
Takeaways
While these are brilliant options for your home, they can also work equally well for your business too. There are also many community energy schemes across the country where whole neighbourhoods come together with the common goal of connecting to a renewable energy source.
At Powerguard, we’re committed to combatting climate change and the impact this has on our world, so if you’re interested in anything we’ve covered in this blog, or you’d like to hear more about our solutions, get in touch today.