Electricity
The latest 'Solar Photovoltaic' technology uses the sun's energy to produce electricity that householders can use for their domestic needs. These technologies do not strictly require direct sunlight to work but in fact can provide power even on a cloudy day.
The systems work by converting sunlight into electricity and hence producing no greenhouse gases. Photovoltaic cells create an electric field as light shines onto the layers of silicon that make up the system. In turn this causes electricity to flow.
Translated into the effect it has on your pocket, it could save you approximately £125 per year off your electricity bill resulting in a CO2 saving of 800 kg.
Water Heating
Solar power technology can also be used to provide a house with its water heating needs. Solar panels or collectors fitted to your roof can collect the sun's heat and use it to heat your water. Thereafter your hot water cylinder stores the water that is required during the day for use around the clock.
The average system could reduce your CO2 by around 350 - 400kg per year amounting to some £50 in monetary savings. This would be providing your hot water during the summer months amounting to about a third of the year.
Once installed solar power systems are generally a low maintenance way of providing you with a great form of energy. However, before installing a solar power system, do check the regulatory requirements with your local council as you may require planning permission before installation.
The installation and use of a high efficiency condensing boiler can save a household £190 - £240 per year, although as these are average figures, for some households these figures can be much higher. The condensing boiler works differently to conventional boilers by recovering the heat which would normally be wasted as it is extracted through the flue.
This heat recovery process allows the best high efficiency condensing boilers to convert more than 90% of their fuel into heat compared to figures of around 78% from traditional boilers.
With boilers accounting for about 60% of a home's CO2 , this could have a significant effect on your carbon footprint.
On a simple level a ground source heat pump allows for heat to be extracted from the ground where temperatures are warmer from the heat energy from the earth's core. With clever uses of heat pump technology, a loop of pipe absorbs its surrounding heat from the ground and then the heat is pumped into the house. Although this system can be used with radiators it works best when combined with under-floor heating as the required temperatures are much lower than radiators. This is due to under-floor heating systems having greater energy efficiency compared to radiators.
Heat pump technology can be used to provide 100% of a building's heating requirements, however a personalised evaluation by an expert would better determine how such a system could best serve your needs.
Most houses built after the First World War were built using double layers of external wall. These are known as cavity walls as there is the brick we all see from the outside and a breeze block second layer which is the wall seen from the inside to which plaster is applied.
The resulting gap of air between the inner and outer layers is known as the 'cavity'. Without 'Cavity Wall Insulation' you could be spending a considerable amount of your annual heating bills on heating the air on the outside of your home.
Insulating this air gap can save you £130-£160 annually or even more on larger houses. With the cost of insulation averaging around £260 (or even free if there are grants or relevant schemes available), the payback period for such an investment is most likely to be under 2 years.
NB Cavity wall insulation is only to be used where a building has cavity walls. Our professionals can be of further assistance if you are unsure whilst we carry out your reports.
Double glazed windows in a home can potentially save you between £80 - £100 per year amounting to 2 / 3 of a tonne in CO2 . They work by trapping air between two panes of glass which provides an added layer of insulation. In more modern double glazed units, the air between the two panes of glass is filled with argon gas giving an even higher level of insulation.
Similar to cavity wall insulation, loft insulation is a highly cost effective means of reducing up to 1 / 3 of your current heat loss. Given it is one of the most simplest and effective means at your disposal, it is highly recommended that it be carried out.
Financially speaking and depending on if you already have any insulation, savings between £180 - £220 per year can be made using insulation of 270mm in thickness. In fact if everybody in the UK topped up their roof insulation to 270mm, this would save enough money to pay for the annual fuel bills of over 640,000 families!
You can potentially save hundreds of pounds by doing nothing more than just switching your gas and electricity provider!
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