Renewable energy sources are becoming more accessible and affordable than ever before and because of this, homeowners increasingly decide to invest in this technology over other energy sources.
Renewable energy not only helps reduce your carbon footprint and save the environment, it can also save you a lot of money on your energy bills. With government grants and schemes available that give you money back based on the extra energy you have produced, you can even earn some extra cash by installing renewable energy sources in your home.
Renewable energy sources for homeowners
Discover some of the most popular energy sources for homeowners and the benefits to your home below. If you have any questions about renewable energy and need advice about what’s best for your home, give us a call on 01403 253439.
Solar panels
There are two main types of solar panels to choose from, Solar PV and Solar Thermal:
Solar PV
Solar Photovoltaics or Solar PV, are the typical solar panels that you would find on most homes. They are mounted onto the roof of a property and use the heat from the sun to generate electricity which can then be used inside the home.
In the UK, we tend to not get too many sunny days, however they will still work on the cloudiest of days, as they don’t need direct sunlight to generate electricity.
Solar Thermal
Solar Thermal is very similar to Solar PV except that it heats water rather than generating electricity. They are used in conjunction with your already installed heating system and boiler and are made up of three main parts:
- Collectors – these can come in two variants, either flat plate or evacuated tube. They collect energy from the sun through the heating of a liquid contained inside them.
- Pump – this ensures the liquid is pumped and circulated through the collectors effectively and efficiently.
- Water cylinder – any heat captured by the collectors is pumped to a coil inside the water cylinder which then heats the water.
As with Solar PV, Solar Thermal can be used throughout the year in the UK, even on cloudy days.
Air source heat pumps
Air source heat pumps are used to heat your home and hot water. They work by extracting heat from the air outside your home and using it to heat your home, including radiators, underfloor heating and hot water.
The temperature outside doesn’t have to be hot for the pump to work, it can extract air from temperatures as low as -20 degrees and use this to heat your home. These are an excellent way to heat your home, as they are 100% efficient and waste nothing.
Ground source heat pumps
Ground source heat pumps work in a similar way to air source heat pumps, except they extract heat from the ground rather than the air.
Ground temperatures tend to be steady across the year, around 10-15 degrees, making them a very reliable source of heat for your home.
Biomass boiler
Although a lot of newer boilers are far more energy efficient than their older counterparts, you can go one step further in getting an energy efficient boiler and choose a biomass boiler. Instead of burning fossil fuels such as gas and oil to heat your home, they burn wood pellets, logs and chips to generate heat and energy.
This dramatically reduces your carbon footprint as these boilers only release the carbon emissions that are already present in trees into the atmosphere.
Hydroelectric power
Hydroelectric power is a less common option of renewable energy for homeowners, as it requires a flowing source of water to be nearby in order for it to be viable.
If you are lucky enough to have flowing water nearby, you can use the flowing water and divert it through a hydroelectric generator to create electricity for use in your home. Hydropower is a very reliable and stable source of renewable energy, as water tends to have a constant flow, so you will always be able to generate electricity for your home.
Get in touch
Want to find out more about renewable energy sources for your home? Our expert team has over 15 years in the energy industry, so can help you understand the right options for you and your home.
We are also fully qualified to install heat pumps, so should you need a fully qualified company to help you in your quest to cut down the emissions of your home, we would be happy to help.
Get in touch with our team today to find out more about our renewable energy services and book an appointment.