How Green Can You Go
by Jayne Howarth and George Clarke
Every week we read reports about dwindling stock of fossil fuels and warnings of ever increasing energy bills.
It is no surprise, therefore, that many of us are actively looking to make our homes more environmentally friendly so that we can save money and reduce our carbon footprint.
You can’t help but notice how many solar thermal and photovoltaic panels are popping up on roofs now.
But you only have to dip your toe in the water of green technology to realise that there are myriad choices out there.
Would you be better off buying your own panels so that you receive a cheque from your energy supplier for the extra electricity that is generated but you do not use?
If you qualify for these so-called feed-in tariffs, you can benefit from a set rate paid by the energy supplier for each unit (or kWh) of electricity you generate. You will also receive a further 3p/kWh from your energy supplier for each unit you export back to the electricity grid and make savings on your electricity bill.
It sounds tempting.
However, you might find that signing up to a company that offers free solar PV panels in return for any income from electricity exported to the National Grid is more beneficial.
It can be bewildering, so it pays to do your homework.
But before you even begin to go down the high-tech route, you should invest in simpler eco measures that reap massive benefits, says architect and TV presenter George Clarke.
Begin with lifestyle changes, he says.
“People hate it when I preach about this, but it makes sense to start off with these,” insists George, who will be hosting seminars and discussions at Grand Designs Live at the NEC in Birmingham this month.
“Many people still run their taps when they are cleaning their teeth or fill the kettle when they need to make one cup of tea.
“Kettles are the biggest energy guzzlers; they use a phenomenal amount of energy. It’s the small things we should look at first.”
George, who has fronted such programmes as Restoration Man and The Home Show, said measures that reduce energy waste should be a huge consideration for every homeowner. Ignore these at your peril, he warns.
“There is no use installing solar panels on your roof if your house isn’t double-glazed and there isn’t enough insulation in your property,” he says.
“If your house is warm and comfortable, you can turn your thermostat down by one or two degrees and that will save you between £100 and £150 a year. It makes such a difference.”
Good insulation is critical. According to the Department of Energy and Climate Change, almost half of Britain’s homes do not have adequate basic insulation. Its figures showed that only 57 per cent of Britain’s lofts have been properly insulated and just 58 per cent of cavity walls filled.
The Energy Saving Trust says that simply by lagging lofts and filling cavity walls, you can save more than £100 in fuel bills every year.
Use energy saving light bulbs, which are five times more energy efficient as standard bulbs, but remember the turn them off when you leave the room.
Make sure that any appliances are taken off standby and turn them off properly at night. Doing this can save households £38 a year. Invest in a plug-in power meter and you will see exactly which of your appliances are energy-hungry.
George also recommends installing a new boiler – whether an A-rated condensing or combi –if your existing one is more than ten years old. This is because as they get old they become less efficient.
“New boilers are far more efficient nowadays, so you will be using less gas and again reducing your energy use,” he adds.
George, who lives in an Edwardian semi-detached house, says he has packed his home with energy efficient systems, from double-glazed sash windows that look like original features to thick layers of insulation because he is unable to install high tech green equipment.
He lives in a conservation area, so no wind turbines, solar thermal or photovoltaic panels are allowed, and his garden is too small to accommodate a ground source heat pump, which uses pipes buried in the garden to extract heat from the ground to power radiators, underfloor heating systems and hot water.
“Don’t assume you can have a PV panel, because your roof may be north-facing and you may not get maximum energy generating from it or local planning laws may forbid it,” he says.
But, if you are in a position to install PV panels or solar thermal panels, it is a worthwhile investment, explains George.
And because the feed-in tariffs, which stand at 43.3p per unit, are set to reduce by about eight per cent in April next year, now is a good time to investigate installing them.
“If you can, that is great and you should definitely do it,” he says. “Combined with the other measures, it will make a big difference.”
The Government is introducing its Green Deal next year, a massive nationwide programme that will enable millions of us to benefit from the installation green and ecologically-sound technologies without having to pay upfront.
Although homeowners will repay the cost of having PV panels or other energy saving features such as double glazing over time, it is not a personal loan because the charge is attached to the house and paid back through your fuel bill.
“The Government’s taking very brave steps with this because it is balancing ecology with economy,” says George. “I think it’s a fantastic idea because people will be able to afford their double glazing. It’s a very clever financial model.”
For more details about the Green Deal, visit http://www.decc.gov.uk
The REAL Assurance Scheme, launched by the Renewable Energy Association, has issued its top tips for ensuring you choose the right company to install solar panels at your home
Any installer offering a system that can earn money from the Feed-In Tariff must be a member of REAL. They are listed at www.realassurance.org.uk/scheme/members.
Only sign a contract with a company that is certified under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) for the technology you are looking to install. If a company is registered for Solar Thermal but not Solar PV, its PV installation won’t qualify. www.microgenerationcertification.org/mcs-consumer/installer-search.php
Check the Energy Saving Trust website for objective information and target prices. Its online Cashback Calculator will tell you how much solar panels could earn on your roof.
www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Generate-your-own-energy
Read REAL’s guidance carefully before you sign a contract or pay a deposit. www.realassurance.org.uk/consumers
Get at least three quotes before you decide which company to contract with.
Make sure any testimonials you rely on are genuine and were not paid for; contact the people yourself and ask them any questions you might have.
Before you sign a contract or pay a deposit make sure the company gives you a quote in writing, including a standard performance estimate specific to your property and a full breakdown of what will be supplied; make sure it’s all-inclusive.
Before you sign a contract or pay a deposit make sure the company gives you their standard terms and conditions in writing.
Never pay more than 25% of the contract price upfront and check it will be protected with insurance.
Remember you have the right to cancel the contract within seven days with no penalty; make sure you don’t waive this right by signing a waiver.
If you make any changes to the contract make sure these are agreed in writing and added to the contract.
If the company makes any changes to the contract make sure you agree them in writing; if you are not happy with them you have the right to cancel the contract within 7 days with no penalty.
So what can I install at my home?
Solar thermal (also known as solar hot water) panels: these use energy from the sun to heat your domestic hot water supply.
Photovoltaic panels: these convert sunlight/daylight into electrical energy.
Micro converted heat and power: similar to a boiler but generates heat and electricity simultaneously.
Air source heat pumps: absorb heat from the outside to heat radiators, underfloor heating systems, or warm air convectors and hot water in your home.
Wind turbines: can be roof mounted or mast mounted. Electricity is generated by the wind.
Ground source heat pump: a loop of pipe that is buried in the garden that harnesses ground heat to generate energy to power water for the heating and hot water circuits.
Cotswold Green Energy can help with the design, installation and maintenance of solar water heating, multi fuel and wood pellet boilers and stoves, underfloor heating, air source heat pumps, mechanical ventilation and heat recovery, as well as traditional systems.
Run by Charlie Mackinnon Little, Cotswold Green Energy was featured on the Grand Designs episode on the Cotswolds underground house by architect Helen Seymour Smith, where Charlie designed and installed green heating and hot water systems that cost less than £100 a year to run.
TV personality, architect Charlie Luxton (DIY SOS, Build A New life In The Country), also used Cotswold Green Energy to re-design and install low energy heating and hot water systems at his Oxfordshire home.
With a long-standing passion for sustainability, the company has developed a unique new energy modelling service this year that integrates with heating and hot water design to produce very low energy buildings called passivhaus.
It comes from years of tried and tested projects in Europe, and the UK is now catching up fast. This can cut household heating and hot water bills by 70-80 per cent.
Midland firm fits out Largest Solar Farm
A Birmingham firm has brought renewable energy to 1,500 homes in Oxfordshire by fitting out Britain’s largest solar power plant.
JT Hawkes worked against the clock to design, install and commission the electricity plant for the £12million 5MW farm near Swindon in only six weeks.
Its efforts enabled the farm to go live before Government changes to the Feed-in Tariff took effect on August 1.
The company installed almost 23,000 state-of-the-art solar photovoltaic plates covering 30 acres of land at Westmill Solar Farm which already has five wind turbines.
The project has resulted in Britain’s first combined ‘green energy zone’, generating enough energy to power more than 40,000 homes for at least the next 25 years.
JT Hawkes worked for Blue Energy from Alderley Edge and Low Carbon Solar from Cirencester on the installation of the solar PV panels from Abakus of Germany.
It designed and installed the entire power distribution network, included building trenches for 184 kilometres of solar cable and 32kV power cabling.
The brief also involved fitting inverters to convert the electricity from direct to alternating current for feeding into the National Grid via two electricity substations.
Mark Wells, Head of Design & Delivery for Low Carbon Solar, said: “This project has been delivered at record speed and with challenges both large and small but a constant throughout has been the support of JT Hawkes.”
Mark Edworthy, Commercial Director for Blue Energy, added: “We were delighted with the dedication, efficiency and teamwork demonstrated by the JT Hawkes team. They ensured that the project was delivered under extreme time pressure.”
John Hawkes, Managing Director for JT Hawkes, commented: “Our engineers rose to the challenge of using the latest technology to complete Britain’s largest solar power plant - and worked round the clock to get it finished in such a short period of time. We are delighted to be part of such a landmark scheme.”
You’ll be floored by the eco-heating options
We all want to keep our homes warm and snug in the winter, but rising fuel bills mean many of us are watching the pennies.
Now is the ideal time to invest in energy-efficient underfloor heating, says Craig Jones, of Thermal Energy Developments, who has more than 20 years’ experience in the business.
The Midlands-based underfloor and renewable energy products specialists, which serves the entire Central region, can turn your home into a greener space.
Whether you are building a new house or renovating an old one, Thermal Energy Developments can give you all the advice you need on eco-friendly systems such as condensing boilers, unvented hot water and solar systems, or even super-efficient outdoor heat pumps.
Thermal Energy Developments uses Polypipe’s pioneering Overlay underfloor heating system that can be laid over existing floor surfaces or be installed into new builds. At just 18mm in depth, the low profile system is ideal for retro-fitting for a single room or multiple rooms.
It not only keeps your house warm, it saves you money, too: the heating system is 30 per cent more efficient than standard radiators, says Craig.
This is because the water that runs through the pipes under the floor is between 40C-50C, compared with 75C in standard heating systems. It makes it the ideal complement for an energy-efficient condensing boiler.
“It means the boiler doesn’t work so hard and because it is radiant heat, there is warmth all around the room,” he adds.
Afterwards, you can lay any surface down – from carpet to wood, ceramic tiles to Amtico.
It is also the ideal system for those who want to remove radiators from their rooms and open up interior design possibilities.
We all want to be more eco-friendly nowadays – and Thermal Energy Developments can help you achieve your green dream.
Call 07525 682 789 today to arrange a visit from the eco specialists.
A greener future
HERE COMES WINTER, and as fuel prices hike upwards, if you have ‘grand designs’ about reducing the bills for your heating and hot water, a local company Cotswold Green Energy can help you – and the planet – with the design, installation and maintenance of solar water heating, multi fuel and woodchip boilers and stoves, underfloor heating, air source heat pumps, mechanical ventilation and heat recovery, as well as traditional systems.
Run by Charlie Mackinnon Little and his team, Cotswold Green Energy has years of experience and excellent customer satisfaction – and have some famous clients in their portfolio. Featured on Grand Designs in September 2010, one showcase project is the Cotswolds underground passivhaus by architect Helen Seymour Smith, where Charlie designed and installed green heating and hot water systems that cost less than £100 a year to run.
TV personality, architect Charlie Luxton (DIY SOS, Build A New life In The Country), also used Cotswold Green Energy to re-design and install low energy heating and hot water systems at his Oxfordshire home.
With integrity as a top priority and a long-standing passion for sustainability, the company has developed a unique new service this year working with Julia Bennett, who is a Certified European Passivhaus Designer.
“Passivhaus is a very low energy way of giving people really good levels of comfort in their homes, old or new, with the benefit of very low bills. Its come from years of tried and tested projects in Europe, and the UK is now catching up fast.”
Passivhaus involves working to a standard that far exceeds our usual low energy requirements for UK building regulations, and uses computer energy modelling to identify the most effective measures for each property. This can cut household heating and hot water bills by 70-80%.
“It was our first year having a stand at the Moreton Show this year in the new Green section, and we had an amazing level of interest in our projects and the integrated way we work.”
“Householders obviously see the benefit of this approach, and there is also an enormous advantage for architects to use this service, especially before they apply for planning permission. Carrying out energy modelling and designing the building services before the planning stage gives architects a new confidence in delivering very low energy buildings for their clients.” As committed sustainable designers, both Helen Seymour Smith and Charlie Luxton, are working with Cotswold Green Energy on a series of current projects.
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