Renewable Energy & You - Part One.

As promised in this post, this blog is dedicated to giving you a little more information about generating your own energy. There are a number of options, from something small like a single solar panel on the roof to something big like a wind turbine in the back garden. A brilliant website to give you all the information you need can be found here and a lot of the information in this blog is what I've learned from reading their site.

First of all, what are your options? I'll give you a brief description of each type of renewable energy source available. Some of them generate electricity, some heat and some both. A combination of the two will save you the most money on your bills after the initial outlay. For more information on them you'll need to go to the website above.

Solar Panels (PV)
Solar photovoltaics is the posh word for the solar panels that are beginning to be more common these days. They're fitted to your roof (preferrably south facing) and turn sunlight into electricity. They can even do their thing on a cloudy day, although to a lesser extent of course.
Costs: approx. £10,000 for your average system, but can be as low as £3,000 for a small system. More info here.

Wind Turbines
Wind turbines use... you guessed it, the wind! They can be used in even the smallest areas; you can get roof-mounted turbines which is perfect if you don't have a garden. The average wind turbine should easily provide enough energy to keep your lights on and run your electrical appliances.
Costs: roof mounted systems start from £2,000. Pole mounted systems are between £15,000 and £22,500. More info here.

Hydro-electricity
If you have running water going through your garden, such as a stream, you can harness the energy with a hydropower system. The water turns a turbine, which in turn runs a generator that generates electricity.
Costs: Your average hydropower system will cost £25,000. Some sites more, some sites less. More info here.

Wood-fuelled Heating
Wood fuelled heating can get quite complicated as there are a number of fuel types and burner types that can be used in different combinations depending on your needs. It's most simple definition though is some kind of wood burner being used to heat a single room OR a wood burner hooked up to your central heating to lower the costs of heating your house.
Costs: are far too variable for me to put here I'm afraid. Check out more info here.

Solar Water Heating
Much like solar electricity, a solar water heating system uses the sun to heat water. Your normal boiler can then be used to boost the temperature of this water. The savings you make will come from the lower amount of time your boiler takes to heat the water.
Costs: Your average system costs around £4,800. Savings vary - more during summer and less during winter.

Ground Source Heat Pumps
GSHPs are buried approximately 2m underground in your garden and absorb heat from the ground. These are good all-year solutions as that deep in the ground the temperature doesn't vary a lot. The heat absorbed is then compressed and used to heat your house or water. It works best with underfloor heating as the water doesn't need to be as hot as in radiators.
Costs: Installing a system ranges from £9,000 to £17,000 and has a small running cost. You need to consider what type of system you are replacing to work out if you will make savings or not. More info here.

Air Source Heat Pumps
ASHPs work in the same way Ground Source pumps do, only they extract heat from the air rather than the ground. They can extract heat from temperatures as low as -15C so they still work all year, however they are slightly less efficient than their Ground Source counterparts.
Costs: £6,000 to £10,000 with a small running cost. You need to consider what type of system you are replacing to work out if you will make savings or not. More info here.

Micro CHP (Combined Heat & Power)
This technology generates heat and power, although electricity is a much lower bi-product of the heat that is generated. (A ratio of about 6:1) A typical system will produce 1kW of electricity once fully warmed up and it's output over the year will vary on how long it is running.
Costs: Since this is fairly new to the market, costs aren't available yet. More info here.


So there you have the different types of renewable energy available for you. Follow the links provided to see if each type is suitable to your home. Since this blog has plenty of food for thought, I'll cover the potential savings and even earnings in another blog for you.

Are you considering using a renewable energy source? Do you already have a system in place? Let me know your thoughts in the comments. :)