Cleaner, greener, healthier
The homes of the future won’t be reliant on fossil fuels for power and heat. They will run more efficiently and be cheaper, healthier and greener. New homes will be built incorporating low emission technology while millions of existing homes will be retrofitted and upgraded to reduce their emissions and futureproof them. However, it’s important to remember that this transformation will only happen with strong government support and increased consumer understanding.
Image: courtesy of Daikin www.daikin.co.uk
There are now very viable options for people looking to reduce the emissions of their homes. These include significant but often more costly changes, such as:
- replacing gas or oil boilers with heat pumps
- installing solar panels and batteries
- improving insulation and windows
- electric vehicles and charging
- using renewable energy
- installing induction hobs
Replacing gas or oil boilers with heat pumps
Heat pumps use electricity to transfer heat from the air, ground or water into the home, by using technology similar to air conditioning units, or fridges – but in reverse.
Installing solar panels and batteries
Solar panels convert energy from the sun into electricity we can use to power and heat our homes. They range in size and can be installed in a range of places from houses to stretches of agricultural land.
Batteries can be used to store the electricity generated by solar panels for use at a more convenient time. They can also be charged when the carbon intensity and price of electricity available on the grid is low, so that the stored electricity can then be used when the carbon intensity and price of electricity on the grid is high, helping to reduce emissions and energy bills.
Improving insulation, including windows
About a third of all the heat lost in an uninsulated home escapes through the walls. By insulating our homes we can make them more energy efficient and comfortable, bring our energy bills down and lower our carbon footprints.
Electric vehicles and charging
Electric vehicles (EVs) are powered by electricity instead of petrol. They are cheaper to run. A full charge done at home costs £23 and can last for about 220 miles. Travelling the same distance with a petrol or diesel car will cost about £41 in fuel.
Installing induction hobs
Induction hobs work by passing electricity through a copper coil underneath the glass surface of the hob, creating a magnetic field. Because induction hobs stay cold until a (magnetic) pan is placed on it, they are quicker, safer and use less energy.
Starting with small steps
In the near to medium term, many of these changes will be unachievable for much of the UK population without significant government financial support, whether you are a homeowner or a renter. However, there are small, practical steps that everyone can take now to help reduce the emissions of their homes and also save money.
- Turning down your thermostat by one degree can save you approximately 10% on your heating bill. Note that the Government recommends heating rooms to a minimum of 18 degrees for health reasons.
- Turning down the radiator valves outside the living room by just one setting can save the average household around 5.5% on their heating bill.
- Turning down your combi boiler’s flow temperature to 60 degrees can save you 8% on your heating bill. Nesta’s Money Saving Boiler Challenge campaign aims to support households in turning down their boiler flow temperature. It offers a simple step-by-step online tool to help people do it quickly and easily.
- Ask your landlord whether they have any plans to switch to low carbon heating.
- Use energy at less carbon-intensive times. You can do this by taking part in your energy supplier’s Demand Flexibility Service or by using OVO’s Alexa ‘Power Nap’ skill. This Alexa skill uses real-time data from the National Grid so that any Alexa smart speaker owner, regardless of energy supplier, can understand if it’s a good, okay or bad time to switch on electric appliances and devices – all they need to do is ask Alexa.
Find out more:
- Nesta and Cambridge Architectural Research (CAR) have calculated the savings people can make through different energy savings tips.
- The Energy Saving Trust is the go-to source of information when it comes to reducing the energy usage of your home.
- This campaign from Possible provides guidance for renters on encouraging their landlords to lower the carbon emissions of their property, by installing a heat pump. On the website, renters can find various stats and even a letter template to use.
- The Great British Insulation Scheme can help fund energy efficiency upgrades for peoples’ homes.
- The Heating Hub is a great source of information about making your home heating more sustainable.
- Mitsubishi has put together this post exploring what the government’s approach to domestic heating means for the private rental sector.
- This article from Which? gives an overview of the best induction hobs on the market.
- Recent analysis from Bloomberg Green looks at the EV adoption curves and finds that Electric Cars have passed a crucial 5% tipping point in 23 countries.
- This article from Carbon Brief lays out the facts about how EVs help to tackle climate change.
- This helpful infographic from the Committee on Climate Change lays out the changes coming to existing homes, as well as what home decarbonisation measures we can expect to see in new build homes going forwards.
- Watch the Fully Charged Show for a comprehensive and light-hearted view of the energy transition, with a particular focus on EVs and home energy.
- Watch the BBC series What They Really Mean For You, which explores the changes coming to our homes and what it will take to get us there. Check the series out on iPlayer for an informative segment on heat pumps and another on electric vehicles.
- Experts from the School of Engineering & Innovation and School of Social Sciences & Global Studies at the Open University contributed to the ‘What They Really Mean For You’ series.
- Watch Channel 4 series, The Great Climate Fight, where presenters Kevin McCloud, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Mary Portas join forces to urge the government to take action on climate change.
- Watch Channel 4’s Joe Lycett vs The Oil Giant, a documentary that sees comedian Joe Lycett meet with climate experts and activists to establish whether oil giant Shell is as eco friendly as its advertising would suggest.