Renewables
Renewable Energy
Renewable energy technologies like solar, air source heat pumps and ground source heat pumps offer an alternative to fossil fuels and can help reduce your homes CO2 emissions.
Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI)
The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) is a UK Government scheme set up to encourage uptake of renewable heat technologies among householders, communities and businesses through the provision of financial incentives. The UK Government expects the RHI to make a significant contribution towards their 2020 ambition of having 12 per cent of heating coming from renewable sources. The Renewable Heat Incentive is the first of its kind in the world.
Solar Heating Worcester Greenskies solar panels
A typical well sized solar system should provide around 50-70% of the domestic hot water requirements of a home, representing a very worthwhile saving on hot water heating costs. The remaining hot water requirement is provided by the boiler.
Solar Photovoltaic
A chemical reaction generates electrical current within the panels (which again are usually found on the roof of a building) and this electricity can then be used in the home to power appliances which have traditionally been solely reliant on the national grid and its fossil fuels.
The idea behind a typical home installation is to cover the “base load”, this covers appliances such as fridges, low level lighting and any other low demand but constant draws. It is not designed to cover all electrical demands such as kettles, irons etc as they have high power requirements and would require much larger PV installations.
Most households would normally install just enough to cover the basics and the national grid would then pick up the excess and peak demands.
Feed In Tariff
The Government has introduced a Clean Energy Cash-back Scheme, also known as Feed in Tariffs, whereby householders and communities who install low carbon electricity technology, such as solar photovoltaic panels, will be paid for the electricity they generate even if they use it themselves. The level of payment will depend on the technology and is index-linked to inflation. In the case of PV, these rates are guaranteed for 25 years.
An on-line tool is available on the Energy Saving Trust website allowing consumers to work out Feed in Tariff payments for themselves.
To qualify for the scheme, customers must use certified installers, such as ourselves, as well as products approved under the Microgeneration Certification scheme (MCS) Ground
Ground Source Heat Pumps
GSHP’s use the latent heat absorbed by the ground that is radiated by the sun daily no matter what the weather is doing above ground. Underground temperature remains constant, at around 12 degrees, and provides a reliable continual source of warm water which, harnessed with a glycol based GSHP system, gives a constant feed of hot water and heating into a property.
“Ground source heat pumps can generate four kilowatts of energy for every single kilowatt of electricity used” GSHP’s are very efficient ways of heating your home and are in excess of 300% efficient. There are also more grants, feed-in tariffs and cash backs available for GSHP’s from various sources as it is a well-established form of heating your home and a great long term investment.
Air to Air Heat pumps
Cost effective, low maintenance and aesthetically pleasing, Air to Air heat pumps can heat or cool up to 120 square metres allowing for many applications; open plan areas for business, classrooms, places of worship, loft and basement conversions or house extensions – in fact any open ar eas which require heating or cooling. The units also act as air purifiers and particulate filters using “Cluster Ion Technology”, they don’t dry out the air – as air conditioning units do – so are excellent for allergy sufferers and contact lens wearers alike.
Most installations are completed within a day or so and a 6Kw unit costs ar ound 4 pence per hour to run (on maximum output). They are up to 500% efficient which is why they have become an excellent option for those wanting to reduce the pressure on their existing boiler and household.
Air to Water Heat pumps
Air to Water heat pumps work in much the same way as air to air, they use the latent heat in the air to generate heat, but have one big difference.
An Air to Water unit provides a plentiful supply of hot water thanks to a built-in hot water cylinder which makes it an ideal replacement for an old and inefficient boiler. They use a small amount of electricity and are in excess of 300% efficient which means for every kilowatt of electricity that is used the unit will generate at least three units of heating. These units are designed to replace traditional gas and oil boilers based on the principle that electricity will remain more stable and therefore cheaper in the longterm.
Due to air to water units only needing electricity for operation, it makes it an ideal choice when refurbishing an existing property, replacing oil fired boiler replacements, new builds or areas with restricted mains gas. This is the ideal opportunity to upgrade to a proven, dependable and cost effective option.
Bio-Mass Boilers
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