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1.1 million homes rely on fossil fuel heating (which is not connected to the gas grid), of which:
According to the BBC, heating accounts for nearly half of all energy consumption globally, and makes up 40% of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions.
Naturally, people who live in colder or temperate climates will switch their heating on more frequently than those living in warmer countries. In the UK, domestic heating accounts for 14% of UK emissions.
Due to the cold and wet winter months, people will always need to heat their homes, but more needs to be done to minimise our impact on the environment.
13% use liquid petroleum gas
78% use heating oil
9% use coal
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And with so many households relying on oil to keep their homes warm, it’s urgent that we find alternative energy sources, as it’s predicted that fossil fuels will run out by 2060. One way to significantly decrease the UK’s carbon emissions and reduce reliance on fossil fuels is to replace carbon-intensive energy sources with renewable energy alternatives.
What is renewable energy?
Renewable energy is energy that has come from a resource that can be replenished and replaced naturally. Whilst renewable resources are in abundance, there are instances where they are flow-limited. Biomass, solar, wind, geothermal, biofuels and hydro power are six major groups of renewable energy.
What’s the difference between renewable energy, zero carbon and low carbon energy?
Whilst there are significant benefits to both low and zero carbon energy and renewable energy, there are differences between the three.
Renewable energy can be low carbon to zero carbon, but not all low carbon or zero carbon is renewable.
"At Enula, we believe that the plumbing and heating industry should strive to live in a society that only uses renewable, zero carbon energy when it comes to heating homes. In fact, part of our DNA…"
The literal formation of the name enula comes from 'en' - 'environment' and 'nula' from the latin 'nulles' (roughly zero). Our goal is literally environmental net zero. The Government is already incentivising people to opt for low carbon heating alternatives for their homes, and have banned the installation of boilers in new builds after 2025.
Different Types of Renewable Energy
Wind Power
The UK has some of the best conditions when it comes to wind power, due to high speed winds that increase as you travel upwards. The UK generates energy from offshore wind farms.
Bio Energy
Bioenergy (also known as biomass) is energy that’s generated from any organic material that absorbs and stores sunlight and converts it into chemical energy. For example, food waste, wood and manure can be made into a biogas which can then be used for heat generation.
Hyrdopower
Hydroelectric power has been used for electricity generation in the UK since 1879. Hydro power can come from the natural flow of bodies of water such as rivers and the sea, or dam storage schemes.
Solar Power
Solar power comes from energy that is harnessed from the sun and is converted into electricity. The UK has an average of 265.5 hours of sun a month and there are 970,000 UK homes with solar panel installations.
Renewable Energy Facts
Only 3.3% of homes in the UK are generating electricity from solar panels.
The UK has pioneered hydropower development and has been using water for electricity for over 150 years.
The UK’s first 4.5 KW hydroelectric generator has enough electricity for a single incandescent lamp.
The UK Government has pledged to reduce UK greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050.
In 2019, wind generators made up almost one fifth of the UK’s total electricity generation, and became the UK's second largest source of electricity, providing 64 TWh (Terawatt-hour).
One on-land wind turbine with a 2.5-3MW capacity can generate enough electricity to power 1,500 average sized homes.
The global renewable energy market is expected to be worth $1,512.3 billion by 2025.
The UK’s carbon emissions electricity dropped during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic due to an increase in renewable energy usage.
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IS RENEWABLE ENERGY FEASIBLE
Replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy is certainly viable.
After all, in 2020, renewable alternatives made up a 43.1% share of UK power generation, creating more electricity than fossil fuels that year.
HOW TO IMPLEMENT RENEWABLE ENERGY INTO YOUR HOME
Install air source heat pumps
Air source heat pumps are a renewable and low carbon way to heat your home. There are two different types of air source heat pumps; air to water and air to air. Air source pumps absorb heat from the air and then turns this into heat for your home. The size of the unit you need is dependent on how much heat you require.
They look similar to air conditioning units and come in a range of different sizes. They are compatible with a range of heating systems.
Air to Water
Air to Air
Install a ground source heat pump
Ground source heat pumps take the heat from the ground to heat your home and hot water. A ground source pump requires the right type of land and space in order to install it.
Check out the Government’s Green Deals
The Government is committed to helping the UK move towards a more sustainable and greener future - have a look at their Green Deal and find out how you can reduce the Co2 impact of your home.
Contact us
Driving Britain’s heat pump revolution
Go green. Think #zeroforgood.
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