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YouGen Blog
London buses will soon be powered by coffee
Posted by Sam Tonge on 22 November 2017 at 4:50 pm
Turns out that it’s not just electric vehicles making the headlines this year, as Transport for London (TFL) announces a biofuel extracted from waste coffee grounds will be used to power some of the city’s buses from next Monday. The tech firm Bio-bean has so far produced enough f…
New attitudes survey shows international support for renewables
Posted by Sam Tonge on 15 November 2017 at 2:10 pm
Results from a pioneering international survey known as the Green Energy Barometer, show us that the vast majority of the public in countries sampled support a worldwide transition from fossil fuels to green energy. The largest ever survey undertaken to gauge attitudes towards sustainable energy …
Can I make a claim for problems with my cavity wall insulation?
Posted by Jordan Willis on 8 November 2017 at 10:20 am
An article in The Telegraph on the topic of claiming on faulty cavity wall insulation (CWI) described the issue as a scandal that could “rival PPI”. Though we certainly haven’t had our televisions and radios bleat on about no-win-no-fee cavity wall insulation claims over the pas…
Getting the most out of a wood-burning stove.
Posted by Andrew McGowan on 31 October 2017 at 9:20 am
Andrew McGowan has 15 years of wood-burning experience and experimentation with Morso and Stovax stoves. As our guest blogger this week, Andrew shares with us his tips on efficient wood burning techniques in the home. Use well-seasoned (dry) wood with mo…
Five tips for finding a reputable installer
Posted by Sam Tonge on 25 October 2017 at 10:27 am
So you have decided you would like to improve your home, or perhaps even install some renewable technology. However, you have come to realise the job is a little too big to get away with just some simple DIY. Choosing a reliable and good quality installer can be difficult, and there are definitel…
Hybrid, plug-in hybrid or full electric car - which one is for me?
Posted by Sam Tonge on 18 October 2017 at 9:45 am
There’s been a lot of talk about electric vehicles in the media recently, following policy announcements here in the UK (and further field) to ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2040. It seems that many big players in the automobile industry are happy to get on board with this trend,…
Are payments for domestic microgeneration liable to income tax?
Posted by Sam Tonge on 11 October 2017 at 10:30 am
Here at YouGen we have been asked a few times recently whether you have to pay tax on the money you receive from generating renewable energy in the form of electricity and heat. The simple answer for domestic micro generators is ‘no’, as such schemes are designed to make such payments…
What next for the Green Deal?
Posted by Marcus Franck on 4 October 2017 at 10:03 am
As many readers will already know, The Green Deal was the UK’s flag-bearing green finance scheme, designed to assist British homeowners in improving energy efficiency and switching to greener energy technologies. It mitigated the need to pay large sums in advance, allowing people to receive…
A green home is a healthy home - the health benefits of insulation
Posted by Jordan Willis on 28 September 2017 at 3:53 pm
We all know that properly insulating your house is an environmentally friendly decision. Insulating a home cuts down on lost heat, keeping your house warmer with less energy, cutting both carbon and costs. However, insulating a house is not only a cost-cutting measure, a spate of recent studies h…
How to ensure your renewable energy installation is done safely - Competent Persons Schemes and Building Regulations
Posted by Jordan Willis on 26 September 2017 at 5:01 pm
As with any change to your home, you want to ensure the installation of solar panels is an easy process that is carried out safely and securely. While there are measures and regulations in place to make sure that these installations are done safely and by qualified personnel, often prospective bu…
Is now the time to switch to an electric vehicle?
Posted by Sam Tonge on 21 September 2017 at 9:40 am
Recent announcements by car manufacturers and governments have arguably signalled an impending transformation in the way we will all move about in future. A shift from the polluting internal combustion engine towards greener forms of transport is arguably the biggest adjustment to our travel habi…
Important changes to the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme coming on September 20th
Posted by Jordan Willis on 19 September 2017 at 2:43 pm
The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme, introduced in 2011, was designed to pay households for heat generation from renewable energy sources. In encouraging news, Ofgem have confirmed that RHI is set to see a significant increase in payments from the 20th September 2017 onward. Subject to fina…
How to retrofit an ex-council property - our SuperHome owners are doing it and so could you!
Posted by Shanics Olton on 14 September 2017 at 2:25 pm
London, a city of history and soon-to-be city of the future. By January 2018 all of London’s iconic Black Cabs will be electric vehicles and the lampposts which were originally intended to guide you home will be used by them as charging points to help take you home. These latest development…
A new world record for tidal power generation
Posted by Louisa Clarke on 11 September 2017 at 10:30 am
As many of you will know, we love keeping up to date with advances in renewable energy. At the end of August, the Pentland Firth tidal project in Scotland broke the world record for monthly electricity production by tidal power. The MeyGen project developed by the marine power generators ‘A…
Can domestic eco-refurbishment be affordable? A SuperHome owner reveals his perspective.
Posted by Louisa Clarke on 7 September 2017 at 11:10 am
SuperHome owners are opening their doors this weekend and throughout September as part of the annual open days happening across the UK. This marks the 10th year of the award-winning scheme with a record 100 SuperHomes opening to the public. These are exemplary residential properties that have red…
I'm selling my house with solar panels - how do I get the most value?
Posted by Jordan Willis on 5 September 2017 at 2:23 pm
Solar panel installation is a commitment in more ways than one. While the initial cost of installing solar PV onto your home is often repaid in energy savings and a Feed-In Tariff, a second sense of commitment comes from necessary time spent in one house to see a return on your investment. The li…
Floor it! The race to insulate is on after new study on raised timber floors
Posted by Sam Tonge on 1 September 2017 at 11:03 am
New research has provided some food for thought when considering heat loss from within the floor of your home. Suspended timber ground floors in the study were found to lose twice as much heat as had been previously estimated. This means that if you live in an older property it’s likely tha…
Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion: A renewable source of base load power?
Posted by Alex Barrett on 29 August 2017 at 11:10 am
Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) is a renewable energy technology which generates electricity using sea water. 71% of the world’s surface is covered by ocean [1]. This means that a large amount of solar energy is constantly warming the upper layers of the oceans. This creates a strong…
I want to install solar panels on a listed building - how do I proceed?
Posted by Jordan Willis on 24 August 2017 at 11:05 am
With over 376 buildings belonging to the Church of England now sporting solar panels, including many protected churches (and even one cathedral), one may be forgiven for thinking that installing solar PV onto a listed or protected building is a straightforward affair. While installing solar panel…
GreenWood Forest - The UK's first eco-friendly theme park
Posted by Jordan Willis on 22 August 2017 at 9:33 am
We at YouGen are always fascinated by the innovative developments of green energy enthusiasts in novel and interesting areas. A shining example of this are Andrea and Stephen Bristow, the husband and wife team behind GreenWood Forest Park, the UK’s first theme park to be powered entirely by…
