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YouGen Blog
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…
From energy importer to energy exporter - the story of The National Energy Foundation.
Posted by Sam Tonge on 17 August 2017 at 12:34 pm
YouGen is based in the National Energy Centre, which is the main office of the National Energy Foundation (NEF), an independent British charity, established to encourage the more sustainable use and generation of energy. As you’d expect, the centre features an exciting and inspiring arr…
Air Leakage v Ventilation - Striking the Balance
Posted by Sam Tonge on 15 August 2017 at 2:03 pm
Why is air leakage a problem? Air leakage is widely accepted as a major cause of thermal inefficiency within many of our homes in the UK, accounting for 30% of total heat loss on average. The uncontrolled flow of air through small gaps in our properties can rack up our utility bills as well a…
Greywater systems - reusing your bath water
Posted by Anna Carlini on 10 August 2017 at 10:45 am
Our water is too clean! This seems a strange complaint to make, but in the UK drinking water is flushed down the toilet every day, literally! As UK houses tend to only have one water system, all the water that currently flows around our pipes meets drinking standards. It is estimated that on …
New tax break could make solar energy more affordable at home
Posted by Jordan Willis on 8 August 2017 at 10:36 am
The Solar Trade Association (STA) marked a significant victory for solar PV and solar storage systems last week by securing a 5% rate of VAT on battery storage for householders who are installing a solar storage system alongside a new solar PV system. This is set to significantly improve the …
Our view on Earth Overshoot Day: the time to improve your energy use is now
Posted by Sam Tonge on 3 August 2017 at 5:20 pm
Calculations by international research organisation Global Footprint Network show that our yearly Earth Overshoot Day occurred on 2nd August in 2017. This annual milestone is the date within the year that we have used more of our natural resources than our planet can renew within that time. Tradi…
The experience of an Eco Guesthouse and SuperHome owner
Posted by Louisa Clarke on 31 July 2017 at 2:30 pm
SuperHome owners will open their doors this September as part of the 10th year celebrations happening across the UK. These are homes that have reduced their carbon footprint by at least 60%. This is a great opportunity for visitors to see for themselves both the challenges and benefits associated…
Inside the Government’s plan to transform our energy system – all things V2G, battery storage and smart
Posted by Shanics Olton on 27 July 2017 at 5:03 pm
Will we really become a nation of clean energy creators sooner than we think? Some critics say we’ve been lagging behind the likes of Sweden and Denmark for far too long but the Government’s latest report sets out a plan to change this and make us leaders in the field of innovativ…
The world's first floating wind farm
Posted by Louisa Clarke on 24 July 2017 at 3:43 pm
At YouGen we love keeping up to date with the fantastic advancements in UK offshore windfarms. Such as the world’s largest wind turbines, recently switched on off the coast of Liverpool. Or the dramatic increases in onshore wind generation. Now we bring you something even more extraordinary…
Should you buy a battery & how do you choose the right one?
Posted by Ollie Gibbs on 20 July 2017 at 5:06 pm
Why should you buy a battery? If you have a well-designed PV system you’ll probably have noticed that on some days your system is exporting large amounts of energy back to the grid. This is because your system’s generating more energy than your home is using at that particular tim…
Is this the start of the electric car revolution?
Posted by Louisa Clarke on 18 July 2017 at 9:01 am
Last year the number of electric cars reached 2 million globally, and the number continues to grow. Despite this, electric cars still only hold a small share of the global car stock (with an estimated 1.2 billion vehicles worldwide). However, recent news of Volvo’s transition to electric ca…
How to reduce smoke emissions from domestic wood-burning appliances
Posted by Sandra Hayes on 13 July 2017 at 2:30 pm
Burning wood in a domestic stove or boiler can generally be regarded as a more sustainable approach to heating than traditional methods such as coal or gas heating. This is because the carbon dioxide (CO²) emissions produced as a result of burning wood fuel remain part of the carbon cycle, b…
Can you switch energy supplier without it affecting your FiT?
Posted by Sandra Hayes on 11 July 2017 at 12:40 pm
We have recently heard from readers with concerns about how switching energy supplier might affect their Feed in Tariff (FiT) payments. From personal experience I can confirm that this is not an issue, although it might help to explain why this is the case. Firstly, everyone receiving FiT pay…
