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Renewable energy grants still available
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 15th January 2009 at 9:23 am
Homeowners who want to install energy generating equipment such as solar panels, wind turbines or biomass boilers will be able to apply for grants until June 2010. It is anticipated that a feed-in tariff should be in place by then, which will incentivise homeowners and communities to invest in micro…
Posted in: General
Calculators shed light on renewable choices
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 25th March 2009 at 11:16 am
Comparing costs of different renewable technologies and working out potential savings in cash and carbon has just got a whole lot easier. Encraft has developed a range of calculators that help you work out all the figures, so that you can see what's best for your house much more easily. Anyone can u…
Posted in: General, Energy efficiency, Biomass, Heat pumps, Solar electricity, Solar heat & hot water, Wind turbines
Six steps to claiming £400 for a new boiler
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 6th January 2010 at 12:10 pm
Households with inefficient, old boilers (G-rated) can get £400 off the price of a new A-rated boiler thanks to the new boiler scrappage scheme launched yesterday by Gordon Brown and Ed Miliband. You can also put the money towards a renewable heating system such as a biomass boiler or heat pump. …
Posted in: Energy efficiency
Can you heat a house with a wind turbine?
Posted by Graham Eastwick on 18th December 2009 at 9:39 am
A reader has asked if it is possible to heat a house with a wind turbine. The simple answer is that it is possible, but it's unlikely to be the best solution. Heating demand depends on the construction of the home and the weather. A home requiring a 13kW boiler will need a maximum of 13 x 24 kWh …
Posted in: Wind turbines
Is a heat pump suitable for my home? 3 key checks
Posted by John Barker-Brown on 15th March 2010 at 9:59 am
Heat pumps are one of the most talked about renewable technologies - on television, in newspapers and magazines. The way they are portrayed they seem to be the answer to all our problems and will suit all properties. But is this true? Heat pumps (ground, air or water) suit only certain applicatio…
Posted in: Heat pumps
Renewable heat incentive: important, but with dangers
Posted by Gabriel Wondrausch on 17th June 2010 at 1:03 pm
The uptake of renewable heat technologies has really dropped off with the renewable heat incentive (RHI) still looming, but no confirmation of the final tariffs or criteria, and the recent removal of the LCBP grants. No doubt things will pick up once the RHI details have been announced there.…
Posted in: Biomass, Heat pumps, Solar heat & hot water
Heat pumps: field trials reveal good and bad installations
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 13th September 2010 at 9:17 am
The good news is that heat pumps can operate well in the UK, as long as they are well-designed and installed, and the customer understands how to use the controls. The bad news is that the Energy Saving Trust’s (EST) field trial of 83 heat pumps found that isn’t always the case. System effici…
Posted in: Heat pumps
Heat pumps: 12 tips for people thinking of installing one
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 13th September 2010 at 10:03 am
Heat pumps are worth considering if your home is one of the 5 million or so that is off the gas grid, or in new build properties, according to new field trials from the Energy Saving Trust (EST). It offers the following advice for people thinking of installing a heat pump. 1. Th…
Posted in: Heat pumps
Heat pump field trial: good or bad?
Posted by John Barker-Brown on 21st September 2010 at 12:02 pm
Heat pumps don't work, so scrap the RHI, or Heat pump technology works well and we must pursue it. These are the two completely opposite views generated by the Energy Savings Trust's (EST) Heat Pump field trial. The report, Getting Warmer; a field trail of heat pumps has finally been relea…
Posted in: Heat pumps
Uncertainty over renewable heat is delaying installations
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 14th October 2010 at 12:37 pm
People are delaying installing renewable heat technologies such as solar hot water panels, biomass boilers and heat pumps until they know whether or not the renewable heat incentive is going ahead according to our new poll. 85% of respondents to a YouGen poll said they are waiting until they know wh…
Posted in: General
Heat pumps and underfloor heating: perfect partners?
Posted by John Barker-Brown on 1st November 2010 at 11:01 am
Underfloor heating is often portrayed as the perfect partner for heat pumps. With its large heat emitting area and low input temperature requirements it seems to provide the ideal choice to offer the maximum efficiency from the heat pump. However, is that always the case? With any underfl…
Posted in: Heat pumps
Planning an energy efficient renovation
Posted by Tim Pullen on 8th November 2010 at 9:35 am
Why is it that people starting renovation projects have "so much to think about it is difficult to know where to start"? I am yet to meet a self-builder undertaking a new build that makes that complaint. Maybe the answer is that renovation is not treated with the same consideration and respect a…
Posted in: Energy efficiency
How to install a heat pump into an existing property
Posted by John Barker-Brown on 21st February 2011 at 9:18 am
As the advantages of heat pumps become better known and with the expected Renewable Heat Incentive, more people are looking at whether the technology can be applied to their existing properties. The advantages of installing a heat pump in a new build property is well documented. It is als…
Posted in: Heat pumps
Can heat pumps provide domestic hot water?
Posted by John Barker-Brown on 16th May 2011 at 9:20 am
Can ground source heat pumps provide domestic hot water (DHW)? This is a question which is asked again and again. The answer? Yes, but there are some considerations you need to be aware of: 1. Efficiency. Due to the higher temperature required to generate hot water, the output temperature has to …
Posted in: Heat pumps
Three things to consider before running a heat pumps with solar or wind power
Posted by John Barker-Brown on 30th June 2011 at 10:46 am
There is currently a lot of interest in becoming completely self-sufficient in terms of energy and heat. Security of supply, being green, low running costs, etc are all motives for doing this and more and more people are asking is it possible to run their ground source heat pump from their solar pv …
Posted in: Heat pumps, Solar electricity, Wind turbines
How to use an air source heat pump to heat your hot water
Posted by John W Lightfoot on 20th July 2011 at 11:32 am
Q: Can you use air source heat pumps for heating domestic hot water? A: If you are reading this and looking for a quick answer, it's yes! For those of you who would like a little more information here we go... Just because you can use a heat pump, should you? Well, of cours…
Posted in: Heat pumps
Five ways to recognise a solar shark ... and make sure they don't eat you
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 19th December 2008 at 10:51 am
It used to be double glazing that was renowned for dodgy salesman. Now some of the techniques they used are being kept alive by companies selling solar thermal panels, heat pumps and wind turbines. The BBC and the Mail on Sunday are just two of the media who have been watching out for fins. There…
Posted in: Heat pumps, Solar heat & hot water, Wind turbines
Solar is not just about the feed-in tariffs
Posted by Paul Hutchens on 9th December 2011 at 9:57 am
There has been much talk and debate about solar panels recently; most of it about solar PV and the Feed-in Tariffs (FIT). However, there is another game in town and it is potentially far larger than solar PV. Space and water heating in buildings accounts for nearly 70% of the energy consumed by the…
Posted in: Solar heat & hot water
Readers tips of the month: biomass and air source heat pump
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 20th March 2012 at 9:02 am
When people register on YouGen we ask them about their renewable energy, and any tips they have for others. Here are our favourites this month: Drumrossie is retired, and lives in a large, old and difficult to heat house. He has installed a log burning boiler with a 60kW output and with 4,000 lit…
Posted in: Biomass, Heat pumps
Renewable Heat Premium Payments scheme is extended; RHI delayed
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 27th March 2012 at 10:35 am
The domestic renewable heat incentive (RHI) remains elusive, as the government announced a second phase of the renewable heat premium payments (RHPP) scheme yesterday. The domestic RHI, which will reward people who switch to renewable sources of heat with regular payments for and anticipated 20 y…
Posted in: Biomass, Heat pumps, Solar heat & hot water
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