Renewable Technology for Your Home: A Guide

If you’re looking for ways to reduce your energy usage, lower your bills, and minimize your impact on the environment, investing in renewable technology could be the ideal solution. Renewable technology is more affordable and effective than ever before and is becoming more widely adopted as public awareness, and understanding around climate change increases.

We need to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels like gas and oil if we want to prolong the life of our planet. In addition, there are also several tax incentives available for homeowners and businesses who make the switch. This guide will take you through some of the most popular types of renewable technology which you may want to consider installing.

Solar PV Panels

One of the most popular ways to embrace renewable technology is to install solar PV (photovoltaic) panels on your roof. These panels include silicone cells which convert natural sunlight into electricity, which you can use to power your appliances. Professionally installed and correctly sized home solar systems can generate enough electricity for most if not all of your energy needs. This means you can run your home on free electricity which doesn’t rely on fossil fuels. Find out everything you need to know in this complete guide to solar on the Going Solar website.

Solar Water Heating Panels

While solar PV panels convert the sun’s energy into electricity, solar water heating panels (also known as solar thermal panels) use the energy to heat water for your central heating or domestic use. Even if solar water heating can’t generate enough hot water for all your needs, it can make a significant contribution and help you to lower your energy bills and carbon emissions.

Wind Turbine

Wind turbines are a great choice for homes with a high demand for energy, but they can be costly investments. Depending on how much wind you have in your area, it could take a few years to see a return on your investment in terms of energy savings. You’ll also need to have enough space outside your home, which is why people in rural areas are often more likely to invest. It’s important to remember that you will need to check the legal requirements and restrictions before erecting a turbine.

Heat Pumps

Heat pumps extract latent heat from the air or ground and use it to heat either the space or water for your home. Air source heat pumps include a fan unit outside the home which brings in the air so that the heat can be passed through a refrigerant and compressed. Ground source heat pumps include long winding pipes which are buried under the ground where they can absorb the natural heat. These heat pumps use a small amount of electricity to run but are much more energy-efficient than gas or oil boilers.

Hydropower

Hydropower is energy generated by the movement of water. For this reason, it’s only a viable option if your home has access to flowing water such as a stream or river, but it can be a very effective method of generating renewable energy. The water passes through a turbine and with a hydropower generator the energy can be used in the home. One of the biggest benefits of hydropower is that it is not weather dependent unlike wind or solar energy.