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What is renewable energy?
Renewable technologies are powered by abundant, free sources of energy such as wind and sun. Generating energy from renewable sources helps to reduce our dependence on non renewable, scarce sources like coal, oil and gas, which take millions of years to replenish. They also produce significantly less or no carbon dioxide (C02) the main greenhouse gas contributing to the damaging effects of climate change.
Generating your own energy (both heat and electricity) is becoming increasingly popular as a low-carbon and sustainable alternative to fossil fuels and of course will significantly reduce your fuel bills.
Take a look at the Home Energy Generation Selector tool to help find the most suitable technology type for your home. Funding may be available to help install renewable options so please call the Energy Saving Trust advice team for more details on free phone 0800 512 012.
What do accredited installers in Yorkshire fit?
To see which Yorkshire based installers fit what technology - download our new pdf table. For example, if you want to know who installs PV to request a survey, this table showing installer name, location, technology type and website will help. We recommend customers get three quotes before going ahead with an installer, to make sure the price is competitive.
What different renewable technologies are available?
Below is a short guide to the different renewable options available. Click on the link to see more in depth information on the Energy Saving Trust website.
- Solar water heating
Solar collectors are fitted to your roof to soak up heat from the sun’s rays to provide hot water for your home, providing around a third of your hot water needs over the year.
- Solar photovoltaic’s (PV)
Panels are attached to the roof similar to solar water but convert energy from the sun into electricity instead of hot water.
- Small scale domestic wind turbines
Wind turbines convert wind energy into electricity to help power lights and appliances of a building.
- Air source heat pumps
Air source Heat pumps absorb heat energy from the air and transfer the heat to warm water for your domestic hot water and heating system.
- Ground source heat pumps
Ground source heat pumps extract heat from the ground (where it is a constant temperature) via pipes burried in the garden to warm water for your domestic hot water and heating systems.
- Wood fuelled heating systems
Burning wood pellets, chips or logs could save you up to £170 a year on bills if replacing coal and up to £410 if replacing electricity as the main heating fuel.
Cashback for Clean Energy (Feed-in-tariff)
Like the idea of being rewarded for the electricity you use? Homes and businesses who generate their own energy from renewable sources can now receive payments for doing so.
The Government’s new ‘clean energy cashback’ incentive (or feed-in tariff) supports eligible renewable electricity generating technologies such as wind turbines and solar electricity panels. From the 1st April, the scheme will provide you with a fixed amount, known as a feed-in tariff, for each kilowatt hour (kWh) you generate, regardless of how that electricity is used. What’s more, there is an additional payment, referred to as an export tariff, for any surplus electricity that is exported back to the national grid.
How much can I save?
Solar electricity panels (known as solar PV), convert sunlight into electricity via fixed panels on a roof. Solar PV can generate up to 41.3p per kWh resulting in an income of up to £900 per year, not to mention the income that can be gained from exporting surplus power to the grid. This of course is on top of the £140 approximate reduction in household bills each year by generating your own energy. Wind projects can generate 34.5p per kWh.
What about renewable heat technologies?
Heat generating technologies such as wood fuelled stoves and boilers, heat pumps and solar water heating will be eligible for the renewable heat incentive from April 2011. Now is the best time to install these technologies as there are still grants and discounts available to help towards the cost of installation. You can then begin earning from April next year.
Need some help?
The Energy Saving Trust advice centre for North Yorkshire and the Humber can help you choose the most suitable renewable energy source for your home. The team can explain the different tariffs available and look into the generating potential based on the position and set-up of your home. They can also tell you about the grants you may be eligible for to install other energy efficient measures, such as loft and cavity wall insulation.
Call: 0800 512 012
Email: advice@est-nyh.org.uk
For more information on the Cashback for Clean Energy scheme (also known as the feed-in-tariff) take a look at:
Energy Saving Trust - Feed-in-tariff
Guardian Q and A
Wiki article on Feed-in-tariff
For further information on accessing grants and funding for installing renewable heating technologies please visit: the low carbon buildings programme (LCBP).
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