Solar panels – making your home energy efficient
Solar panels – making your home energy efficient
Article by James Hawkins
You go to work every day, and yes whilst some people certainly love their jobs, a lot of people are at best not looking forward to the daily grind, and really would love to spend a bit more time at home with their families.
Why then do you go to work? To make money I’d imagine. Why then do so many families throw away this money through an inefficient home?! There are many things you can do to improve your home’s energy efficiency, and therefore to save your hard-earned money!
What can you do if it’s cold? Close your windows, and draw your curtains. Put on a jumper. Get your home insulated – there are government grants available, with everyone in the UK eligible to receive at least 40% off, up to 100% for certain age groups or those on particular government benefits. Another idea if it’s cold is to close doors to rooms you don’t use, and just to heat one or two rooms. There’s no point having a warm dining room if you’re not going to be using it that evenings.
What can you do if it’s hot? If you have air conditioning, keep your windows closed, and don’t wear extra jumpers indoors! Just a few degrees higher on your air conditioning will dramatically cut your bills. Again, don’t bother using air conditioning in rooms you won’t use, and close all the doors to these rooms throughout the house.
Make sure your boiler is well-insulated and working efficiently. Keep it properly maintained. The pipes from your boiler around your house ought to have insulation wrapped around them too, to minimise heat loss from them.
Finally, have you considered solar panels? There are government schemes available for these too, which mean that these solar panels systems will pay themselves off over 8-9 years, and then you’ll continue to receive benefits for a further 10-15 years, depending on the type of solar panels that you install. They are a large investment, but one that pays an extremely good return because the UK has certain targets for carbon emissions that it needs to meet, for example, under the Kyoto guidelines.
There are two main kinds of solar panel – one type, known as thermal, generates hot water, and can provide around 30% of your household needs. These solar energy systems are eligible to receive the Renewable Heat Incentive.
The second kind of panel system is photovoltaic, and is more widespread – these solar energy systems generate electricity, and can earn from
