What are your Renewable Energy Options at Home?

Committing to renewable energy at home for most people just means installing solar panels. But renewable energy options now cover much more than just solar power. Renewable energy sources currently make up about 35.5% of the UK’s electricity supply, read on to find out how you could be part of the renewables revolution:

Air Source Heat Pumps

Air source heat pumps aren’t the most aesthetically pleasing items to have on the side of your house along with making space for a plant room inside your property. Gas boilers definitely win over for not needing such extensive space or the outdoor equipment but realistically time is now running out for gas boilers now the ban has been implemented on installing them in new build properties after 2025.

Air source heat pumps quite literally use air to create heating or hot water for both domestic properties. The size of the heat pump can vary depending on the heating demand of the property you are catering for. The efficiency of heat pumps all depend on the weather outdoors and often air source heat pumps work better at temperatures over 10 degrees. You might be thinking when is England over 10 degrees in winter? Don’t worry, air source heat pumps still work but their efficiency drops slightly, originally manufactured in cold countries like Sweden to cope with extremely cold climates.

The cost of air source heat pumps isn’t actually as bad as many people may think, they can start as low as £8,000- £10,000 for a domestic property depending on the size, insulation and heating demand.

Ground Source Heat Pumps

Surprisingly the ground generally maintains a heat of 10 degrees despite snow and cold conditions which allows ground source heat pumps to maintain their efficiency, unlike air source heat pumps which are dependant on what the weather is doing.

Ground source heat pumps are more suitable for properties that have a high demand for heating and hot water, they involve high installation costs due to the requirement of groundworks to put them in place and also need a large amount of land to be able to put in the framework.

The cost of ground source heat pump installations all depend on what you are going for, the bigger the heating demand the more evasive the works would be to install. As a general guide you would be looking at £20,000 plus.

Solar Panels

There are generally two types of solar panels used; Solar PV and Solar Thermal. On average 3.9% of all of the UK’s electricity is provided through solar panels.

Solar PV Panels rely on photovoltaic (PV) cells to turn the sunlight into electricity, the final product all homeowners need. The electricity produced powers anything running in your home at that time and sells the unused back to the electricity grid. It also means that if your electricity demand exceeds what your panels are producing then that is provided from the grid like normal.

Solar Thermal panels turn sunlight into heat instead of electricity. This means less bills for heating and hot water. The only downside to this would be most people shower at night time when it is dark meaning the solar panels wouldn’t be the likely source for your heat.

Getting solar panels seems like a difficult decision especially in England as it isn’t always sunny. Despite the fact it uses sunlight to create electricity it will still work when the weather isn’t as bright, however this does reduce the panel capacity to around 50%. Usually solar panels are installed on the roof of the home, outbuilding roofing, but can be ground mounted.

Wind Turbines

Wind turbines are used to create electricity from the wind. The electricity produced can be used to supply back to the grid or for a specific purpose. This is one of the most economical ways to create electricity along with solar panels as mentioned above.

Surprisingly wind turbines actually provide a large amount of the electricity for UK homes and business. In 2017 they produced 14.8% of all electricity consumed by the UK. Would you have thought they did that much considering you don’t see them around all of the time? There are roughly 9,700 wind turbines in the UK alone.

Currently there is a project called The Hornsea Project Two which is due to be completed in 2022. This aims to create enough power for 1.3 million homes.

If any of the above options intrigue you and you’d like to find out more about how you could install them at home please do get in touch.

How electric taxis are conquering our cities

Air pollution is one of the world’s biggest killers resulting in nearly 7 million deaths a year, just behind cancer. With more than 9,000 of these deaths in London, the city is committed to becoming carbon free by 2050, a bold goal!

Since the Great Smog of 1952, London has been on a mission to reduce air pollution to avoid thousands of preventable deaths and further “pea soupers”. In the aftermath of the smog an estimated 12,000 people died as the particles penetrated indoors and reduced visibility. The Clean Air Act 1956 was introduced to reduce air pollution as a direct result of the events in 1952 and was an important milestone in the development of a legal framework to protect the environment. The law introduced smoke control areas in some towns and cities in which only smokeless fuels could be used. Financial incentives were used to persuade homeowners to use cleaner coals, electricity and gas as alternative heat sources, reducing the amount of smoke pollution and sulphur dioxide from household fires. This act also required power stations to be situated away from cities into more uninhabited locations.

The introduction and major roll out of central heating means that houses are no longer the largest source of air pollution. Their successor is transportation producing four major pollutants.

  1. A car emits carbon monoxide when the carbon in fuel doesn’t burn completely.
  2. A car’s exhaust emits hydrocarbons, a toxic compound of hydrogen and carbon.
  3. When fuel burns, nitrogen and oxygen react with each other and form nitrogen oxides(NOx).
  4. Particulate matter – small particles of foreign substances – in the air contribute to atmospheric haze and can damage people’s lungs.

With 21,000 black cabs in London, it’s no wonder that TFL is encouraging taxi drivers to switch to a greener alternative. Believe it or not, electric taxis were a common sight on the streets of London between 1896 and 1899 before the introduction of the internal combustion engines. 80 cabs were built and operated by the London Electric Cab Co. and each cab could cover 40miles on one charge at a speed of 9mph.

In 2016 Geely secured $400 million dollars to build a new manufacturing plant in Coventry to produce 36,000 of the new LEVC TX electric hybrid hackney carriage a year. The LEVC TX drives in  full electric mode with a range of 80 miles, but can be recharged by either the petrol engine or plugged into a charger. The charger connectors located either side of the famous radiator grille are capable of 50kW DC or 22Kw AC, with an optional CHAdeMO connector. New rules introduced by the Transport for London in 2018 state that only zero emission vehicles were allowed to join the city’s fleet. As of Feb 2018 this was the only taxi that met these standards, making them a popular choice for new drivers.

This future-proof transportation is exempt from potential costs such as ULEZ and rising diesel costs. It is estimated that on average electric taxi drivers will save £110 per week in fuel costs and many will be able to recharge their battery for free to help against electricity costs. When you’re next in London keep your eyes peeled for these silent taxis.

How to choose an electrician

LED lighting: how to choose an electrician

Choosing any tradesperson can be a daunting prospect, especially if it’s for a large project. It’s important to find the person or company with the right approach and skills

Whether it’s an emergency or home improvement project, electrical can be very important works carried out in your home or business. Mistakes caused by inexperienced or unskilled electricians can have dangerous consequences. Here’s our guide on how best to select the perfect electrician for you.

  1. Do your research

Whilst it’s impossible to become an expert overnight, some background research can help you form a rough idea of the work that needs to be carried out. This will help you explain to the quoting electricians the works that needs to be carried out. If you are emailing an electrician for a quote you could attach some images of your proposed project to give them some background information before they attend site

At the same time, a fully qualified electrician has trained for over 4 years to work with electricity and they may have advice on how best to carry out the project. As electricians we constantly juggle cost vs disruption for the client. For example when running a new cable for an immersion tank it may be favourable to run the cable a longer route to prevent channelling walls and creating more repair work. Whilst this may cost more in time and cable, this will cause less disruption for the client as less “making good” will be required.

  1. Look up their qualifications

The electrical industry is run according to certain standards. All electrical work must be done in line with legal standards, and in some cases, such as larger jobs including new circuits, it must be either:

  • Approved by the Building Control department of your local authority
  • Carried out by tradesmen registered with a competent person scheme, who is qualified to self-certify their work

Each individual electrician will hold their own qualifications and accreditations, which should be available on request. If an electrician is accredited with one of the following competent person schemes you should be able to verify their details with the scheme either online or over the phone.

Alternatively websites such as Electrical Safety First collate all of the government-approved registered bodies, bringing together all accredited electricians on to one website. To join an accrediting body electricians will need to submit certificates proving their qualifications, insurances documents and complete a yearly assessment used to monitor their competence and ensure works are completed to the required standard.

  1. Ask for references

If your electrician hasn’t come from a personal recommendation from someone you know or even if they have, it is always best to ask the electrician for a reference or review from previous clients. A good electrician will have a portfolio of their work to show potential customers including before and after images. In exchange make sure you leave a review of your own for the next potential client.

  1. Obtain three written quotes

Ensure each quote contains a summary of the works required, then you can compare the prices. Don’t disregard the most expensive quote, a major difference in quotes may mean a major issue in service. If the quote contains confusing language, don’t be afraid to ask for a revised quote. Be aware of guarantees on the work and materials.

  1. Agree payment terms

Your electrician may ask for a part payment up front to cover the materials required. This could be around 40% of the quote depending on the work. Once work is complete the final invoice should show the deducted amount that has already been paid. If your job requires a certificate you can expect to receive this once the final invoice has been paid. Do not pay any tradesperson in full up front, alternatively make sure the invoice is paid in a timely manner and in keeping with the terms on the final invoice.

In summary here’s our quick checklist for how to choose an electrician:

  • Be clear about the work you want
  • Obtain three written quotes
  • Ask to view the electrician qualifications or JIB card
  • Check that the electrician is registered with a government approved scheme
  • Ask for references
  • Ensure the electrician has a minimum of £2 million of public liability insurance
  • When you agree a quote with an electrician, ask them to sign the bottom of the summary as confirmation of what has been agreed
  • Verify the warranty on any works and materials
  • Discuss and agree payment terms before the work starts