We asked Cathy Debenham, founder of YouGen to give an outline to some of the renewable technologies around at the moment and the feed-in-tariffs available.

There are lots of reasons why people are interested in renewable energy right now: it may be a concern about energy security, fear of ever rising oil prices, the threat of climate change, a love of new gadgets or a simple desire to pay lower energy bills.

Whatever your motivation, there has never been a better time to invest in renewable energy. The government has strict European targets to meet on renewable energy generation, and is introducing a range of financial incentives to help it achieve them.

The feed-in tariff has already sparked a boom in solar electricity generation. The incentive is designed to give people who invest in microgeneration (solar, wind, micro-hydro and micro-CHP) a 6 – 8% return on their investment. It comprises three elements: a payment for all the electricity you generate; an additional smaller payment for any electricity you export to the grid; and in addition you save money on your electricity bills, thanks to the electricity you generate. The feed-in tariff is paid for 20 years (25 for solar).

A similar incentive for renewable heat technologies such as biomass boilers, heat pumps and solar hot water is due to start for domestic systems in October 2012. From July 2011 until the renewable heat incentive (RHI) starts there is an interim scheme of RHI Premium Payments (a sort of grant scheme) to help with the upfront cost of renewable heat technologies.

However, these are unfamiliar technologies, and they are not all suitable for every property, so it is worth thinking about your property and your energy use, to work out which is most appropriate. Below is a brief introduction to each of the technologies. For more detailed information, click on the links:

Generating your own electricity (microgeneration)

Solar PV

Solar panels are by far the most popular way to generate electricity. This is mainly because they are the only system that is suitable for urban areas, and so are the most suitable for the majority of people. Solar photovoltaic (or PV) cells convert solar radiation into electricity. All you need is a roof that faces between south east and south west. It’s important that it isn’t shaded by trees, buildings, chimneys or dormer windows, all of which have a significant impact on the amount you can generate.

Wind turbines

In the right place, a wind turbine can be a very effective way to generate your own power. An appropriate site needs an average wind speed of at least 5 or 6 metres per second and no obstacles that might reduce the wind speed or cause turbulence (such as buildings, trees or hills). An ideal site is a smooth hill top with a clear, open stretch to the prevailing wind. The further away your site is from a connection to the national grid, the more expensive it is to connect. Building-mounted wind turbines in urban or suburban sites are not likely to perform well.

Micro hydro

Hydro power is one of the most efficient and reliable forms of renewable energy, but is only suitable for the tiny proportion of the population that has access to a fast-flowing river or stream, ideally on a steep hill. The maximum vertical drop (or head) of water is key to its performance. Up to 15%  of old water mills may be suitable for conversion, but many do not have a strong enough flow, or high enough head, to be effective.

Micro CHP

Combined heat and power (CHP) is a way of generating heat and electricity simultaneously. Micro (or domestic-sized) CHP is in its infancy, with several products due on the market imminently and only one actually available. Designed to replace domestic boilers it is fuelled by gas and generates electricity as a bi-product. For this reason, not everyone would consider it a renewable technology. Micro-CHP is significantly more expensive to install than a gas boiler, and so take-up is slow. The first 30,000 people to install CHP will be eligible for the feed-in tariff for a period of 10 years.

Renewable heat technologies

Renewable heat tends to be more complicated than generating electricity from renewable sources, and it’s important to make sure that whatever you are planning will be compatible with your existing plumbing system. In most cases, you will get significantly better performance from your system if you actively manage it, rather than just leaving it on a timer.

Solar Thermal

Solar water heating also takes the heat from the sun, and uses it to heat water for use in the home. Like solar PV, you need a roof that faces between south east and south west ? the closer to due south the better. However, for solar thermal panels you need less space: between 1 and 2 square metres per person is a rule of thumb. You also need space to install a tall, thin water cylinder with two coils. Ideally it should be big enough to hold two days water. It is possible to have solar hot water with a combi boiler, but it’s more complicated and you need to check that it accepts pre-heated water. If you use an electric shower for most of your bathing, solar thermal will not be suitable.

Biomass boilers

For domestic heating purposes, biomass tends to mean wood in the form of logs, wood pellet or wood chip. Unlike most renewable technologies which, use elements such as the sun or wind for power, there is an ongoing fuel cost with biomass heating. They also need more space. The boilers tend to be larger than the equivalent gas or oil fired one, and you will need about 6-7 cubic metres of storage for the fuel for an average size house. Check that you have a choice of local fuel suppliers, as the cost of fuel varies according to the distance the supplier has to travel. Pellets are the most expensive, but it is possible to have fully automated feed systems. Logs are the cheapest, and need to be fed in by hand.

Heat pumps

Heat pumps work like a fridge in reverse. They take heat from the ground, air or water, and use an electric pump to boost it to the right temperature to keep your house warm, and sometimes also for water heating. A good performing system should give at least three units of heat for each unit of electricity used by the pump, some manufacturers will quote higher figures, but three units seems realistic. They work best in well-insulated houses off the mains gas network, and can give significant savings for people who currently heat their house using electricity.

Air source heat pumps attach to the outside wall of the building, and look much like the fans on air conditioning units. Ground source heat pumps need lots of space, as pipes are buried in trenches of 1.5+ metres deep. As a rule of thumb you need twice the area of the property you want to heat to lay the ground pipes. For water source heat pumps you need a nearby lake or stream – or if you’re lucky as well!

Micro generation involves producing energy for small, localised needs – for example, individual buildings, communities, schools and businesses.

• Solar Thermal Hot Water Heating
• Solar Photovoltaic (PV) electricity generation
• Wind turbines
• Micro-Combined Heat and Power (CHP)
• Heat Pumps
• Micro-hydro
• Biomass heating
• Fuel-cells

Grants are available from the Low Carbon Buildings Programme which also provides a list of approved installers. YouGen also offers independent advice on renewable energy products for homes and businesses.

When it comes to central heating systems, there’s a lot of choice, including what sort of fuel to use.

No matter how efficient your insulation and draught-proofing may be, an old inefficient boiler will waste a lot of energy and cost you a lot more in running and maintenance bills.

New boilers, especially condensing boilers, are much more energy efficient than older models – and a lot more reliable too. Generally speaking, electricity is not energy efficient for heating (unless you install a ground source heat pump), although green electricity can be environmentally friendly.

Can you get energy saving portable electric heaters?

Unfortunately not, all portable electric heaters will consume the same amount of electricity and produce the same amount of thermal heat, relative to power input. The only difference will be in how they deliver the heat, e.g. fan heaters are a good choice for quick heating of specific areas of a room, as you can direct the heat.

What will affect the running cost of the heater?

The power/energy rating (watts or kWh) will dictate the running cost per hour of any heater. The most effective way to reduce running costs is to keep the heat in, insulating and reducing draughts will help keep bills down. Low cost solutions, such as heavy curtains, blinds, draught excluders will all help. Loft and cavity wall insulation, double-glazing can dramatically reduce heating bills too.

To find out what any electric heater uses, please try Sust-it’s energy calculator – see the running cost of any electric fire.

Many products are oil or gas based, so what are your greener options?

Solar water heating

Fast growing in popularity, these systems generally use panels mounted on your roof and heated by the sun. Although the initial investment can be quite high, you can expect to reduce your water heating costs significantly so that your system pays for itself in the medium term. (N.B. these are not the same as expensive photovoltaic panels, although with these the energy companies will pay you for the electricity you generate, even for your own home use).

Wood fuel

Heating with wood can certainly help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the Forestry Commission is currently working to bring more wood fuel to the market. Always ensure the timber is from a sustainable source and you do not live in a smoke control area.

Forget fireplaces, they’re hopelessly inefficient. However, wood burning stoves can come with backboilers to provide hot water and heating, as well as being a great roomwarmer in themselves.

Pellet stoves

These are similar to gas boilers as they tend to feed themselves from a fuel hopper – a distinct advantage over wood stoves. On the other hand, pellet stoves are a little more expensive to buy.

Replacing old inefficient boilers

If you are about to replace your central heating or are building a new house please visit: DEFRA (Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs) as they maintain a Boiler Efficiency Database which allows you to view the SAP seasonal efficiency of thousands of Gas, LPG and Oil Boilers.

Air Conditioning Units are listed in our work section – click here to view their power consumption.

For other products see our Electricity Cost Calculator ».

The cheapest and best way to reduce your energy bills is to insulate your home. Loft insulation alone can cut your energy usage by 20%. And these days there are recycled, non-toxic insulation products like Warmcel as an alternative to the traditional fibreglass.

Newer houses are already likely to have cavity wall insulation, as this is one of the best ways of keeping your house warm and your bills down. And remember, grants may be available from the energy companies for certain home improvements like loft and cavity wall insulation.

Other energy saving tips include:

• Draught-proofing – you’ll be surprised what a difference this can make. DIY shops sell a wide range of easy-to-apply products for doors, windows, skirting boards etc.
• Insulating hot water tanks and pipes – new tanks already tend to have a hard insulating foam outer, otherwise an insulating jacket is cheap and easy to fit. You can use strips of foam to insulate exposed pipes.
• Double glazing – you can literally halve the amount of heat lost through windows by installing double glazing. Plus, it cuts down on outside noise. It’s worth looking at some of the greener double glazing products now available.
• Radiators – just by simply putting aluminium foil behind your radiators, you can reflect heat back into your rooms. Or look at special insulating panels (e.g. Novitherm) which fit behind radiators.

Fact: homes use a lot of energy. But it’s also a fact that most homes also waste a lot of energy with an estimated £8 billion worth of energy wasted annually in the UK.

Nearly one third of all the UK’s energy is used by homes. So if every home cut down on wasted energy, it would save huge amounts of money and significantly reduce the environmental impact of energy use. That’s why, along with everyone else, you can make a real difference and with surprisingly little effort.

Become energy aware

The easiest way to avoid wasting energy is simply to become energy aware. You’ll quickly realise where improvements can be made.

For example, turn things off when not in use, only boil as much water as you need, only use a washing machine or dishwasher when you’ve got a full load, put a jumper on rather than the heating and so on. All common sense, but you can see that it only takes a little effort to change bad habits and make a difference.

Then there are home improvements you can do such as installing draught-proofing and insulation, using timer controls, choosing a greener electricity supplier, considering a solar water heating system or other renewable sources of energy. Learn how to read your electricity meter, or install a whole house energy meter so that you can see for yourself what it costs to boil a kettle or leave your TV on.

Creating an energy efficient home

As this site shows, energy saving electrical products can significantly reduce your bills and lower your carbon footprint. And you’ll find the initial cost of making most home energy improvements will be repaid with interest in the savings you’ll make.

Having an energy efficient home could also make it easier to sell, especially with Home Information Packs (HIPs) likely to be required to include more of this kind of information.

For further ideas visit Sust-it’s energy saving database.