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How Can Sustainable Energy Power Your Home?
Almost everything you do in your house can be powered by sustainable energy. Heating water up for your nightly bath? Check. Setting your central heating system to high during the winter? Check. Keeping the lights on when it’s dark outside? Check. However, many people seem to doubt the scope and power of sustainable energy sources like the sun, wind and water. So here’s a guide to how sources like these, available from providers such as British Gas, can make a difference to your home – and your energy bills.
1. Solar Panels
British Gas can provide customers with PV solar panels. These panels are much more effective than people seem to think. There’s an idea that solar panels need sunlight to work, and that’s not true. In fact, with the most modern PV solar panels, you don’t need sunlight at all, as daylight alone is enough for these panels to generate electricity. Solar panels are most commonly used as part of a central heating, and could provide you with up to 33 per cent of your hot water needs. The best part is that you won’t need to get a new boiler or central heating system if you choose to get solar panels installed, as they’re perfectly compatible with most household boilers.
2. Mini Water Turbines
If you live close to a river running at 15 litres per second or more, then British Gas and other such energy providers can help you to power your home entirely on hydro-electricity.
Unfortunately, this is not suitable for everyone, as you need to have good access to the body of water, and quite a lot of spare cash, as mini hydro-electricity sites are some of the most expensive to develop. On the other hand, they are one of the most effective types of renewable electricity production, and so you’ll have more electricity to spare (and to sell back into the National Grid!).
3. Mini Wind Turbines
Energy suppliers such as British Gas also provide help and support for those people who choose to adopt wind energy technology. British Gas, for example, can deliver and install a wind turbine into your garden, meaning that you don’t have to lift a finger. These are especially effective in places close to, or on, the coast, and in areas of higher altitude, such as the Scottish Highlands – it’s in these places where the wind speeds are higher for longer. Because of the noise that can be created by wind turbines, however, they are most suitable for people with larger gardens or areas of land, as the turbines are less likely to be heard by neighbours.
Article by Connor Sephton, 15th December 2011. Content correct at the date of publication.
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