Spring into the green revolution
The reduction of VAT on installing green energy is welcome, but the choice is still bewildering. Vicky Liddell breaks it down
LAST month, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced in his spring statement the removal of VAT on green homeupgrade equipment. Solar panels will now be about £1,000 cheaper and heat pumps, wind turbines and insulation will benefit from the zero rating. It’s a step in the right direction, but environmentalists agree much more is needed if we are to meet netzero emissions by 2050. The initial costs of renewable energy are still very high, but it’s not necessary to do everything at once and a phased programme of improvements will spread the cost and reduce emissions.
Solar panels
The cowboy installers of the early 2000s are long gone and, as solar panels have become cheaper and more efficient, demand has increased. Energy, which is absorbed by photovoltaic cells, is converted into a current of electricity that can be used at home, fed into the National Grid or stored in a battery.
Panels are ideally placed on a south-facing roof, but can also be placed on the ground in a large garden and solar tiles offer a more aesthetic option for a listed property. Government grants no longer exist—an average domestic system costs about £4,800.
Insulation
The UK is well known for having the oldest and leakiest housing stock in Europe. Loft and cavity-wall insulation go a long way to cutting heating costs and under-floor insulation is good for old houses when there is a gap underneath the floorboards. Sheep’s wool is a sustainable choice with good breathability, but it does have a vulnerability to insects, especially moths. Double glazing is also effective, although it can be frustratingly difficult to secure consent in a listed building. Other measures include turning down the thermostat by 1˚C, which will reduce a household’s carbon footprint by 310kg and could save £60 on energy bills.
Biomass boilers
Biomass systems burn wood pellets, chips or logs to provide warmth in a single room or to power central heating and hot-water boilers. The CO2 emitted when burnt is the same as that which was absorbed when the plant was growing, so the process is sustainable as long as new plants continue to grow. A wood-fuelled biomass boiler can save householders up to £1,100 a year, compared with an old electric heating system, but the unavailability of Russian wood pellets has heated up prices. Emissions are lower than log stoves, but space is needed to store fuel. From May 2022, rural households will be able to apply for a £5,000 grant towards the cost and installation of a biomass boiler.
Micro CHP: Heat and Electricity Micro-combined heat and power (MicroCHP) is a technology that generates heat and electricity simultaneously. CHP units have been in existence in industry since the
1970s, but Micro-chp units are now available for individual buildings. There are three main technologies: internal combustion engine, fuel-cell technology and a Stirling engine, which all generate electricity in different ways. A Micro-chp system will cost more than a traditional boiler and it won’t cover all of a household’s needs, but it will significantly reduce its demand from the grid.
Hydrogen
Hydrogen is a clean alternative to methane and is the most abundant chemical element. Trials are still ongoing, but, in 2023, 300 homes in Buckhaven and Methil, Fife, in Scotland, will be the first households to use zero-carbon hydrogen for heating and cooking. The advantage of hydrogen is that it can be transported through existing gas pipelines to minimise disruption. There are no emissions and it could add value to properties in areas less suited to electrification. The UK Government is aiming to achieve 5GW of low-carbon hydrogen production capa-city by 2030.
Hydropower
Hydro schemes are a reliable alternative to mains supply for isolated rural homes, but the chosen water source must have the right combination of flow (water per second) and head (difference in height over a certain distance). Plants are expensive to establish, but, if there is a good resource nearby, it can be developed as a community energy project. Once installed, systems can last for up to 50 years with low running costs, but they do carry a flood risk and could have an impact on fish travelling to breeding grounds.
Wind turbines
There are two types of domestic sized turbine: pole mounted with a generating capacity of 5–6KW or a smaller 1–2KW roof mounted system. A pole-mounted version costs between £23,000 and £34,000, but can generate about 7,500KW, saving the homeowner some £340 a year. Any excess energy can be stored in a battery for a calm day. Turbines are cheap to run, but can be relentlessly and distractingly noisy. Wildlife groups highlight their danger to birds.
Heat pumps
According to Bean Beanland, a director at the Heat Pump Federation, there is a heat pump suitable for almost every building in the country—even Bath Abbey has been able to install a system using water from the Roman Baths. The main difference in the two systems is that air-source heat pumps (ASHPS) absorb heat from the air and ground-source heat pumps (GSHPS) absorb it from the ground. The ultimate choice will come down to cost, size of house and the preparation work needed.
An ASHP costs about £7,000–£13,000 and will need to be fitted to a wall or placed on the ground outside. A GSHP will cost roughly £14,000–£19,000 and will require considerable space for a trench or borehole to lay the ground loop. Overall, the GSHP is more efficient for larger properties when it comes to heating and is certainly the best choice in more northerly climes.
The new grants offer £5,000 off the cost and installation of an ASHP and £6,000 off the cost and installation of a GSHP. Prices are expected to reduce further over time as more specialist pump installers are trained.