Tips on reducing your home’s carbon footprint
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Following on from important changes to building regulations in June 2022, reducing carbon emissions has become a priority when constructing new homes and buildings. All new homes must produce at least 31% less carbon emissions than the current standards.
Whether you’re a current homeowner or you’re looking to buy a new property, we’ve provided some tips on how to manage the transition to a net zero house.
Photo by Dan Meyers on Unsplash
Install low carbon heating systems
By choosing to opt for low carbon heating alternatives instead of oil or gas boilers, you’re already cutting back a significant amount of the CO2 your home emits. There are a variety of systems that are energy efficient, whilst still providing the same level of heat that traditional options would.
Heat pumps help to provide low carbon heating by transferring heat from the outside of your home, inside. You can choose from air source heat pumps, ground source heat pumps or water source heat pumps – whilst all work with the same purpose, the heat source makes a large difference to how each pump performs.
Whilst solar panels for the home typically convert sunlight to electricity, this form of energy can also be used to heat up the water throughout your home, using solar thermal panels. It’s certainly a worthwhile investment and will help you to save money in the future.
Make your home more energy efficient
As energy bills continue to soar, there’s never been more of a reason to make your home more energy efficient.
Uninsulated homes lose the majority of their heat through the walls, which is why it’s important to invest in wall insulation. You’ll need to know how your walls are built, as each method of insulation differs greatly. Knowing the age of your home can help determine which type of insulation you’ll need.
If you have single-glazed windows, replacing them with double or triple glazing will make your home warmer and help to block out any outside noise.
If you’re working on a budget, DIY draught proofing is a great way to prevent damp and condensation, whilst maintaining the heat in your home. You can simply use inexpensive seals around windows and doors to prevent draughts.
Maximising benefits
Energy efficiency and solar are the key to making great savings. The amount of electricity or heating that you’ll generate will depend on the location of your home, how you’ve installed the panels and the size of your system.
Once you’ve installed the panels, you’ll have little to no electricity costs, despite there being no significant reduction in your electricity consumption. Alternatively, weatherproofing your home helps to reduce your energy consumption and cut costs immediately.
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