Britain is planning for a future that is more sustainable and kinder to the environment with low carbon heating. How much do you know about the future of heating your home? Are you aware of air source, ground source, biomass, thermal solar panels and hydrogen boilers?
We have all seen the rise in electric cars. Five years ago it seemed inconceivable that we’d be driving around in electric cars. We had so many unknown factors that the electric car didn’t seem like becoming a realistic option. Where would they be charged? How long would it take for them to charge? How far would they go on one battery? Now those questions have been answered, electric cars are becoming the reality.
Now consider the heating of your home. Central heating contributes to environmental damage just as much as the transport industry. If the UK is to meet reduced carbon or carbon neutral status by 2050, then the way we heat our homes will have to change.
Government surveys show that most people don’t know about low carbon heating and the role it will play in the future. The survey also highlighted that people are happy to change their heating systems and that phasing out gas boilers is the future.
Low Carbon Heating in Favour of Gas Boilers
Gas boilers in new build properties will be totally phased out by 2025. They will be replaced by air source heat pumps and ground source heat pumps where feasible. Both use external inverters placed close to the building (similar to an air conditioning unit) to create heat .
How Does Air Source Heating Work?
Heat from the air is absorbed at low temperature into a fluid. This fluid passes through a compressor, increasing the temperature, and transfers that higher temperature heat to the heating and hot water circuits of the house.
How Does Ground Source Heating Work?
Ground source uses a pipe in the ground which draws heat and transfers it to the central heating water. Used along with PV solar panels, which create electricity. On sunny days, this can run your pumps, making the whole system completely green – almost perfect. However, it’s not sunny all the time. Therefore the system uses electricity to run a lot of the time and the complete system is very expensive.
Hydrogen/gas boilers
Gas boilers in existing properties will still be fitted for now. Another method which is bing tested – is the introduction of a hydrogen/gas mixture. This takes the incoming gas supply and converts it to a hydrogen/gas mix, which will work in the boilers we have in our homes already. Ongoing tests will determine if this is a viable option for the future.
What Can We Do Now?
For now, we can do our bit by ensuring that our homes are as efficient as possible. Well insulated, good quality windows and full control over our heating systems allows us to moderate the heating in our homes better. And of course, a modern ‘A rated’ condensing boiler. Talk to us about how we can help with energy efficiency in your home.
