Heading For Zero
The key to cutting emissions is saving energy by using it in the most efficient way possible. At home that means insulation. The zero carbon emission home - a highly insulated design which also stores heat from the sun - uses the minimum possible amount of power to keep conditions comfortable within. Any power input needed is supplied from renewable sources - wind turbines and solar panels - or using sustainable fuels such as woodchips in a combined heat and power unit. Constructing a house to these standards is perfectly possible, but unconventional and more expensive than traditional build. In the long term it will pay for itself several times over through much lower energy bills, but buyers, especially first time buyers, are often on a tight budget at the time of purchase. For this reason the Chancellor's December statement announced that stamp duty would be waived on zero-emission houses, giving them a price advantage and making it profitable to protect the planet. To meet its overall targets for reducing Britain's carbon footprint, the government wants zero-emission housing to become the new standard by 2016.
In the UK more than half of all homes are more than 50 years old, so while building zero-emission houses is an important initiative, it will take many years to replace existing stock and there is still much to be done to improve older houses. Surprisingly, there are still many older houses without cavity wall insulation. Loft insulation is much more common, but many houses would benefit from extra layers to bring them up to modern standards. There are grants for insulation and better insulation means lower fuel bills. Gas prices have risen dramatically in recent years and there are no signs that rises will stop! One way of squeezing the maximum from each unit of gas is to install a modern condensing boiler. Another is to consider a 'Whispergen'. This is a condensing boiler which uses waste heat to drive a Stirling engine which generates electricity. (If you don't use it all you can sell the surplus back to the grid.) Combined heat and power at the domestic level. New build or refurbishment; careful design and investment will pay for itself and help meet environmental targets.
Related Tags: car, energy, change, climate, emissions, crisis, exhausts, zero-emission
Anthony Day is a speaker, writer and management accountant. He is not a member of Greenpeace, the Greens, Friends of the Earth or any campaigning group. His views are his own. As an accountant he is concerned with the practical effects of climate change and energy on business, society and our fundamental economic survival. His new book Will climate change your life? How to Drive a 4x4 and Still Save the Planet, is due for publication in February 2007. Visit http://www.anthony-day.co.uk to sign up to his newsletter and receive Anthony's Europe's Energy Conundrum - The Next 10 Years special report absolutely free.
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