Newtownabbey Borough Council - Energy: Renewable Energy

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Renewable Energy

Renewable Energy

’Renewable energy can be defined as the energy flows derived from natural sources that are continuously at work in our environment and are not depleted by being used’

Source: EST

Considerations

Before considering installing renewable technology in the home or a commercial building you need to reduce the need for energy and use energy more efficiently. Here are some points for consideration:

Increase fabric insulation (walls, roof, floors, windows)
Ventilation should be controlled avoiding air leakage by draught proofing
Ensure the heating and hot water system is efficient (the ZEDBUK efficiency of a heating boiler can be checked on the following website www.boilers.org.uk )
Installing heating and lighting controls
Use efficient electrical appliances i.e. An AA rating on white goods
Behavioural changes i.e. not leaving appliances on standby or switch off when not in use

There are different types of renewable technology for consideration and as with most things there are advantages and disadvantages to both. See the table below listing renewable technologies, their advantages & disadvantages, approximate cost of installation and possible disruption that may be experienced if installing into an existing building.

For more information on generating your own energy including a technology selection tool visit the Energy Saving Trust website www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Generate-your-own-energy

Grants

For details of grants available for installing renewable technology click on the following links:

Low Carbon Buildings Programme

www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk/Grants-for-your-home

NIE Energy

www.nie-yourenergy.co.uk/renewablegrants.php

Technology	Advantages	Disadvantages	Cost	Disruption
Solar Thermal Hot Water	Proven technology Meets 50% of annual hot water demand Low running costs Minimal maintenance Good useful life	Expensive to install Long payback May not be compatible with combi boiler system Large cylinders Additional means of heating hot water required – therefore usually integrated with existing boiler system	£3000 - £5000	Upgrade pipe work New hot water cylinder required Space Suitability of roof
Heat Pumps	Proven Technology Good in off-gas area Ideal for small well insulated properties Minimal maintenance Reduces CO2 emissions Reliable long life expectancy No boiler, fuel tank, flues, ventilation required No combustion / gasses in building	Powered by electricity so not truly renewable unless from renewable electricity source Expensive to install Long payback period Noise from ASHP Trench requires large area of land Bore holes expensive	Ground - £10600 Bore - £16600 Air - £9050	Works best with under-floor heating therefore ideal if new house Existing homes - more radiators may be required or totally replaced with oversized radiators Planning permission Mostly external disruption
Biomass Boilers	Cheaper fuel compared to fossil fuels Carbon neutral fuel if obtained from sustainable source	Cost of equipment Physical ability to manage fuel/ cleaning Space for fuel storage Potential air pollution issues in built up areas Delivery arrangement / transportation	£5000 - £14000	New radiators Locate storage
Solar Photovoltaics	Low running costs Easy to Maintain Operate silently Long lifespan – 20yrs+ Operational in urban area Less reliance on grid	Expensive to install Long payback period Self cleaning but excessive bird droppings interfere with efficiency so keep clean Need to adapt lifestyle for maximum use or can use timers to avail of PV generated electricity even if not at home Only 8-17% efficient Off-grid customers require space to store battery	Roughly 1.5KW of power £8000+ 2.5KW of power £10000-£18000	Existing wiring may be upgraded Fixings to roof
Micro and Small Wind Turbines	Higher output versus solar power Good correlation between seasonal output and demand Small increase in wind speed gives significantly higher output (Power is proportional to V3) Meet household needs Flexibility in installation	Site must be suitable, 6m/s annual average wind-speed Shortage of trained installers Noise Appearance Performance / maintenance Planning permission required Connections / suitability of structure Shadow flicker	NEA Project 1.5KW micro-wind £3400 6KW Freestanding £25000	Existing wiring Siting / fixing equipment
Micro Hydro	Free fuel Environmentally friendly No CO2 emissions Good correlation to demand Long lifetime	Cost of installation Legislative compliance Access rights		Mainly external Legislation – planning permission, Abstraction Licence

For further details on this contact:

Environment Services

Tel: 028 9034 0141

Email: energy@newtownabbey.gov.uk