In the UK 37% of our carbon emissions come from heating buildings
If the UK is to become a net zero carbon nation, then our homes and communities are one of the most important places to start.
UK housing and other buildings need to become far better at saving energy and cutting wastage while installing carbon-free heating systems and renewable energy generation.
Fuel poverty. 4.5 million households in the UK are in ‘fuel poverty’ in the UK – meaning they have to spend more than 10% of their income on keeping their home at a comfortable temperature. As 96% of fuel-poor homes are poorly insulated, energy efficiency is clearly an area that can make a big difference. Of course, families and individuals that are not in fuel poverty will still benefit from more efficient homes and lower utility bills.
Switch energy suppliers and choose one that provides "clean" or renewable energy. When you switch to clean energy, your supplier guarantees that however much electricity you use, the same amount of clean energy will be generated. The more people who switch to clean tariffs, the more renewable energy is made and the cleaner it gets. Some suppliers offer green gas as well as green electricity.
Some of the renewable energy suppliers are:
Or use a comparison site
Some general market comparison sites but which should also all give information on whether suppliers provide renewable energy are:
Home improvements such as insulating your roof or walls are a great way of making your home more energy efficient and also saves you money on energy bills by making it cheaper to heat.
Renewable energy is clean, produces few waste products, and comes from sources like the sun or wind that won’t run out. Some renewable energy technologies are well suited to domestic-scale use such as, solar hot water, solar PV, biomass heating, ground source heat pumps and air source heat pumps. Householders and communities can be paid to generate their own electricity from renewable or low-carbon sources, through feed-in tariffs. For more information visit The Centre for Sustainable Energy.
Solar Streets Scheme:
There is now a Solar Streets scheme operating in this area. Under this scheme you can get discounted solar PV panels installed and the installer IDDEA will donate £50 for each domestic installation to a local green community project and £100 for each commercial installation. BrutonCaryPlus Solar Streets community solar project includes the Wincanton area (or anywhere within a 5 mile radius of Castle Cary or Bruton). More information on Solar Streets
"Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year". www.overshootday.org
This year Earth Overshoot Day fell on the 29th July. Global Footprint Network has a calculator so you can work out your own global footprint and your personal overshoot day.
