We need to  almost entirely stop using fossil fuels for heating homes to have a chance to hit the UK’s overall net-zero targets. So, with energy prices hitting an all-time high, what a great time to look at insulation and renewable heating options! 

<a href='/find/201/low-carbon-heating-insulation#item_10662'> **New: £5000 Heat Pump grant - Boiler Upgrade scheme**</a>


Almost one-third of UK household carbon emissions are due to poorly insulated homes heated by burning natural gas and other fossil fuels. We urgently need to add better insulation to our homes and switch over to low carbon heating such as Heat Pumps as soon as possible.

Low carbon heating & insulation

Insulation guide

Low carbon heating guide

Electricity generation is still a major source of Co2 emissions in the UK but there is hope because the cost of generating electricity from renewable sources is rapidly dropping and the proportion of UK energy generated from renewables is increasing every year. Moving away from coal and natural gas and speeding up the transition to renewable energy is an urgent part of the fight against climate change.

A lot of electricity is still generated by burning natural gas - we need to speed up the transition to renewable energy.

Electricity generation is a major source of carbon emissions in the UK but the cost of generating electricity from renewable sources is rapidly dropping and the proportion of UK energy generated from renewables is increasing every year.   Moving away from coal and natural gas and speeding up the transition to renewable energy is an urgent part of the fight against climate change. 

Renewable electricity

Renewable Energy

Energy guide

Diet has a significant impact on carbon.emissions, this is mainly due to the high production emissions of meat and dairy products. 

Diet has a significant impact on carbon emissions, this is mainly due to the high production emissions of meat and dairy products.

Diet

There is currently no way to reduce airplane emissions to the level needed. The only thing that makes a significant difference here is to not fly, or at least to seriously reduce the number of flights you take. 

There is currently no way to reduce airplane emissions to the level needed. The only thing that makes a significant difference here is to not fly, or at least to seriously reduce the number of flights you take

Flight-free holidays

We need to switch to methods of travel that are either already carbon neutral or that can become carbon neutral over the next few years.

Low carbon travel

Money put into a pension or stock market funds is often invested on your behalf into companies involved in oil and gas extraction, causing or worsening the climate crisis.

Money held in current accounts, savings and pensions is frequently used by financial institutions to invest in fossil fuel projects. We take a look at which financial firms guarantee to be free of fossil fuel investments.

Finance

What changes can I make to avoid contributing to Global Warming ?

Below is a graph of the typical Carbon Dioxide emissions of a UK household, you can click the section to see what changes you could make to get to a sustainable level.

Reducing carbon emissions

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**New scheme launched April 2022**

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) replaces the older Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme. To take part you need to get one or more quotes from MCS certified installers, your chosen installer does the work of claiming from the BUS scheme and you pay a lower price as the BUS voucher will be deducted from your installation costs. 

**How much can I get?**

The voucher values will be:
£5,000 for an air source heat pump (or biomass boilers in rural areas when a heat pump is not viable)
£6,000 for a ground source or water source heat pumps

**Who is eligible?**

The requirements are:

- You will need an EPC certificate that is not out of date (they are valid for 10 years)
- If your EPC recommends attic or cavity wall insulation, you will need to complete that work before you can cash in the voucher.
- You must be replacing a fossil fuel boiler of any kind or direct electric heating system (such as storage heaters, electric panel radiators or an electric boiler).

Your MCS registered installer can help you understand how the scheme works if you have any questions.

<a href='https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-and-social-schemes/boiler-upgrade-scheme-bus/property-owners' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer'>More information is available here from Ofgem on the Boiler Upgrade Scheme</a>
 


Boiler upgrade scheme

A heat pump warms your home using heat extracted from the ground or air outside your home.  It does this by either heating the air directly or the water in your central heating system. A heat pump is a low carbon alternative to a boiler, but it isn’t a drop-in replacement and isn’t suitable for all properties. 

Here are some considerations:

* High upfront cost (although you can eventually recoup some of the costs under the Boiler upgrade scheme)
* They tend to be much more cost-efficient if you have good insulation - so try to improve insulation first if possible!
* Your plumbing and radiators may also need to be upgraded 
* Space requirements for external unit (And garden space + access needed for ground source heat pumps)
* Noise considerations and placement of the external fan unit for air source heat pumps.


Renewable heating - Heat pumps

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Electricity - Energy Saving Tips


Recommendations: Renewable energy supplier

Ensuring your home is well insulated is the best first step. Better insulation can reduce your CO2 emissions, heating bills, and it helps prepare your home for a low carbon heating system in the future.

If you look through the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) you can see any insulation recommendations specifically for your home. Here are some of the most common home improvements and typical costs:


Wrap your home up nice and warm

Most homes have their energy efficiency assessed before being sold or let with the information recorded in an "energy performance certificate" or EPC. The Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) explains how energy-efficient the property is and gives a current and potential grade on a scale from A (excellent) to G (very poor).

It's worth looking at the EPC rating for any properties you are considering renting or buying as they give you an idea of how much it will cost to heat the property. For most properties using gas or other fossil fuel heating, the more expensive a property is to keep warm, the higher its carbon emissions will be.

Here is an example of a home with a fairly poor E grade. With various improvements, this property could get up to a C grade.

The EPC usually recommends improvements that you could make to the property to get it from the current EPC grade to the potential grade. These suggestions may be useful if you currently own a house or plan to buy a property and are interested in improving the insulation. Here is an example of what a recommendation looks like:

<img alt="Example EPC Recommendation for Room in roof insulation" style="max-width: 100%"  height="auto" src="https://ik.imagekit.io/x2cipi6aaku/tr:w-635,dpr-auto/epc_single_recommendations.jpg?ik-sdk-version=react-1.0.11" >

If you are looking to improve the insulation on your own home then an excellent first step is to look up your home's existing energy performance certificate (EPC) and check what improvements are recommended.

You can search for a properties Energy Performance Certificate on the government  <a href='https://find-energy-certificate.digital.communities.gov.uk/' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer'>Find An Energy Certificate</a> site.

Recommendations for your home

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Octopus Energy

Great all-rounder, 100% renewable electricity with  some innovative tariffs. Particularly worth considering if you can have an Electric Vehicle or can otherwise push electricity usage overnight.

Octopus energy does have an advantage in the current market in that it is well funded, having just received a $600 million investment. This means it's exceptionally unlikely to go bankrupt, whilst some smaller green firms have already gone bankrupt.

Frequently asked questions

**How does Ripple Energy work?**

Ripple Energy sets up cooperative energy projects that people can invest in, enabling anyone to become a part owner of a wind or solar farm. Once the project you invest in is up and running you then get money off your electricity bills as the renewable energy generated is sold back to the grid.
Investing in a renewable energy project like this can help reduce carbon emissions by supporting the clean energy transition and save you money, but it's important to note that this is a long-term investment and you should understand there are risks associated with any projects and that the return on investment is not guaranteed.

[See how it works on the Ripple website](https://rippleenergy.com/how-it-works)


Advantages:
- Once the project is up and running you will have more stable electricity bills, saving money in the long run.
- It is a direct way to support the clean energy transition.
- Ripple does not require you to own your own home or have a suitable roof!
- Unlike fitting solar panels at home, no building work is required in your home.
- You can move home and keep the investment.
- Investing in a community-funded renewable energy project can support community development and job creation.

Key points to be aware of:
- The £25 deposit doesn’t commit you to a specific project. So if you want to skip the solar project, and wait for a wind farm the deposit will remain valid for the next project.
- A solar project has a longer payback period than a wind farm. See ripple blog which indicates the solar project might have a [15 year payback period versus for 5 for a wind farm](https://blog.rippleenergy.com/environment/shared-solar-parks-what-are-they-and-why-should-you-co-own-one/). 
- You need to be with one of Ripple Energy's supported energy suppliers (such as Octopus) to receive the savings although you’d have plenty of time to switch later.
- Savings on your bills are not immediate because the project takes time to build and connect to the grid.
- The financial return on investment is not guaranteed, like any investment, there are risks - such as problems with the development, connection or running of the wind or solar farm.
- If you generally use up your annual tax-free allowance then note that profits on the investment are taxable. For more tax info see [Ripple FAQ](https://rippleenergy.com/faq/all-questionshttps://rippleenergy.com/faq/all-questions)
- You can not sell your investment for a profit.

[Reserve a space on the Ripple Website](https://rippleenergy.com/reservation/account)


Ripple Energy


Learn more about investing in a Ripple renewable energy project

Would you be interested in becoming a part owner of a wind or solar farm? 

Ripple Energy sets up cooperative energy projects that people can invest in, enabling anyone to become a part owner of a wind or solar farm. Once the project you invest in is up and running you then get money off your electricity bills as the renewable energy generated is sold back to the grid.




If you have draughty or cold areas in your home then draught-proofing is likely to be one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce your heating bills and household carbon emissions. 

It’s worth looking around your home for problems areas where it’s often cold or draughty and looking for the specific cause. On a cold day, you can do this by moving your hand around to feel for cold areas. Here are a few key places to check:

1. Windows - You should check all around any external windows, particularly any parts that open, including any parts of sash windows.
2. Doors - Around external doors. Make sure you check you also check the bottom and top of the doors, around the locks, keyholes and any letterboxes.
3. Chimneys - Check any open chimneys, as they can be a major cause of draughts, often you can feel the cold coming down through the chimney making nearby areas chilly.
4. Vent holes - Although rooms may need ventilation to avoid damp, the wind should not be able to blow directly through a giant hole! Check you can’t see right through the hole and feel for a breeze or the cold.

If you find it hard to detect the cold with your hand, you could try holding a burning incense stick near the area you are testing, if cold air is getting into your home then the smoke from the incense stick will flow with the draught.

Example in a youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwPMx4m9_Dc


Draught proofing

We have listed the most popular backup solutions for home computers. The overall scores are satisfaction ratings based on user feedback from our independant surveys. Further details of the user feedback can be viewed by clicking through on each product.

Best Backup Software

backup solutions for Macs

TV Streaming

We have listed the most popular Mac backup solutions for home computers. The overall scores are satisfaction ratings based on user feedback from our independant surveys. Further details of the user feedback can be viewed by clicking through on each product.

Best Backup Software for Macs 2019

Password managers store all your usernames and passwords in one place so you don't need to remember all your usernames and passwords. These days most people have so many online accounts that they start re-using passwords or use passwords that are too easy to guess to avoid having to remember so many passwords. For this reason many security professionals recommend using a password manager so that you can set secure passwords for each sites without having to remember them all.

Password Managers

We have listed the most popular Windows backup solutions for home computers. The overall scores are satisfaction ratings based on user feedback from our independant surveys. Further details of the user feedback can be viewed by clicking through on each product.

Best Backup Software for Windows 2019

Streaming music free and subscription services