UK research agency claim 74 percent never heard of ASHP

There are a number of different green energies and heating options available to consumers, but a recent survey by UK’s Pixie Energy shows- Amongst the four technologies - solar, air/ground source and biomass, 74 per cent of the respondents had never heard of the air/ground source heat pumps or biomass boilers. 

The survey found that a greater percentage of the respondents are not likely to install domestic renewable heating in the coming years. It found a disparity between the higher income group and the lower-income group, where the lower-income group did not have much knowledge of the alternative energy options.     

Household Emissions Growing 

As per recent advisory reports released by the UK government, the new build houses in the countryside should use heat pumps for warming. The latest reports advise heating water using industry waste and making use of green substitutes.  

Such recommendations have been made by the Committee on Climate Change which suggests the new homes should be made on new heating systems to be more eco-friendly, where the additional cost of £4,800 will be required for the deployment of the low carbon systems, while, the same system installed in existing can cost up to £26,300. 

The latest proposals target 80 per cent of emission reduction by 2050 (in comparison to 1991).

The report by the committee found the emission from households increased in the last year, which mainly happened due to an increase in the use of heating boilers. 

The report wants all homes to fit systems to eliminate such emissions to be able to meet the targets. The government plans to invest up to £6bn to install green solutions in lower-income households. 

Lack of awareness  

There are a number of sustainable sources of energy that are not used, mostly due to the lack of information. One can completely avoid gas by increasing awareness and by promoting investment towards green sources.  

The energy hierarchy can control the rate of energy use and prevent loss to promote efficiency for better control. In a residential unit, heat loss can be prevented by improving glazing using conventional methods. 

Such units and businesses can replace old systems, air conditioners, exchangers and pumps with the most modern, technologically advanced low-cost options in terms of fuel-saving and green emissions. The government-backed schemes in the sector are diminishing, which raises the need for a viable solution to meet the demand within the next few years. 

Currently, in the UK, over 14 per cent of emissions are coming from households, and the new homes that do not meet the basic standards as they are poorly constructed and insulation has crashed by 95 per cent since 2012. 

This was observed following the decision of the government to sever funding in this area. Many such homes need to be reinsulated through retrofitting. 

Changes are required in the way homes are built to meet the climate change needs where winters are getting extreme, and summers are getting hotter.  The newer homes should have better ventilation, moisture reduction ability, better air quality, and water efficiency to protect from flooding. 

To find out more about other energy sectors and ASHP investment, check 99 Alternatives at (http://www.99alternatives.com).