[Challenge] Low Carbon Home

Heating and electricity supply of housing in the UK accounts for 23% of greenhouse gases; 15% from heating and 8% from electricity. Moving to a 100% renewable energy supply and installing energy efficiency measures at home are the most straightforward and cost effective ways for anyone to reduce emissions (:arrow_down::cloud::houses:).

In order to avert run away climate change, global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions must be cut in half by 2030. A badge has been created by Better Century to acknowledge anyone who’s made efforts to reduce emissions from their home.

As each home is distinctive in size and layout and whether it is owned, a threshold of energy usage or carbon emissions is prescribed. All you need to do is say what you have done to make your home low carbon.

Let’s get on with it!

The Challenge

Write a short piece about what you’ve done to decrease emissions from your home in reply to this topic and get three likes. You could have already written something on Better Century with the appropriate number of likes - if so just link it in a reply to this topic.

Once you’ve done this we’ll award you this badge in recognition.

What we’re looking in the replies to this post are:

  • To keep an eye on energy usage from your home and show intention to watch the results of efforts you make to improve efficiency
  • To use or intend to use 100% renewable energy supply (:arrow_down::cloud::houses:~30%) (see community guidance)
  • To have increased energy efficiency in your home through behaviour change or energy efficiency measures (:arrow_down::cloud::houses:~25%) (see community guidance)

Awarding the badge to @tomkiss for this post (and three likes):

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@ValS being awarded badge for the installation of her air source heat pump:

In 1999 we started refurbishments and extension to our 3 bed 1938 semi-detatched home in Chester to turn it into an energy efficient 5 bed family owner-occupied home.

At that time we installed high thermal efficiency argon gas filled double glazing windows on the extension and ss many windows as we could afford on the existing house. We installed 2 Solartwin solar thermal panels on our south facing roof to heat water and store in a large thermally efficient water tank. We increased loft insulation to 290mm with warmcell paper based material, we installed sophisticated timer and thermostatic heating and water controls to a new Vaillant ecomax gas fired boiler. We also installed low water usage efo toilets and 1800Ltr of rainwater collection for garden use.

Since then we have installed 1.25Kw capacity solar pv and replaced the remaining glazing with thermally efficient double glazed windows.

We then registered with http://www.superhomes.org.uk since our home achieved greater than 60% carbon saving as a result of tye various works we carried out as compared to the original.

We are now revisiting our refurbishments and considering lower carbon options for our space and back-up water heating. We are registered with https://www.piliogroup.com/ to monitor our gas electricity, water usage and solar electricity generation on a long term basis.

For the last 20 years Good Energy has been our electricity supplier and for the last 5 our gas too.

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That is a lot of rainwater collection! Would love to see a picky of the tank…

Very impressed!

A series of 230ltr water butts! Will take pix and show you!

1 Like