Jargon Buster – Energy Upgrades
Energy Assessment / Audit:
Description: A detailed assessment of a buildings energy performance, identifying areas for improvement, resulting in a detailed report. An energy assessment/audit is required before starting any energy upgrades.
Benefits: Helps homeowners, communities and businesses understand their energy usage in their building. Resulting in a detailed list of energy upgrades, provides a clear road map for making energy upgrades.
BER (Building Energy Rating):
Description: A standardized rating system that measures a building’s energy efficiency.
Benefits: Provides a simplified indication of a property’s energy performance, helps buyers and renters make informed decisions, and incentivizes energy-efficient building practices.
Attic Insulation:
Description: Attic insulation entails the installation of insulating material in the space between the ceiling of the top floor and the roof of a building.
Benefits: It serves to improve thermal efficiency by reducing heat transfer between the interior of the building and the external environment. This leads to decreased energy consumption for heating and cooling and allowing a more sustainable energy usage pattern.
Cavity Wall Insulation:
Description: Cavity wall insulation involves filling the gap (cavity) between the inner and outer walls of a house with insulating material.
Benefits: It improves thermal comfort by reducing heat loss, maintaining a stable indoor temperature. This results in lower energy bills and a reduced carbon footprint.
Internal Wall Insulation:
Description: Internal wall insulation is the process of adding insulation material to the interior walls of a building.
Benefits: It enhances indoor comfort by keeping rooms warmer, reduces heating costs, and improves energy efficiency. However, it may reduce room space slightly.
External Wall Insulation:
Description: External wall insulation involves adding an insulating layer to the exterior of the building, often covered with a decorative finish.
Benefits: It significantly improves thermal comfort, eliminates cold spots, and reduces energy bills. It also enhances the aesthetics of the property.
Floor Insulation:
Description: Floor insulation refers to adding insulation material beneath the flooring to prevent heat loss through the ground.
Benefits: It makes homes cosier, reduces heat loss, and lowers heating costs. It also minimizes draughts and cold floors.
Windows and Doors Upgrade:
Description: Replacing old, inefficient windows and doors with energy-efficient ones that have better insulation properties.
Benefits: Improved thermal comfort, reduced drafts, noise reduction, and lower energy bills due to reduced heat loss and air infiltration.
Mechanical Ventilation
Description: A system designed to provide controlled air movement into and out of a building’s interior spaces to ensure adequate indoor air quality and comfort. This is particularly important in modern buildings that are often tightly sealed for energy efficiency purposes, which can lead to poor indoor air quality if not properly ventilated.
Benefits: Removes stale air and provides a continuous supply of fresh air, improving the indoor air quality and quality of living within the home.
Heating Controls:
Description: Installing programmable thermostats, smart thermostats, or zone heating controls to optimise heating system efficiency.
Benefits: Better control over heating, reduced energy wastage, and customized comfort while saving money on heating costs.
Condensing Boiler:
Description: A high-efficiency boiler that captures and uses heat from exhaust gases, reducing energy waste.
Benefits: Increased heating efficiency, reduced fuel consumption, and lower energy bills.
Heat Pump:
Description: Heat pumps are devices that transfer heat from one place to another, either from the air, ground, or water, to provide heating, cooling, and hot water for buildings. They work by extracting heat from the environment and amplifying it for use indoors, offering an efficient alternative to traditional heating and cooling systems.
Benefits: Energy-efficient heating and cooling, reduced energy bills, and lower carbon emissions. Heat pumps can provide year-round climate control, are suitable for a variety of climates, and offer a long-term, sustainable solution for residential and commercial heating and cooling needs.
Air Sourced Heat Pump:
Description: An air sourced heat pump absorbs heat from the outside air and transfers it indoors for heating, cooling, and hot water. It can extract heat even in cold temperatures, making it a versatile and energy-efficient option for various climates.
Benefits: Lower installation costs compared to ground sourced systems, energy efficiency, reduced heating and cooling costs, and lower carbon emissions. ASHPs are also easier to install and maintain, with the ability to work effectively in diverse weather conditions.
Ground Sourced Heat Pump:
Description: A ground sourced heat pump transfers heat to or from the ground, utilizing stable ground temperatures to provide heating, cooling, and hot water for buildings. It typically involves a network of pipes buried in the ground to extract or dissipate heat.
Benefits: Highly efficient heating and cooling, lower energy bills, reduced carbon footprint, and long-term savings. It also provides consistent and reliable heating and cooling due to the stable ground temperature.
Solar Water Heating:
Description: Solar water heating systems use solar panels, called collectors, to absorb sunlight and convert it into heat. This heat is then used to warm water stored in a hot water cylinder, providing a renewable source of hot water for domestic or commercial use.
Benefits: Reduced energy bills, lower carbon footprint, and decreased reliance on fossil fuels. Solar water heating systems can also provide hot water throughout the year, with reduced maintenance costs and long-term savings.
Solar Electricity:
Description: Photovoltaic (PV) solar panels convert sunlight directly into electricity using semiconductor materials. These panels can be installed on rooftops or other structures to generate renewable energy for residential, commercial, or industrial use, reducing dependency on traditional power sources
Benefits: Significant reduction in electricity bills, lower carbon emissions, and the potential to earn income through net metering or feed-in tariffs. PV solar panels also offer long-term energy security, low maintenance, and can increase property value.
Jargon Buster – Energy Terminology
Kilowatt hour (kWh)
A kilowatt hour (kWh) is a measure of electrical energy consumption, often used by utilities to bill customers; it represents the amount of energy consumed by a one-kilowatt device running for one hour.
Carbon Emissions
Carbon emissions refer to the release of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other carbon compounds into the atmosphere, primarily as a result of human activities such as burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas), industrial processes, deforestation, and agriculture. These emissions contribute to the greenhouse effect and climate change by trapping heat in the Earth’s atmosphere, leading to various environmental and societal impacts. Reducing carbon emissions is crucial for mitigating climate change and transitioning towards a more sustainable future.
Meter Reading
A meter reading is the measurement of the amount of gas, or electricity consumed by a household or business, recorded by utility companies periodically to determine usage and bill customers accordingly.
Smart Meter
A smart meter is a device that measures how much electricity, you use at home. It sends this information digitally to your utility company, helping them bill you accurately without needing someone to check the meter manually. Smart meters also give you real-time data about your usage, so you can see how much energy you’re using and find ways to save money on your bills. View our smart meter guide.
Renewable Energy
Renewable energy is energy derived from sources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale, such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves, and geothermal heat, offering a sustainable alternative to finite fossil fuels.
Energy Efficiency
Energy efficiency refers to the ability of a system or device to accomplish a desired task while using the least amount of energy possible, often achieved through the use of efficient technologies and practices