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General FAQs

What is renewable energy? Renewable Energy is the term given to energy that is replenished naturally over a short period of time, and so is sustainable, unlike fossil fuels which are a diminishing resource. All renewable energy is derived from solar energy either directly or indirectly: wind is produced from uneven solar heating of the ground; biomass is grown by the photosynthesis of sunlight, CO2 and water; hydro power uses the gravitational potential of water which has been raised by solar heating; PV and solar thermal use solar radiation directly to produce useful energy. Even ground source heat pumps use solar energy that is stored as heat in the ground, just below surface level. The exception to this is geothermal energy, whereby the renewable energy here results from both radioactive decay and residual heat deep down within the earth.

What is a carbon footprint? A carbon footprint calculation aims to estimate how many kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions you or your household emit over a period of time, i.e. your carbon footprint.

What renewable energy systems can I install on my home?: This depends on you location, your existing energy usage and on your existing energy related equipment in your household.

Why is carbon dioxide bad for the environment?: Carbon dioxide (CO2) is widely recognised as one of the most important greenhouse gases which prevent the atmosphere from losing heat into space. CO2 is produced when fuels are burnt, for example from coal, oil, gas, wood, etc. Since the industrial revolution vast quantities of fossil fuels have been burnt, and this, coupled with accelerating global deforestation has resulted in ever increasing concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere. The increasing atmospheric CO2 has coincided with a rapid increase in global temperatures which continue to accelerate.

The climate has cycled through warmer and cooler periods in the past, but this has always been a natural cycle. We are now disturbing this natural cycle by releasing in a couple of hundred years the CO2 which has taken nature many millions of years to store away.

CO2 remains in the atmosphere for up to 200 years before it is removed either through absorption into the soil and oceans, or becoming part of the natural lifecycle once more.

What is global warming/climate change? In any given location the weather can change rapidly from one day to the next, but the long term weather tends to follow well known trends or patterns. It is these long term effects which define the climate of that area. When greenhouse gases are released in large quantities into the atmosphere, heat is trapped in the air up to a few miles above the ground raising the average temperature at the surface of the Earth. When the Earth warms in this way, it affects the long term weather (the climate) in unpredictable ways. For example the temperate climate of the UK is expected to change from with warm summers and mild winters, to one with hot, dry summers and warmer winters with regular flooding.

What can I do to help?: We are all responsible to a greater or lesser degree for the effects of climate change. CO2 is emitted in almost anything we do or buy. At Eco Energi we believe one of the most important things each one of us can do to help limit the effects of climate change is to source and use household energy responsibly. This means making sure your home is well insulated, and that energy used within your home is done so responsibly. Even switching off an appliance that is on standby can help make a difference whilst at the same time saving you money. Look out for low energy or energy saving products and make sure that anything that is not being used is switched off at the wall.

You could think about installing renewable energy onto your home. This could be to provide your hot water, or to contribute to your electricity requirement. It would also leave you safe in the knowledge that you are not at the mercy of increasing energy prices.

Alternatively, if you cannot have renewable energy installed on your home you could consider switching to a green tariff. This would mean your energy will come from renewable sources, reducing your impact on the environment.

Will renewable energy ever run out? No, the advantage of renewable energy is, as the name suggests, that it is inexhaustible. It also happens to be free. Compare this with diminishing fossil fuels and their associated fluctuating (but gradually increasing) costs.

Can renewable energy provide all my energy needs? Yes - but this may be prohibitively expensive or impractical. At Eco Energi we recommend, for example, that solar thermal provides 60-70% of your annual domestic hot water requirement so that you can get the most from your system, and capacity is not wasted. We think it is important for the system we install to be cost effective to our customers, so that they do not waste their money. When you have one of our free, no-obligation consultations we`ll determine the most suitable solutions for you.

However, if we see an opportunity where complete self sufficiency is feasible, we`ll let you know.

Is the Eco Energi consultation free? The consultation is conducted by one of our trained consultants and is absolutely free of charge. There is also no obligation to buy any of our products or services. With Eco Energi you are in control.

What does the consultation consist of?There are three key aims of the consultation:

How have the units of fuel been converted into kWh for your consultations? Not all energy sources are invoiced in quanta of kWh. For example, fuel oil is often invoiced as litres, or coal in kg. For this reason, the Energy and Carbon Conversions publication from the Carbon Trust has been used to convert all units of fuel or energy used into kWh. The following table contains the conversion factors suggested in the document:

How have the CO2 emissions been calculated in your carbon footprint calculations? Different energy sources result in different amounts of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere per kWh of energy used. Factors associated with emissions include the efficiency of the device using the energy, such as a gas boiler being 80-90% efficient. For example, a boiler of low efficiency releases more CO2 for a given heat output than a more efficient boiler.

The conversion factors associated with CO2 emissions have been obtained from the Building Research Establishment (http://www.bre.co.uk/filelibrary/co2emissionfigures2001.pdf) as being:

What funding can I get to help with costs of installing renewable energy? At Eco Energi, we install accredited equipment, recognised for quality build and operation. Due to high competition for government funding posing difficulties to grant applicants, we aim to bypass the official grant scheme by simply giving our customers low prices.

Why should I choose to use Eco Energi? We offer a free, no-obligation consultation to all our customers.

We offer a professional service from the initial customer inquiry right through to the installed product and aftercare service.

All our staff have years of academic and/or practical and professional experience within the field of renewable energy.

We are not biased towards any single product, since we install a wide range of products from different manufacturers. This helps us to select the most suitable equipment based on budget, location and demand requirements.