Alan Whitehead shared with us his experiences of installing renewable energy sources at his house.
Part of his purpose is to test the barriers that we will encounter in
installing these systems on our own houses.
He has solar thermal heating his water which is working well and requires a small pump for circulation.
The wind turbine did not prove successful because of lack of wind in his
location. There are statistics available check before installing.
Within limits small wind turbines can be installed without planning
permission.
Recently he has installed PhotoVoltaic Roof Tiles. Although a grant of
£2,000 is available a 3,00kw installation cost Alan £11,000. Part of his
justification was replacing the roof at the same time. In order to get the
grant there are many hoops to jump through. You must apply with fixed dates
for start and completion, have certified suppliers and installers for all
parts
of the work but you can apply online.
Again no planning permission for the tiles is required but you may need
it for the rest of the roof installation. He takes great pleasure now
in showing friends the meter and graphs of his contribution to the main
grid. (Editor: Alan no longer needs to open the curtains to check for
sunshine.) He very proudly held aloft his letter and first cheque from nPower which
repays him 15% of his consumption.
He believes that ground source heat pump systems are ideal for new builds
but not for existing property (Editor: unless your are also building a
swimming pool but that probably negates the environmental benefits).
There was also some discussion about large wind turbines being installed on
Southampton's waterfront. Some thought they would be more aesthetically
pleasing
than some of the existing constructions. Others that there may not be
enough wind.
