Ways of making energy
The most popular renewable energy choice for homes is solar power for hot water heating. Other options include solar PV panels that generate electricity, wind turbines, small-scale hydro (if you have a fast-flowing stream on your property, for example) and ground source heat pumps (which convert ground heat into central heating for your home).
Currently, npower, and our appointed contractor, Ecofirst, can provide a full solar PV energy service, offering advice on assessing your home’s suitability then installing solar panels and buying back any electricity you export if you sign up to our scheme. Click here to find out more about selling energy.
Although npower doesn’t sell or install ground source heat pumps directly, we’re working with Ice Energy who can negotiate upto £1500 grant towards the installation costs on your behalf. Click here for more information on grants.
Find out more about wind turbines here. More information about small-scale hydro can be found here.
We also offer an export reward scheme, to apply for this please complete the application form and return it to the address provided. You will need to be a npower juice customer as we need a juice customer account number to process your application.
Once you have joined the scheme, you will be asked to provide meter readings every six months, in April and October, from your generation and import (what we sell you) meters. Based on these readings, we will calculate how much we owe you and send you a personal cheque. Terms & Conditions apply.
Wind Power
You can convert the power of the wind into electricity for your home by installing a mini wind turbine. Wind turns a propeller that drives a turbine, which is fed into a generator that connects to your home’s electricity supply. Turbines usually vary in size from 1kWp to 6kWp installed capacity and can be roof or pole mounted.
Advances in wind technology over the past decade mean that modern designs tend to be almost silent when operating – the sound of the wind in trees is often louder.
Accredited installers
We are unable to recommend any particular type of wind installation or supplier. For information on accredited installers of micro wind devices, visit the Low Carbon Buildings Programme website and follow the links to the ‘Accredited installers and products’ page.
Planning permission
Small-scale wind installations do require planning permission from the relevant authorities and consultation with any stakeholders, such as neighbours. For further information on planning issues regarding turbines, please consult the Planning Policy Statement on the Communities and Local Government website (http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1502772)
For more information on planning permission in your local area, please contact your local Government authority.
Ground Source Heat Pumps
Ground source heat pumps (GSHP) work in a similar way to a fridge. While a fridge will extract all the heat from food and expel it out the back, a heat pump will absorb all the heat from the ground and expel it out via a heating system.
There are three main components to a GSHP:
- Ground loop – this comprises of a length of pipe buried in the ground, either vertically (via a borehole) or horizontally (via a trench).
- Heat pump – this transfers the energy from the ground to a closed pipe system, where it’s compressed to increase its temperature and then transferred to a hot water tank which feeds into a heat distribution system.
- Heat distribution system – this transfers the heat to your home, normally via under-floor heating.
GSHPs are one of the most efficient microgeneration technologies giving out three to four units of heat for every unit of electricity they use. However, they are also quite expensive – a typical 8kW system is likely to cost between £6,400 and £9,600.
Small-scale hydro
Micro-hydro generation works in the same way as a large hydro power plant – just on a much smaller scale. Hydro generators use turbines to convert the kinetic energy within flowing water into energy. The amount of electricity produced is determined by how much water is available and how fast it flows.
Accredited installers
We are unable to recommend any particular type of hydro installation or supplier. For information on accredited installers of micro hydro devices, visit the Low Carbon Buildings Programme website.
Issues to consider
A number of issues must be taken into account before developing a micro-hydro site on your property. The British Hydro Association recommend that preliminary and feasibility studies are carried out first. It’s also advisable to have an environmental assessment to evaluate the impact of installing a micro-generator. And you’ll probably need planning permission from the relevant local authorities. Your local planning department will be able to advise – and also let you know if Building Regulation Approval or Submission of an Environmental Statement are necessary.
