The Future Homes Standard — a set of new-build regulations for England from 2028 — will establish requirements to ensure homes are built with on-site renewable electricity generation, the majority of which is expected to be provided by solar power.
The rules will also see homes built with low-carbon heating, such as heat pumps and heat networks.
Analysts expect the fallout from the Iran war to expedite the shift away from fossil fuels, with countries increasingly recognizing renewables as a way to improve resilience, reduce pollution and mitigate geopolitical risks.
Nice. There are already so many other good reasons to push renewable energy, but if it takes a major geopolitical conflict to make politicians/people see renewables as a strategic resource,...
Nice. There are already so many other good reasons to push renewable energy, but if it takes a major geopolitical conflict to make politicians/people see renewables as a strategic resource, there's at least some positive sideeffect of those I guess.
Is this actually a step towards a major shift to renewable energy in Britain or is there some catch to it?
I don't understand how people don't see solar is more efficient and cost effective than any fossil fuel forms of energy. Not to mention the significant decrease in damage to the planet
I don't understand how people don't see solar is more efficient and cost effective than any fossil fuel forms of energy. Not to mention the significant decrease in damage to the planet
I don’t know anyone who is “against” solar energy. I’m sure that people who earn millions by running fossil fuel companies are, but everyday people? I can see why it hasn’t had larger adoption at...
I don’t know anyone who is “against” solar energy. I’m sure that people who earn millions by running fossil fuel companies are, but everyday people?
I can see why it hasn’t had larger adoption at the residential level though. For individual users, it can cost prohibitive to install solar on an existing home because of the large upfront cost.
Yeah, especially cause if you put them on the roof, they often times mandate getting a new roof so you won't have to rip the solar panels up to fix the roof in 5 years. Wish I could justify the...
Yeah, especially cause if you put them on the roof, they often times mandate getting a new roof so you won't have to rip the solar panels up to fix the roof in 5 years. Wish I could justify the cost myself right now.
I have never understood why we didn't all switch to heat pumps decades ago. Even completely ignoring the renewable / climate-change aspect of it, heat pumps are just magically efficient. You could...
I have never understood why we didn't all switch to heat pumps decades ago. Even completely ignoring the renewable / climate-change aspect of it, heat pumps are just magically efficient. You could literally burn coal to power a power plant to produce the electricity to run a heat pump to heat your house, and it would be 2-4 times more efficient than burning the coal directly in your house.
Furthermore, the technology is basically the same as refrigeration and air conditioning, meaning we have known about heat pumps, and had the option to use them, as long as we've been using refrigerators.
Heat pumps cost more than using natural gas. That equation may have changed in recent years, but it's highly dependent on location. Don't worry; if using heat pumps saved money, people would ask...
Heat pumps cost more than using natural gas. That equation may have changed in recent years, but it's highly dependent on location. Don't worry; if using heat pumps saved money, people would ask for it in new builds. That they didn't for decades indicated that the cost was too high.
In really cold locations where natural gas is cheap (at least in the US), heat pumps have had a hard time competing because of how much cheaper natural gas is than electricity. That said, paired...
In really cold locations where natural gas is cheap (at least in the US), heat pumps have had a hard time competing because of how much cheaper natural gas is than electricity. That said, paired with a well insulated and well air sealed home they can reach cost parity and even be cheaper than natural gas for heating. But you really have to approach it holistically to get the costs to work out favorably. However if gas prices climb and electricity doesn't increase with it, I think the economics will absolutely continue to favor the heat pumps instead.
I'm under the impression that there were some technical advancements that resulted in them becoming much more viable for heating buildings efficiently over the years. That said, I'm not myself...
I'm under the impression that there were some technical advancements that resulted in them becoming much more viable for heating buildings efficiently over the years. That said, I'm not myself technically knowledgeable enough to know the details there.
Nice. There are already so many other good reasons to push renewable energy, but if it takes a major geopolitical conflict to make politicians/people see renewables as a strategic resource, there's at least some positive sideeffect of those I guess.
Is this actually a step towards a major shift to renewable energy in Britain or is there some catch to it?
I don't understand how people don't see solar is more efficient and cost effective than any fossil fuel forms of energy. Not to mention the significant decrease in damage to the planet
I don’t know anyone who is “against” solar energy. I’m sure that people who earn millions by running fossil fuel companies are, but everyday people?
I can see why it hasn’t had larger adoption at the residential level though. For individual users, it can cost prohibitive to install solar on an existing home because of the large upfront cost.
Yeah, especially cause if you put them on the roof, they often times mandate getting a new roof so you won't have to rip the solar panels up to fix the roof in 5 years. Wish I could justify the cost myself right now.
I have never understood why we didn't all switch to heat pumps decades ago. Even completely ignoring the renewable / climate-change aspect of it, heat pumps are just magically efficient. You could literally burn coal to power a power plant to produce the electricity to run a heat pump to heat your house, and it would be 2-4 times more efficient than burning the coal directly in your house.
Furthermore, the technology is basically the same as refrigeration and air conditioning, meaning we have known about heat pumps, and had the option to use them, as long as we've been using refrigerators.
Heat pumps cost more than using natural gas. That equation may have changed in recent years, but it's highly dependent on location. Don't worry; if using heat pumps saved money, people would ask for it in new builds. That they didn't for decades indicated that the cost was too high.
In really cold locations where natural gas is cheap (at least in the US), heat pumps have had a hard time competing because of how much cheaper natural gas is than electricity. That said, paired with a well insulated and well air sealed home they can reach cost parity and even be cheaper than natural gas for heating. But you really have to approach it holistically to get the costs to work out favorably. However if gas prices climb and electricity doesn't increase with it, I think the economics will absolutely continue to favor the heat pumps instead.
I'm under the impression that there were some technical advancements that resulted in them becoming much more viable for heating buildings efficiently over the years. That said, I'm not myself technically knowledgeable enough to know the details there.