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By Anna Milbern
More and more homeowners around the world are now incorporating environmentally friendly technology
into their properties. When you consider how badly the toxic emissions
of heavy industry have polluted our earth it's a wonder we all haven't
all embraced the many eco-friendly inventions that most homes can easily
install.
A common misconception of these technologies is that
their installation is an expensive and complicated process when actually
these energy saving machines are anything but difficult to include.
Here
is a guide to just a few of the most popular systems that are helping
21st century homes lessen their impact on the environment while
providing us with a safer world to live in.
Energy Efficient Heaters
One of the most straightforward changes to any modern home is the installation of electric radiator systems that replace the old fashioned, energy guzzling night storage heaters that so many homes have relied on for years.
A modern electric radiator system has benefits far beyond anything storage systems offer.
Not only do they require just a third of the energy
storage heaters use, they boast stylish designs they come equipped with
ground-breaking technology to ensure all energy use is kept to a
minimum.
Unlike the wasteful wet systems of night storage heaters,
modern radiators often come with in-built ceramic tablets that allows
the system to produce heat quickly and store some for gradual release
later. The ability to release heat slowly means electric radiators have all the benefits of night storage heaters without causing pollution.
Another
popular kind of modern radiator system is the “multi-fin” design that
incorporates small in-built fins that allow heat to be distributed
evenly around entire rooms in a manner similar to how a chimney pot
allows heat to be released. This not only reduces the amount of energy
used in heating homes but also lessens the electricity costs acquired by
a household.
Another amazing benefit that electric radiators have over old storage heaters
is that they do not cause the release of carbon that night heaters have
been known to generate over long periods of usage. Carbon release can
be hazardous to a person's health, especially to asthma sufferers, and
has long been an overlooked flaw of storage heater design. In fact, much
of the general public is completely unaware of this danger.
Solar Panels
One of the most popular eco-friendly ways to generate green electricity is to use solar panels.
This technology works through the inclusion of photovoltaic cells made
from semi-conducting materials that are designed to lie on roof's where
they absorb sunlight. This sunlight is then turned into electricity that
is used throughout the home, whether for lighting purposes or powering
household appliances.
Solar panels work especially well on bright
days when more sunlight is available, although the sun doesn't need to
be visible in order for solar panels to work, as they function perfectly
well on cloudier days too.
Not only do solar panels not release
harmful carbon pollution into the atmosphere, they allow users to reduce
their energy bills because sunlight is (of course) absolutely free.
It's believed that the average solar panel system has the ability to save at least at least a tonne of carbon dioxide per year.
Ground Source Heat Pumps
Ground source heat pumps
are a technology not nearly as complex to install as many homeowners
believe. They are the perfect eco-friendly system as they need little
electricity to run, and the natural heat extraction they generate is
completely renewable.
Ground source heat pumps work via pipes
buried in the garden that are able to infuse heat from the earth which
is then absorbed into a mixture of water and antifreeze before being
pulled through a heat exchanger into the pump.
The result of this
is that a home is heated with little energy use as the pumps have
removed any reliance on natural gas and oil, effectively reducing annual
emissions by up to 1.8 tonnes.
Air Source Heat Pumps
Ground
source heat pumps should not be confused with air heat pumps which have
a different means of producing energy. These systems instead adsorb
heat from outside air and are able to work in temperatures as low as
-15° C.
All air collected is spread around a home for warmth
through the use of household appliances such as radiators, underfloor
heating systems and warm air convectors. This may sound like a complex
system but an air source heat pump actually works in a relatively
simplistic way that is almost a reverse of the process a refrigerator
requires to activate cold temperatures.
