Our planet is currently in the grips of a climate and energy crisis, where the overconsumption of fossil fuels has resulted in an unprecedented output of harmful greenhouse gas emissions. These trap heat in our atmosphere and contribute to a rise in global temperatures.
We use fossil fuels to run our homes and businesses, but this is a finite resource. As fossil fuels become more scarce, heating and electricity bills will continue to rise, placing strain on worldwide economies.
It is therefore incredibly important for global communities to invest in alternative energy sources. Multiple nations including the UK are working towards the target of reducing carbon emissions to net zero by 2050, supporting efforts to limit global temperature increases.
Current Green Heating Options
As we all become more aware of the developing climate crisis, alternative energy options and eco-friendly products are gaining in popularity. A variety of approaches to eco-heating are already available, and are becoming more financially viable and efficient every year. These include:
Insulation
A well-insulated building needs the heating on less and at a lower temperature to keep the interior warm. New builds especially place an emphasis on installing high quality insulation in walls, roofs and loft spaces, whilst older homes and businesses are being encouraged to upgrade their insulation, where grants and financial support are making it easier for everyone to stay warm.
Window glazing is a further kind of insulation, where double or triple glazed windows and doors trap heat between panes of glass. Air is a poor energy conductor, and so the air-filled layers prevent warmth escaping outdoors. This is an additional way to keep buildings warmer whilst using less heat.
Renewable Energy
Renewable energy is a way of producing power from a source that is not finite, such as wind, solar, tidal or geothermal energy. Traditional farms are being encouraged to convert their spaces to solar or wind farms, whilst homeowners can receive government subsidies to install solar panels on their roofs.
All these sources feed into the national grid, helping to offset energy shortages and make the whole country greener.
Heat Pumps
Eco-friendly heat pumps provide heat to a building by transferring thermal energy from the outside into an interior through a refrigeration cycle system. This can be used to heat or cool a home without depending on fossil fuels. Ground source heat pumps work in a similar way, but garner heat from the ground rather than the air. This is made possible by the generally consistent temperature of the earth throughout the year.
Low-Carbon Boilers
There are a range of low-carbon boiler systems currently available that require less fuel to heat a home. Electric combi boilers run on electricity rather than an oil or gas tank. They are therefore more efficient and compact than a traditional boiler.
Biomass boilers function by burning biomass products such as wood pellets from environmentally conscious sources. These have a lower operating cost than the electric option and are ideal for heating larger properties.
As with the eco-friendly heating options above, financial support from the government is making it easier for homes and businesses to update their boiler technology.
Future Solutions
Whilst current technologies are in place to work towards a greener planet, research and developments are still ongoing to find the next best solution for our energy crisis. These may include:
Green Hydrogen
Hydrogen is a simple gaseous element that can be utilised as an efficient clean fuel. The difficulty is in producing this hydrogen, where the molecule generally has to be separated from compounds such as methane or water, processes which need energy to power them.
So-called grey hydrogen involves splitting methane or coal into carbon dioxide and hydrogen. This is done today on an industrial scale, resulting in a heavy output of harmful carbon emissions.
Blue hydrogen follows a similar process as grey, but with the addition of carbon capture technology to attempt to reduce emissions. But it is difficult to capture 100% of emissions, and long-term carbon storage solutions are also unreliable.
In comparison, green hydrogen production is very different, where water is split into hydrogen and oxygen using electrolysis. The electrolysis process is powered using renewable energy, therefore resulting in zero carbon emissions. Hydrogen fuel cells are more efficient than renewable energy sources on their own, and more efficient than fossil fuels.
As this is a relatively new technology, there are various challenges that will slow widespread implementation. Like renewable energy, hydrogen power is a comparatively expensive alternative, where most countries do not have the infrastructure in place to produce large amounts of the green version. Additionally, electrolysers needed to complete the process are generally only available on a small scale, and so would need to be scaled up drastically to support meaningful production of green hydrogen.
Products such as hydrogen boilers have been built, but the technology is not yet readily available for most homes and businesses. Additionally, new infrastructure would need to be installed to replace fossil fuel heating with hydrogen gas, making this an expensive and technically challenging option.
Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO)
HVO is a renewable alternative to diesel which can be made from specific types of vegetable oil and animal fats. These materials can be sourced from meat industry byproducts and waste cooking oils as a sustainable and recycled energy source. The fuel is produced through hydrogenation and hydrocracking, where the materials are subjected to high temperatures and pressures. Both these processes involve hydrogen, which is more energy efficient than traditional fuels, where green hydrogen production methods make HVO even more sustainable.
As HVO is made from plant and animal products, it does not release any ‘new’ carbon dioxide into the atmosphere when burnt. It offers a cleaner alternative to diesel, is more fuel efficient, and performs better in cold temperatures.
However, some HVO processes rely on palm oil production for its primary materials, where palm oil farming contributes to widespread deforestation practices, damaging biodiversity and contributing to climate change by removing carbon absorbing vegetation. As HVO manufacturing is not widespread, emissions from long-distance transportation also contribute to the product’s carbon footprint.
Currently HVO is blended with traditional diesel at some fuel stations. But, as with green hydrogen and other eco-friendly energy options, it is expensive and technically challenging to build new infrastructure to support widespread use of the new fuel type.
Smart Cities
In order to adapt to our changing energy needs, homes and businesses need to be environmentally friendly from the ground up. One suggestion to achieve this is through further investment in smart cities.
A smart city utilises technology to be more energy efficient. Sensors and data collection is utilised to manage the energy usage and waste production of an urban area as a whole, where this data is used to maximise recycling practices and to limit overproduction.
This involves smooth cooperation between public and private sectors, where city planning and combined environmental initiatives streamline the achievement of sustainability goals. Effective public transport, waste management and utilisation of green spaces all contributes to making this a workable model for the future.
Although some new buildings have begun to implement new technologies such as smart metres and low carbon heating systems, it would take a lot of investment and structural change to see the widespread benefits of the smart city model.
Mitchell’s: Heating Engineering & Installation Specialists
At Mitchell’s, we offer a range of heating services to suit your commercial infrastructure needs. We offer a range of commercial heating repairs, boiler checks and installation, as well as supplying a variety of heating systems.
We’re well-versed in the environmental impact of heating, and we stay up to date with all the newest innovations in sustainable technology. A boiler replacement or updating your heating system can improve efficiency, and ensure you have the best infrastructure available to reduce your energy usage. We also install air-source heat pumps throughout the Gloucester area, which are designed to reduce your power consumption and save you money in the long term.
Electrical Services You Can Trust
Mitchell’s has been up and running in Gloucester since Lionel Mitchell set up his own business here in 1905. Since then we have prided ourselves in offering unbeatable customer service, improving your infrastructure with all the latest technologies.
In addition to offering unbeatable heating services throughout Gloucester, we also offer a range of other services, including air conditioning installation, refrigeration, ductwork manufacturing and ventilation repair.