Act on CO2 at Home In the UK 27% of the carbon emitted is from our homes. It is very very difficult to make a home carbon neutral – but we can all do a few things to help bring down that percentage.

Microgeneration is the name given to the act of householders producing their own energy. Microgeneration can be achieved in five different ways and anyone can give it a go when they know how.

The energy produced can be used for heating the house or generating electricity and is called renwable energy as it is created used natural renewable sources.

The five ways to produce renewable energy are:

• Solar power uses the sun’s energy either to directly heat water (solar water heating) or to generate electricity (Photovoltaic or Solar PV)
• Wind power can be used to generate electricity using turbines (windmills)
• Running water can also be used to generate electricity using a turbine (small-scale hydro power)
• Biomass (plant products or animal waste) can be burned to directly heat your home or to heat water - the most common fuel used is wood, although plant oils and other crops can also be used
• Ground source heat pumps make use of heat stored in the ground to directly heat homes or water: water is pumped through pipes buried in the ground and heat is captured and transferred to radiators or to a hot water tank

To learn more about each of these types of renewable energy and the technology to make it happen visit the Renewable Energy section of this website

Grants

Although there are no longer any national grants available for small-scale renewable energy installations, there may be some available at a local level: you can ask your local council about this, or contact your local Energy Saving Trust Advice Centre on Freephone 0800 512012.

There are also generous Feed-in Tariffs which reward you for electricity generated at your home, and proposals to introduce a similar Renewable Heat Incentive.