Our homes need energy supplies to keep us warm and out of the dark. However, the sources that most people currently use aren’t good for the planet. The longer that they’re used to heat and power homes, the more of a strain they’ll put on the world around us.
If we want to take care of Earth and try to reverse some of the harm that’s already been done, it’s vital that we switch to using renewable energy sources. From solar power to hydroelectricity, there’s a variety of options available to us. They’re more powerful and reliable than some people might think, and they’re a significant step towards living a sustainable lifestyle.
If you want to know how you can power your home more safely, these are the five best renewable sources to choose from.
Wind Power
If you’ve ever seen a wind farm, then you probably understand what wind energy looks like. The wind propels a turbine, the spinning of which generates electricity. However, you don’t need a massive turbine outside your house to reap the benefits for yourself. The ones that are designed for singular home usage are far smaller because they don’t need to provide nearly as much power.
Whether you get a free-standing turbine or one that attaches to your roof, wind power is definitely a renewable source worth thinking about. It currently provides around a tenth of all electricity production in Australia and accounts for more than a third of clean energy supply in the country too. Add to that the fact that it could save you hundreds of dollars in bills every year, and it’s obviously an option worth considering.
Hydroelectricity
For anyone who lives near a flowing body of water, hydroelectricity could prove to be an incredibly useful source of renewable energy. This system relies on the downward motion of water to generate electricity, which is why it’s so convenient for those close to a river. As the water moves downstream, a turbine converts the movement energy into mechanical energy, which in turn becomes electricity.
Small-scale versions of hydroelectric systems are available for use in homes, so long as there’s a usable supply of energy nearby. This is more than enough to generate electricity for one household, meaning you don’t have to worry about your lights suddenly going off, or your TV dying halfway through a show. Unless the water supply suddenly dries up – which is highly unlikely to happen overnight – you’ll be fine.
Solar Power
We already rely on the sun to keep us warm from one day to another, so why not harness that energy and use it to heat our homes too? Absorbing light through solar panels has no impact whatsoever on the sun, but it does supply you with a constant source of energy. This can be used as an electricity supply for your home, as well as heating up water. All you need to do is have the panels fixed to your roof, and you can start making use of them immediately.
Although solar energy is more efficient on sunny days, you won’t be stuck in the dark or without hot water if it’s overcast outside. Of course, in somewhere like Perth, that’s not much of an issue because the area receives thousands of hours of sunshine every year. That’s why for the people who live there, it’s so worth investing in solar hot water systems.
Renew Energy are a completely transparent solar hot water system provider who promises to check on and maintain your panels long after they’ve been installed. With 30 years of combined experience to their name, they’re the most trusted provider in Western Australia. So, you can rest easy knowing that you’ll have a constant supply of energy heating your water that’s safe for the environment.
Air Source Heat Pump
The heat in the air around us can do more than simply keep us warm. It can also be utilized as a form of energy production for our homes. Air source heat pumps take the air from outside and absorb it into a fluid, which is then passed through a compressor. As this happens, the temperature is increased, which then provides heating for the house and its water supply.
In terms of price, this energy source is relatively cost-effective and could save you quite a lot on your bills every year. It’s also not a particularly loud system, meaning you probably won’t even notice that it’s there. In a way, they’re very similar to refrigerators, except they work in reverse. After all, your fridge wouldn’t do much good if it was generating hot air all the time.
Biomass
Biomass as a form of renewable energy basically consists of burning organic material to create heat. This may not sound particularly environmentally friendly – burning things is never usually a good idea for the planet – but it’s actually safer than it sounds. That’s because organic material like food waste and wood pellets don’t produce an excess of carbon when burned. The amount that they release is the same amount that they absorbed during their lifetime.
As one of the cheapest renewable energy sources available, biomass certainly isn’t worth discounting. Anyone can get their hands on organic material to be used for this, so it’s relatively little hassle. It’s an option that might not appeal to everyone, but there’s a reason why it’s responsible for roughly a tenth of the world’s primary energy supply.
Converting our home energy supplies to renewable sources is something that’s essential moving forward. The sooner we adopt these safer practices in our houses, the sooner we can right some of the wrongs that have been done to this planet over the years. Changing to something like solar power or hydroelectricity is a lot easier than you might think, and with the money that you can save on bills, it’s absolutely worth doing. If saving the planet isn’t enough of a motivation on it’s own, that ought to do the job.
