Solar Heat Pumps and Solar PV Systems
With the world getting more and more full of people these days, there has to come a point where we have to stand up and take responsibility for our actions and how they affect the environment. Energy saving devices such as solar heat pumps and solar pv installations are growing in popularity because they both reduce your carbon footprint and also make sense financially.
Solar Heat Pumps
The development of solar heat pumps or solar hot water pumps has made it simple to reduce carbon emissions and also the cost of heating water. With a heat pump, you only heat water when it is being used. So there is not the continual heating of water only for it to sit in your hot water tank all day. Heating water is a major contributor to the energy costs in any home, so eliminating this with a hot water heat pump will also lower your energy bill, whether you use gas or electricity currently.
Solar PV Systems
A step further is to install a solar PV systems. This includes solar panels on the roof of your home which will make energy available throughout your home. They are heavily rebated by the government at the moment, so also very popular. There is a lot of sales talk around selling excess power back into the main grid, but I think this is mostly that, a sales tool. You need to get a large system which will probably cost around $7000 to generate the amount of energy necessary to do that. You also need to live in a sunny area to get this kind of return from a solar power installation. So a solar panel Melbourne system might not generate that much energy for example. Having said that, technology is always improving.
I am all for solar power don’t get me wrong. I just don’t like false expectations. Solar energy is definitely the immediate solution to reduce our need for burning fossil fuels and therefor lower our carbon footprint.
Emissions reduction is necessary if we are to continue enjoying our life on this planet. So any energy saving options are worth it, more for life than for the money.
