From Guest Blogger Dimitris Papadoupolos: Energy Efficiency — Three Ways UK Homes and Businesses Can Make Improvements
The UK National Grid recently issued a warning that Britain is facing a gas shortfall.
But while the nation transitions from fossil fuels to clean energy over the coming decades, shortages can be mitigated by making commercial and residential buildings much more energy efficient.
With that in mind, here are three ways UK homes and businesses can make improvements.
- Air conditioning
The refreshing effects of a blast of cool air are usually most welcomed in tropical climates — but modern, responsive A/C systems make living and working in the UK much more pleasant too.
Air conditioning solutions from a firm like Daikin have the highest energy-efficiency ratings and use heat recovery technology to recycle warm air rather than allowing it to be wasted.
In homes, optimal temperatures can be set for each room with systems that integrate heat, cooling and hot water.
In offices and industrial buildings, Direct Expansion (DX) systems pass the air used for cooling a particular space over the cooling coil of a refrigerator plant, while water-based systems pre-chill the water that then cools the air.
Intelligent air conditioning maintains the perfect temperature in different zones while minimising wastage in these large buildings.
- Portable heating
Portable heaters have a range of applications in the building and construction trade, agriculture and horticulture and events management.
In agriculture, farm suspended heaters allow crops to be grown indoors, ensuring more food products reach the next stage of the food supply chain intact.
And in the building sector, heaters are used to improve the working environment and to prevent damp taking hold in floors, walls and ceilings as a project is completed.
Meanwhile, few guests would linger for long at events in outdoor marquees if heaters weren’t used to create a cosy, ambient environment.
But picking the right size and specification of device is crucial if you want to avoid wasting energy — a specialist provider like Arcotherm can help you find the best solution for your business.
- Ventilation
The last fundamental piece of the energy-efficiency puzzle is ventilation.
Honeywell supply ventilation systems that they claim can recover 80 per cent of customers’ cooling and heating energy.
Heat Recovery Ventilator (HRV) systems transfer heat from the stale air used to the outside and the fresh air drawn in. This means heat is kept outside a building in summer but isn’t allowed to escape in winter.
And an Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV) enables energy efficiency by transferring moisture and heat.
The size of system required depends on building size, occupancy levels and the special requirements of laundry rooms and bathrooms.
As environmental legislation becomes stricter, new buildings have in-built features that futureproof compliance and minimise waste.
But adopting these three ways UK homes and businesses can make energy-efficient improvements will help you save cash and minimise environmental damage.
How do you keep your home and business energy-efficient? Share your advice in the comments section.
