How I cut my domestic carbon emissions to zero
Three years ago, I decided to upgrade my domestic boiler. I chose an all-electric system, as I naively thought that our government would follow through on its policy to cut the domestic gas supply by 2020, in order to meet the UK's Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets (by at least 34% by 2020 and at least 80% by 2050 - against the 1990 baseline).
The hot water for my shower and heating system is generated by both electricity and solar power - you can see it here...
Unfortunately, the recent Economy 10 electricity price rises have meant that my boiler is becoming very expensive to operate. Also, since my energy supplier was providing electricity from non-renewable sources, my house has been emitting at least 7 tonnes of CO2 each year. I decided, therefore, to switch to a new supplier that has a green tariff and supplies 100% of its electricity from renewable sources and cut my overall consumption by installing a wood-burning stove. And since I have found several places where I can obtain free wood, I should be able to repay the cost of this latest installation within the next 4 years...
This means that all my domestic energy is now from renewable sources and my net carbon emissions have gone down to zero!
.......Exposing the hearth .................................................Replacing the liner...............................................................Lighting it for the first time
You can watch our latest video in which the Permaculture Group explain how you can measure heat loss from your house and how to source, saw and chop wood for a wood-burning stove, here:
