Anyone who has been researching energy efficiency for their new home will be used to the term.First fabric,’ as this is still the best method to achieve high energy efficiency levels.
When it comes to zero bills, the less energy you need, the easier it is to get it all from renewables and eliminate your reliance on the pay-for grid. But, can this be achieved by retrofitting an existing home?
If you’re building a new home from scratch, the goal of achieving a very high performance fabric is a little less complicated, because you’re not dealing with an existing structure that’s complicated, unfamiliar, and often expensive to treat.
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But, when renovating, it is often difficult. That said, once you consider the fabric of the home as best you can, that’s when you can calculate the energy needs and decide which technologies are best suited to bring comfort to the home and how close to ‘zero’ you really can get.
What does zero energy bill really mean?
A zero bill can be defined in several ways. Having absolutely no direct running costs may be the initial understanding of the term, and it is true to say that if we have enough Solar panels And after home batteries we could potentially have a home with zero bills.
However, the capital cost would be very high, so the question is, should this calculation also include the replacement cost of the equipment, as this would require the household to generate an income that was sufficient to cover the capital replacement?
A more common use of the term zero bill usually involves some form of offset. This may be referred to as ‘Net Zero‘ A house produces enough energy to cover its use over a fixed period, which is usually a year. Generation will be higher in summer, and consumption will be higher in winter, but on average they cancel each other out. This can be calculated based on energy usage or financial cost.
It is also common to hear about performance targets such as Passivhaus in Relationship with net zero or zero bill. This is more available on newer builds. The retrofit equivalent of Passivhaus EnerPHit which contain specific details that are different, due to the fact that some items cannot be feasibly achieved on an existing building.
EnerPHit is still a very high standard, however, and many such homeowners don’t set rates that high because of budget, average home prices on the street, or simply disruption and expected project duration. However it is important to know where the bar is being set.
Achieving zero energy bill in existing home
Calculating energy consumption is easy. If you use 10000kWh per year then you need to generate 10000kWh per year. Some purists say that if you use this calculation method you should generate about 20% more than you use for grid losses.
However, when we look at financial costs, things become a bit more open in context. A zero bill in this context is often referred to as ‘cost neutral’ or ‘cost positive’ on the basis that you have generated more revenue than the cost of your energy bill.
Historically, the Feed in tariff For energy generated at Solar Photovoltaic Panels The per unit cost of imported electricity was many times higher than the actual cost. So early adopters were earning around £2,200 a year tax-free, while their annual energy bills were only around £1,200. This cost was positive.
But, because energy prices rose faster than inflation, and the rate of generation revenue fell, it soon became the case that generation revenue did not cover the cost of the energy bill. It then became more important for homeowners to find ways to use less energy in the home through insulating, Draft-proofing And turn appliances on and off when not needed and heat up.
It has become very important to harness any energy that is generated at that time. Careful consideration of energy management in the home became increasingly important.
Appliances such as washing machines, tumble dryers, and dishwashers that can be set to run automatically during the day are now standard for better-run homes. Battery storage systems have become more popular, especially as installation costs drop. The use of electric vehicles has also meant that additional energy can be generated in vehicle batteries.
All these techniques including increased installation of heat pump, Based on electricity. ‘Electro-tech’ is the collective term used for all electric based products installed at our homes and by using smart electro-tech in our homes, managing energy consumption becomes easier.
How energy companies are promoting zero bills
Octopus Energy has adopted the Zero Energy Drive and launched – Octopus Energy Zero Bills Homes. With this scheme, your home energy consumption is calculated and the scheme will guarantee you no bills for 10 years for installing solar PV, Solar battery storageone Air source heat pump And use an electric vehicle and let them drive it.
This is currently available on certain new build properties with different terms and conditions and fair use policies but Octopus Energy is planning to roll it out to include retrofitting existing homes as well.
I can only see this growing and other energy companies following suit. That’s how houses are developing now. We no longer fit industrial infrastructure into homes. Instead we manage homes as a complete energy system, including changing how and when energy is used.
According to me, zero bill is not a pipe-dream, it is real and it is happening now. However it is easier to achieve if you have low energy consumption to begin with. The lower your energy use, the lower your electro-tech and therefore the lower your capital costs and the better your return on investment.
Achieving zero bills is not difficult, although it does pay for itself, requiring careful planning and managed work.
To begin your journey towards a life of zero energy bills, you will first need to understand how Work out your energy needs and choose the right renewables. Then, make sure you understand the main fabric first factors such as the best Types of home insulation Before you start, make sure your home isn’t leaking heat.
