4 Effective Ways the UK Government is Promoting Green Living

Aside from its pop music, mouth-watering delicacies, and breathtaking scenery, the United Kingdom is also popular because of its endeavors on green living. Thanks to its very supportive government, numerous projects on sustainable energy have already been launched to promote a safer and greener country.

These include harnessing wave energy, energy-saving home improvements, and a whole lot more. In this post, you will learn about the different endeavors that the UK government is doing to provide cleaner and sustainable living.

Green Deal

According to the [UK government’s website], the Green Deal helps home owners find effective solutions and financial systems to start energy-saving improvements in their households. Depending on the type of house that you have, the following renovations include:

• Insulation systems like cavity walls and loft insulation
• Heating
• Draught-proofing
• Double-glazing
• Setting up renewable sources of energy such as heat pumps and solar panels

There are four main steps in the Green Deal Plan:

1. Assessment – A Green Deal assessor will visit your house to create a detailed report on how much you consume energy.
2. Green Deal Plan – The produced report will be taken to a certified Green Deal provider where they will provide a price quote on a specific energy-saving plan. Applicants will receive a contract regarding the measures that will be installed, repayments, and interest rate. The providers will decide how much money you can borrow and the interest rate.
3. Installation – Once you agree to the plan, the provider will send an installer to your home and fit the energy saving measures that you acquired.
4. Repayment – Unlike normal bank loans, you repay the borrowed money through your electricity bills. The savings that you make in your current energy bills will be used to pay for your Green Deal loan.

Thanks to this program, you will be able to save up on energy costs and make your home eco-friendly at the same time.

Siadar Wave Energy Project

The Siadar Wave Energy Project (SWEP) is a joint endeavor by the Scottish government and the wave energy experts from Wavegen. According to [Tech Radar], SWEP is aimed to tap the energy from the Western Isles of Lewis and Harris and use it to power up thousands of Scottish Homes. This project has the following benefits:

• The harnessed wave energy can produce 4 MW of electricity. That is enough to power 1,800 households.
• Reduction of carbon dioxide use and emission by 6,000 tonnes.
• Protects the slipway found on the north coast of Lewis.

This power plant is just part of the Scottish government’s scheme to generate 5.5 GW of energy through renewable means. They are also currently processing other applications such as creation of wind farms and hydro projects.

Sheffield’s Green Insulation Project

Recently, the [Sheffield Telegraph] reported that this popular green city is planning to build a 8 kilometer district heating pipe network. The pipe will start from E.ON’s Blackburn Meadows renewable energy plant and will spread across the following locations:

• Motorpoint Arena
• iceSheffield
• English Institute of Sport
• Attercliffe police station
• Sheffield Forgemaster’s machine shop

This £20 million insulation project has the following eco-friendly benefits:

• It will use waste wood to heat up the buildings on the east end of the city. This will reduce waste in the landfill areas.
• Lowers the carbon footprint of homes and other nearby infrastructures.
• These heavily insulated pipes can generate enough power to energize 40,000 homes.

Green Grants for Home Buyers

An article from the [Telegraph] reported that the government will be offering new home buyers grants to fund loft insulation and boiler renovations to help them lessen their gas and electricity costs. These grants could reach up to £1,000. They can acquire this money after their properties are assessed by officials. Older homes located in the Victorian suburbs require more energy-saving renovations such as wall and loft insulation and also double glazing. This means that home buyers can acquire bigger grants.

Meanwhile, people who are acquiring newer homes that are already well-designed for eco-friendly living, will receive lower grants.

Final Thoughts

The United Kingdom has shown that if a government has the initiative to act, it is possible to promote green and sustainable living on a nationwide scale. Because of their determination and dedication, they were able to successfully launch these projects. Truly, the steps that this government made should be emulated in other countries as well.

Do you know other vital innovations that UK has done to promote clean and sustainable living? Share some nuggets of knowledge by posting in the comments section.