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The fossils fuels typically used to heat the home are coal, oil and gas. These resources take millions of years to replenish so renewable energy technologies like wind turbines, solar panels and biomass heaters offer an effective alternative and can help reduce your homes CO2 emissions.

Renewable energy sources produce much less CO2 and other greenhouse gases than traditional methods and will never run out or are continually replaceable.

A large amount of the United Kingdom’s renewable energy is generated on a large scale basis, through wind farms or hydroelectric power plants. There are also lots of ways to generate your own renewable energy at home so you can take control of your own energy production.

There are various technologies you can use at home to generate both heat and electricity. Solar water heating uses heat from the sunshine which is soaked up through solar collectors that are fitted to your roof.

The heat is transferred to a cylinder of water which can be warmed up throughout the day for use in your home. Switching to solar water heating instead of using gas would save the average three bedroom household around £65 every year and would cut carbon emissions by about 325kg annually.

You can also use the suns energy to produce electricity for your homes lighting and appliances. A solar photovolatics (PV) system involves installing solar PV panels on your homes roof. These panels turn sunlight into electricity, saving you money and protecting the environment.

A standard PV system is capable of generating enough electricity to meet almost half of the average households annual consumption, assuming the home is not heated with electricity.

Heat pumps are an environmentally friendly way of producing all the heat necessary for a well insulated house. Heat pumps work by extracting heat from an external source such as the ground, water or air. There is a range of different systems to suit all shapes and sizes of households and obtaining heat this way can shave several pounds off your annual heating bills.

A microwind turbine is another way of generating renewable electricity and if you live close to the water then you could consider using a hydroelectricity system to produce electricity.

Biomass is a slightly different way to generate energy as plants and untreated wood are used. A biomass boiler is a cost effective way to heat your home and the average three bedroom house could save a few hundred pounds every year just by switching from gas, oil or electric heating.

Whatever environmentally friendly energy source you choose, you might be eligible for a householder grant from the government to help you integrate renewable technologies into your home. You can claim a percentage of the total cost of installing renewable energy sources. The amount you can claim varies depending on where in the United Kingdom you live.

Adam Singleton writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.