Local community benefit cooperative Energise Sussex Coast and the Saltdean Climate Action Network (SCAN) are holding a free community event in Saltdean on Wednesday 12 March entitled 'Everything you need to know about solar power and heat pumps'. The event will take place 7 – 9pm, Wednesday 12 March at St Nicholas Church Hall (42 Saltdean Vale, Saltdean, BN2 8HA).
Energise Sussex Coast’s Martin Turner will explain how heat pumps and solar work, their costs and benefits and how to make the most of your system. There will also be an opportunity to hear first-hand experiences from local residents and get crucial information about grants and how to avoid scam sellers.
Heat pumps (which use electricity rather than gas to heat your home) and solar panels are two key technologies for tackling the climate crisis.
According to the latest report from the UK's Climate Change Committee, half of UK homes will need to have a heat pump by 2040.
Noting that heat pumps are 'suitable for the vast majority of UK homes' the Committee also laid out two possible sets of policies that would mean that 'a household gains £2,000 on average when switching to a heat pump instead of a gas boiler, over the lifetime of the technology.'
In Sweden, Norway and Finland heat pumps are the dominant heating technology. But here in the UK they have been ‘the subject of hostile and misleading reporting across many mainstream media outlets’ (Carbon Brief).
Wind and solar now power 13% of the world's electricity, up from 3% a decade earlier. Moreover, the International Energy Agency (IEA)’s World Energy Outlook 2024 report anticipates that solar power will overtake nuclear, wind, hydro, gas and, finally, coal, to become the world’s single-largest source of electricity by 2033.
2023 saw a surge in the number of UK homes installing solar panels, which rose by nearly 30% to almost 190,000 installations. The total number of certified home solar panel installations since 2009 now stands at over 1.4 million, equivalent to roughly 5% of all UK households.
Martin Turner, Energise Sussex Coast's retrofit expert, said: 'The confusing and contradictory information available about solar panels and heat pumps, makes it difficult for anyone to answer simple questions: Is my home suitable? Where can I find a trusted installer? How much will it cost to install and run? And how long would it take before the savings I make would pay me back for the expense involved? This evening will tackle all of these questions, as well as debunking myths and providing advice on how to make the most out of these low-carbon technologies.'
Graham Currie from SCAN said: 'Saltdean's housing stock is dominated by bungalows. Many are detached, and most are on larger-than-average plots. In theory, this could mean relatively easy installation of heat pumps, but the presence of mains gas, with much lower costs per kWh of 'heat' (energy) than electricity, currently gives little incentive to change gas boilers for heat pumps. However, the government's plan is that we should all eventually move towards heat pumps, and there are currently large financial incentives to do so. At this event on 12 March we'll be looking at the pros and cons of heat pumps, whether they are suited to your property and discuss if now is the right time to consider the change.'
Founded in 2012, local community benefit cooperative Energise Sussex Coast works to tackle the climate crisis and energy injustice through community-owned renewable power and energy-saving schemes. It runs a free Energy Advice service to help local residents bring down the cost of their electricity, gas and water bills: 01424 390 062.
The Saltdean Climate Action Network (SCAN) is a group of Saltdean residents interested in various environmental issues relating to climate change, including domestic energy use, food security and the decarbonisation of transport.