As the world transitions towards a greener future, fossil fuels are no longer a viable option.

Instead, households across Essex and the UK are transitioning towards renewable energy sources. These include heat pumps and solar panels. They're not only sustainable and clean forms of energy, they'll also benefit your livelihood in ways you didn't expect.

In this article, we’ll name 10 renewable energy benefits. We'll explain why they are causing home and business owners to ditch fossil fuels.

1. Unlimited Supply

Unlike traditional forms of energy, such as oil or gas, renewable energy isn’t in limited supply. Renewable energy technology like wind energy, solar energy, and geothermal energy replenish naturally. They won’t run out, meaning they'll generate renewable electricity repeatedly, with no reliance on fossil fuels. 

The one drawback? Natural resources have availability problems at certain times, such as solar power at night. However, with the use of battery storage, you can conserve excess energy created during peak times, for later use. 

2. Money Saving

When you have renewable technologies to generate electricity, you'll drastically boost your energy efficiency. As a result, you’ll drive down your energy bills, potentially saving hundreds of pounds a year.

The up-front costs of renewable energy may discourage some, but the energy savings make it worthwhile. Most renewable energy projects in residential properties start paying you back within a decade of installation.

3. Environmentally Friendly Solution

Unlike fossil fuels, eco-friendly power sources produce little to no greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gases are responsible for trapping heat in the atmosphere, warming the planet, and speeding up climate change. 

Household solar panels, air source heat pumps, and MVHR units represent clean energy. f used in the majority of homes, will drastically improve air and water quality. 

4. Improved Health

As we mentioned, renewable energy sources promote cleaner air and water in local environments. Poor air quality is a particular issue for public health in the UK, causing respiratory and cardiovascular issues.

Fossil fuel extraction, processing, and transportation leaves behind it a plethora of health risks, including harmful chemicals and waste. 

A mass shift toward the use of renewable energy in the UK would greatly ease the pressure on the National Health Service. According to Asthma + Lung UK, 20,000 hospital admissions a year in the UK can be attributed to air pollution.

5. Low Operating Costs

The costs to keep a renewable energy system running, whether it's a home solar system or a heat pump, tend to be low. For a start, you won’t have to pay monthly for them like you would a gas boiler. Instead, they’ll be saving you money on your bills.

Solar panels and heat pumps require annual inspections to ensure everything is working efficiently. Every five years, a professional should conduct a thorough inspection. Additionally, solar panels will need to be professionally cleaned every one to two years. This allows for maximum sunlight absorption and optimal renewable energy generation.

When you weigh up these costs to the amount of money renewable energy saves you, you’re getting a pretty good deal.

6. Government Incentives and Grants

In a push to reduce CO2 emissions from homes and businesses, the UK Government has a selection of grants and incentives. These include the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS), which offers discounts of £7500 on new air source heat pumps.

For those with solar panels, there’s the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG), which allows you to sell excess electricity back to the grid. With this scheme, your home solar system can start generating money as well as saving it. 

7. Increased Home Value

Renewable energy doesn’t just benefit your finances in the present. It can also help you out in the future. Solar or heat pump installations add value to properties, as the benefits of renewable energy are desirable to buyers.

8. Job Creation

It’s safe to say the green energy industry is booming, as Britain charges towards its net zero 2050 targets. The number of full-time workers in ‘green jobs’ rise to over 690,000 in 2023. Around 71,000 of these jobs were within the renewable energy sector. The latter statistic represents an extraordinary rise from just 28,000 full-time renewable energy workers in 2015.

Over the next 25 years, these figures are set to rise, providing a boost to a stuttering UK economy.

9. Availability

Whereas it was once difficult to find a single home on an estate with a solar panel system, it has now become commonplace. This is partly down to the availability and affordability of solar resources and equipment. The UK Government's renewable energy incentives have also helped. 

Access to solar power in Essex has become easier, with the building of the Longfield Solar Farm in Chelmsford. Longfield is one of the UK’s largest solar farms, capable of powering 96,000 homes a year.

10. Stability

Energy prices are constantly changing, making it difficult to budget your outgoings each month. With sustainable energy, sudden price surges will only have a minimal impact on your bills. This is because you’ll be sourcing most of your electricity on your own.