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, such as heat pumps and solar panels. Not only are these sustainable and clean forms of energy, they can also benefit your home and finances in ways you may not have expected.

In this article, we’ll name 10 renewable energy benefits that are causing home and business owners to ditch fossil fuels and switch to a greener future.

1. Unlimited Supply

Unlike traditional forms of energy, such as oil or gas, renewable energy isn’t in limited supply. Renewable energy sources like wind, solar, water, and geothermal (from the ground), are naturally replenished, and won’t run out. 

The one drawback? Renewable energy sources have availability problems at certain times, such as solar power at night. However, with the use of battery storage, you’ll be able to conserve excess energy created during peak times, for later use. 

2. Money Saving

When a large portion of your energy use is fuelled by renewable sources, you’ll reduce your reliance on the grid and expensive fossil fuels. As a result, you’ll drive down your energy bills, potentially saving hundreds of pounds a year.

While the up-front costs of renewable energy may be off-putting for some, they will soon be overshadowed by the savings. In residential properties, most renewable energy sources will begin to start paying you back for the investment 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 increasing the rate of climate change. 

Household solar panels, air source heat pumps, and MVHR units represent clean energy, which, if 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 and abroad, 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 Operational 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 or oil boiler. Instead, they’ll be saving you money on your bills.

Solar panels and heat pumps will require annual inspections to ensure everything is working efficiently, with thorough inspections every five years. Additionally, solar panels will need to be professionally cleaned every one to two years to allow maximum sunlight absorption.

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 increase renewable installations in homes and businesses, the UK Government has a selection of grants and incentives on offer. These include the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS), which offers discounts of up to £7500 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. Having solar panels or a heat pump installed can add real value to your home if you come to sell it, as it is seen as 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. 2023 saw the number of full-time workers in ‘green jobs’ rise to over 690,000, with around 71,000 of them being within the renewable energy sector. The latter statistic represents an extraordinary rise from just 28,000 full-time renewable energy workers in 2015.

These figures are expected to rise over the next 25 years, providing a welcome 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 recent affordability of solar resources and equipment. It has also been helped by the above-mentioned UK Government renewable energy incentives. 

Access to solar power in Essex has become easier, with the building of the Longfield Solar Farm just outside of Chelmsford. It’s one of the UK’s largest solar farms, and is said to be able to power 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, as you’ll be sourcing most of your electricity on your own.