Frequently asked questions
Below we have answered some of our most frequently asked questions about Rossendale Valley Energy, our projects, and how you can work towards decarbonising your home or lowering bills.
- Get recommendations. Talk to friends and neighbours – get recommendations of firms they used for similar projects and ask to see what they did – before and after photos would be good.
- Get three written quotes. A quote will list the work that’s to be done, and should be in writing to avoid disagreements later. Verbal estimates are non-binding and might not match the final bill – it could be much higher.
- Only use firms that belong to national trade associations. If the worst happens, then trade associations might provide a free dispute resolution service.
The first priority in saving energy is to be more energy efficient. Here are some simple ways to do this.
- Turn your thermostat down one degree and delay putting on your heating
- Insulate and draught proof your home eg. draught excluders, loft hatch insulation, radiator reflectors
- When replacing or buying new appliances search for ones with better energy ratings
Perhaps. If your heating system is relatively modern, possibly not. If you have an older heating system it is quite likely. Whoever gives you a quote for heat pump will check your radiators and be able to answer this.
The MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) certifies, quality assures and provides consumer protection for microgeneration installations and installers. These consist of small scale renewable electricity technologies such as solar PV, biomass, wind, heat pumps and heat products. The best place to look for domestic renewable energy installers is the MCS database.
If you want to benefit from the current Government funded Boiler Upgrade Scheme for installing low-carbon heating systems, you can save yourself £5000. You don’t have to do anything except make sure the installer is MCS registered. The installer will do the rest.
Current government recommendations are for loft insulation to achieve a depth of between 250mm and 270mm but some new properties are increasing their level of loft insulation to 300mm.
Again, as long as the loft has adequate ventilation, this is fine.
If you turn it off at the wall then it has no power and so it will not be able to record anything.
If you leave it on standby then yes it will record your progammes.
Depends why you want to do this. Definitely worth doing to reduce your carbon footprint and could make your property more attractive as it is more energy efficient. While you will not be able to cover all your electricity needs in a year, you will cover some.
Please talk to a local installer for costings and renewable options which suit your home.
When choosing home battery storage, if you have any questions, do what you would normally do and discuss with your chosen provider before you buy. These are risks you need to assess for yourself, depending on the model you choose.
Please ask a local installer who puts in car chargers for the most up to date information.
A ground source heat pump needs more space than an air source heat pump.
A typical horizontal system (trenches) needs around 700 sq metres minimum.
A vertical system (boreholes) needs enough space for the drilling rig to access the site, the boreholes themselves are only about 25cm wide and 100m deep. For a typical UK home one borehole is enough. If multiple boreholes are needed for larger properties / district heating systems, these are placed around 5-6m apart.
The pump itself is about the size of a standard fridge and will need to be set up in a utility room or something similar with a footprint space of about 1m x 2.5m.
For more details please speak to a local installer.
Yes. Generally bore holes go with ground source heat pumps. For a typical UK home one borehole is enough. If multiple boreholes are needed for larger properties / district heating systems, these are placed around 5-6m apart.
For your specific house, please approach an installer who can quote for you.
