How Solar Panels in Herefordshire can reduce your carbon footprint & energy bills

The Greener Footprints campaign, is driven by the community for the community to help Herefordshire to be net zero by 2030.

In the UK, energy comes from a number of sources. Currently, most energy is derived from fossil fuels. To meet net zero we will need to move away from using coal and oil and rely more on electricity generated from renewable sources.

Herefordshire uses 8,240GWh of energy every year. This is the amount of energy that could be generated in a year if 2.5% of the county was covered with solar panels.

Three quarters of the energy consumed in Herefordshire is used to heat and power buildings (both residential and commercial) and the appliances they contain.

In Herefordshire, energy generation is almost entirely through photovoltaics (solar panels) and plant biomass (or anaerobic digestion). Capacity has increased by 73% since 2014. However, the total energy generated in the county during 2019 was still only 116GWh. This is far less than the county’s energy demand, and we should therefore continue to find ways to increase the energy generated locally.

Installing solar panels to help the environment means you will benefit too, saving money on energy bills and helping to reduce your carbon footprint.

There are two types of solar panels: photovoltaic solar panels (solar PV), which catch the sun’s energy and convert it into electricity to power household goods and lighting; and solar thermal panels, which allow you to heat water using the sun’s energy.

A typical home solar PV system could save around 1.3 to 1.6 tonnes of carbon per year, as well as potentially hundreds of pounds on your energy bills.

Get in touch to find out more about solar panel installation in Herefordshire and the surrounding counties.