HomeGen - Case Studies
Small scale wind power on the Isle of Skye
Anne Martin and John White, partners in the Whitewave Outdoor Centre, decided to make use of one of Skye's best resources - The wind! With a 50% grant, Whitewave installed a 6 kW Proven wind turbine.
“By investing in our own wind turbine we are actively reducing our personal CO2 emissions, therefore helping to cut Climate Change. What’s more we are not interfering with the natural beauty of the island whilst doing this."
Whitewave is also grid-connected for when the wind isn't blowing. This means they are also able to sign up to Good Energy HomeGen which pays them 15p for every unit of electricity they generate.
"Good Energy supplies only 100% renewable electricity and they pay us an environmental bonus for each unit of electricity we generate, including the power used on site.” Anne Martin, Whitewave.
Solar PV panels make themselves at home in Thornbury
Alan and Margaret Pinder live in Thornbury, in the north of Bristol. They want their lifestyle to be considerate to the environment and they have renovated their cottage using techniques and products that enable them to do this. One of the most important steps they took was to harness the sun’s energy.
Margaret said: “We wanted to invest in our house and we felt the best place to put our money was in PV Solar panels. As Good Energy pays us for the electricity we generate, it means our electricity bills have come down considerably but the real bonus is that we are reducing our impact on climate change.”
The Pinders are taking many active steps to cut their carbon footprint - Alan grows almost all of the organic fruit and vegetables that they eat, cutting down their ‘food miles’ dramatically. They have also installed solar thermal panels which are used to heat water and these produce around 60% of the hot water they use.