Sustainable Home - Start Here

Solar panels can be put on your home’s roof to collect sunlight and turn it into electricity.

Installing solar is a great way to combat rising energy prices. Government funding is available for homeowners or landlords who would like to install solar.

Step by step guide: Installing solar power(PDF, 887KB)

Step by step guide: Using solar power(PDF, 832KB)

A home battery works a lot like any rechargeable battery. You can charge it up to store electricity, and then use it to power your home later.

Battery systems are usually designed to save unused power from solar panels, but they can also be set up to store electricity from the electricity grid.

Step by step guide: Installing solar batteries(PDF, 898KB)

Step by step guide: Using solar batteries(PDF, 599KB)

An electric vehicle (or EV) is propelled by an electric motor instead of a petrol (or diesel, or LPG) fuelled engine.

To charge your EV, you can plug it in at home, at work, at some shopping centres and car parks, or at special charging stations. If you have solar panels, charging your EV could be extremely cheap, or even free.

Step by step guide: Buying electric vehicles(PDF, 735KB)

Step by step guide: Using electric vehicles(PDF, 722KB)

Debunking the top 6 EV myths

Going off-grid means not being connected to the energy grid that traditionally brings people electricity.

It often refers to a fully electric house, where things like cooking, hot water and heating have all been upgraded from gas technology to electric. To do this successfully, you need to have the right equipment to produce all the electricity you need, and that can make it available when you need it. Going off-grid means you can provide your own electricity without relying on energy companies.

Step by step guide: Going off-grid(PDF, 687KB)

A Virtual Power Plant (VPP) is a large number of small solar panel and battery systems installed at lots of different properties that are operated as a group by an energy business.

If you have solar energy installed at home, you may be able to become part of a VPP, and sell the energy you produce back to the grid. VPP operators have agreements with residents about how much and how often the they will use your solar or batteries, and what they will give you in payment.

Step by step guide: Virtual power plants(PDF, 828KB)

Home energy monitoring products are apps or devices that record and display your energy usage in real time, so you have better information about how you use energy and what it costs you.

They are sometimes called ‘In-Home Displays’ because they originally were small standalone devices with a display screen, though these days they are more likely to be phone apps or websites.

Step by step guide: Energy monitoring(PDF, 803KB)