Which renewable energy to use in a detached house ?

© Unsplash/Akil Mazumder

The problem with renewable energy is that for many people it is something intangible, almost untouchable. And for good reason: apart from wind turbines and sometimes solar panels, most French people have very limited direct contact with green energy. This lack of knowledge of these new technologies also leads to a lack of understanding.

Indeed, for many, renewable energy is not accessible to ordinary mortals. It is an obscure technology, which would be incapable of generating energy independently, for an autonomous house for example. But that is not the case: Green energy has never been easier to use than it is today, and can be directly used by individuals.

Here we will therefore return to these natural energies that are simple to install at home, to enable them to produce hot water, electricity or heating. And no, we're not just going to talk about solar panels: there are many other forms of renewable energy to use at home.

Sunology Play © Sunology

How to benefit from solar energy at home ?

C' is the most obvious green energy when we talk about creating an autonomous home. Houses equipped with solar panels can thus heat themselves using solar thermal energy, but also produce hot water. In terms of heating, it is the most ecological solution, because it does not emit CO2 and is produced directly on site.

In the same way, solar energy can be used to generate electricity through the installation of photovoltaic panels on the roof. Generally speaking, solar panels are considered practical since they can cover up to 60% of a home's average heating needs.

© Sunity

However, the energy yield from solar panels will obviously depend on several factors, including the exposure of the house, the slope of the roof or the sunshine in the region in which your house is located. To summarize, solar is a solution to be favored, since it can provide hot water, heating and electricity. But alone, it can be limited. This is why it is advisable to couple it with other green energies.

How to take advantage of wood energy in your individual house ?

To fill the potential gaps in solar energy for heating, it is for example possible to use wood energy. The latter absorbs as much CO2 during the growth phase as it emits during its combustion, which makes it a renewable energy that should not be underestimated.

© Unsplash/Hans Isaacson

To use it, various equipment is available to everyone: pellet or pellet boilers, wood stoves or even fireplaces (even if the latter consume more if they are open hearth). A wood boiler will largely meet the heating production needs for an entire house. A wood stove will be more to be considered as a supplement, for example to fill the gap linked to solar energy for example.

Can we use energy from geothermal or aerothermal energy at home ?

Geothermal energy consists of transforming the calories contained in the earth or in the water into heating energy (hydrothermal energy). The same goes for aerothermal energy, except that the latter uses calories in the air to return them in the form of heating. To take advantage of it as an individual, a solution: the heat pump.

Entering the top 3 of the French people's favorite economical devices, the heat pump allows you to heat and even air-condition a home to divide energy bills by 3 or 4. It is therefore an excellent additional complement to solar energy.

Can we create a completely energy self-sufficient house?

While there are many solutions for benefiting from green energy at home, building an independent house for an individual can be a real challenge. On the one hand, it will be necessary to plan for a higher budget when building the house, even if these costs should then be amortized by an overall reduction in the consumption of electricity or gas by a traditional supplier.

Building an autonomous house costs on average 15 to 20% more than a traditional house, i.e. between €1,000 and €1,800 per m². However, as we indicated above, this additional cost will then allow you to make many savings.

© Unsplash/Giorgio Trovato

The cost of renewable energies is much lower than that of other more polluting energies such as electricity or gas. Because a house that produces its own energy resources means that you will no longer need to pay a water, electricity or gas subscription. So, in addition to responding to current environmental issues, such an approach will ultimately have benefits for the portfolio!

Some additional tips

It is not enough just to fill your house with green energy tools for it to be efficient. It will also be necessary to couple these green energies with efficient construction of your home. Count on good insulation, a wood heating system, a green roof and walls, or even good exposure to the sun in order to optimize natural lighting.

The establishment of a Canadian wellwill also be a great advantage in terms of energy conservation. This is a geothermal device for circulating air before entering the home which allows it to be cooled or heated, depending on the needs of the consumer.

To summarize: today there are enough tools to effectively exploit various green energies to create an autonomous home. In the same way, the use of a single form of these energies can prove to be a perfect complement for a house already equipped with electricity or heating, in order to save money in the long term.

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