Sustainable Living in Sussex: Start with Solar

There are plenty of ways that we can live more sustainably and reduce our impact on the climate and the environment. Some of these can be lifestyle choices, such as reducing your meat consumption or flying less. In contrast, others can involve investing in technology that allows you to reduce your reliance on fossil fuels such as driving an EV or installing a solar PV system on your home or business. 

Living in Sussex offers plenty of opportunities to embrace sustainability and reduce our long-term impact on the planet. In this blog post, we’ll explore how we can live sustainably in Sussex in different ways.

How Can We Live Sustainably in Sussex?

There are several large things you can do that can significantly affect your environmental impact, and in many cases, your finances too. Although many of these technologies can involve up-front investment, they allow you to save money in the long term on things like energy costs.

Solar Power in Sussex

In Sussex and across the South East of the UK, we’re blessed with generally good weather and lots of sunshine. Eastbourne in East Sussex is the sunniest place in the UK, with nearly 1800 hours of bright sunshine per year. That’s not all… Bognor Regis and Camber Sands, in West and East Sussex, respectively, take second and third spots, while Brighton is ninth on the list.

Bathed in sunshine, this makes Sussex a fantastic place to install solar panels on your home or business. Although a sizable investment, installing a solar PV system can help reduce your energy bills, insulate you from volatile price rises and significantly reduce your carbon footprint. When installed with a solar battery, you can ensure you utilise 100% of the energy you generate, increasing the efficiency of the whole system.

Add a Solar Immersion Heater

Adding a solar immersion heater is another way to increase the overall efficiency of your solar PV system in Sussex. The solar diverter directs excess energy from your solar panels, which would otherwise be sold back to the grid at a lower price, to an immersion heater in your water tank. This means you don’t have to use a boiler or energy from the grid to ensure you have hot water when you need it.

Drive an EV

If you’re in a position to, switching to a hybrid or electric vehicle will reduce your reliance on fossil fuels, and save you money on running costs at the same time. The real savings from switching to an EV come from not having to buy petrol or diesel to fill it up, even if you use public chargers. However, installing an EV charger at home is generally considered the best way to make the most savings. If you have a driveway or garage then you can charge your car overnight, making the most of cheap tariffs. What’s more, modern Smart EV chargers can be installed as part of a solar PV system and set to charge from the power generated by your panels. Not only is this ‘free’ electricity, but it also further reduces the carbon footprint associated with motoring.

Finally, EVs are often tax-exempt and if you drive into London regularly, will not have to pay the ULEZ charge.

Install an Air Source Heat Pump

An air source heat pump can be a fantastic alternative to a gas combi boiler for your heating and hot water. The heat pump takes warmth from the surrounding air and uses it to heat a water tank. This tank is then used like any other for your heating and hot water. There is an electrical cost associated with running the heat pump, but this is quite low, especially if you have renewable energy generation like solar or wind power.

Insulate, Insulate, Insulate

Insulating your home is one of the best and most cost-effective ways to make your house more sustainable and reduce your energy usage. Installing high-quality insulation in the floors, walls, roofs and windows of your home will help keep heat in the winter and prevent it from getting in during the warmer months. This means you won’t have to spend as much on heating and/or air conditioning.

There are various ways to better insulate your house such as:

• Cavity wall insulation
• Loft insulation
• Double or triple-glazed windows
• Floor insulation including carpet underlay
• Draught excluding
• Thermal blinds, curtains or shutters

Ways to Be Sustainable in Everyday Life

There are also plenty of examples of living sustainably in a smaller way that doesn’t require investment or large lifestyle changes. These include:

• Cutting down on meat and dairy consumption
• Using public transport where possible
• Install LED bulbs
• Reuse and recycle where possible
• Reduce plastic usage
• Try to fly less

If you want to spend less on energy, reduce your carbon footprint and embrace green technology, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Savent Solar. We’ve successfully installed Solar PV systems across East and West Sussex on residential and commercial properties. Get a Free Quote and do your bit for the environment.

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