Homeowners are trying to be more sustainable and save energy – using heating less, washing clothes at lower temperatures and switching to energy-saving lighting. But these are baby steps when we really need giant leaps. 

Data shows small increases in UK homeowners fitting solar panels (1% more) and heat pumps (3% more). There are also more people upgrading to double-glazed windows and energy efficient appliances. But lack of understanding about the reliability and cost of green energy is a stumbling block for too many people. 

So, what changes can we make to see the biggest impact?

The Clean Power 2030 Action Plan sets a pathway for the UK to provide 95% of its electricity from low carbon sources by 2030. By reducing UK dependence on imported oil and gas – relying instead on a carbon-free (excluding set up) wind, solar and nuclear power generation – the country will have cleaner, cheaper power and lower energy bills. 

However, poorly insulated UK homes can lose up to 45% of their heat, and inefficient boilers, leaky roofs and single-glazed windows make UK homes the “biggest energy-wasters in Europe.” Investing in insulation, roofs, windows and updated boilers could save homeowners in England and Wales more than £10bn per year.

So, what is the future? Will heat pumps warm our houses? Will solar panels live on our roofs? Will car batteries and smart grids power our appliances? Well – yes. And there are many more inspiring initiatives – like those below – fuelling a very different home energy landscape for a greener future.

Welcoming new energy sources into the UK system

The most impactful ways to go green include switching to a renewable energy supplier or using solar panels with batteries and heat pumps to generate energy. An increasingly popular form of renewable energy is biogas – energy from food leftovers, tackling food waste and carbon-fuelled energy in one swing. Biogas already powers parts of Stockholm , and it could heat up to 15 million UK homes annually by 2050.

Finding new ways to deliver and store 

Technology is also transforming how electricity reaches homes to help smarten supply. Qiu’s machine-learning model shows demand prediction and route optimisation can happen 12 times faster than with traditional methods. These innovations mean more dependable services and lower costs as we transition to a sustainable energy future. 

And more efficient ways to retain it 

Up next: retention. From novel insulation materials to smart facades and live energy management systems, innovating our homes is no longer science-fiction – and renewable energy can be retained by taking a fresh look at the materials we use every day, such as smart cladding and even our beloved cinema snack, popcorn. 

Take Göttingen University, for example. They created a manufacturing technique to convert popcorn into insulation boards that can viably replace petroleum-based and non-biodegradable wall insulation.

US startup, Freschfield, on the other hand, devised smart building cladding called iSkin. It reacts to outside temperatures to retain and emit heat, using zero-carbon Quantum Dot technology to convert UV and IR light into useable electricity. And in Munich, startup, Tado°, enables homeowners to tailor room temperatures by getting heating and cooling systems to speak to each other. The intelligent climate management and smart thermostat system can save up to 31% on energy bills through tailoring those room temperatures.

Combining innovation, business models and sustainable consumer behaviours moves us closer to net zero even as our energy needs to grow. But how do we move from startup to scaled up?

Homeowners can make a considerable impact simply by switching to a renewable energy supplier. A customised action plan from the Energy Saving Trust’s HEET (Home Energy Efficiency Tool) calculates monthly, annual and carbon-cost savings and offers ways to improve Energy Performance Certificate ratings. Taking it up a notch, they can invest in local renewable projects, like the residents of Freyung, who crowdfunded a solar farm in Bavaria.