Cost- and Carbon-Effectiveness of Renewable Energy Option for Delivering Net Zero Housing in the UK

The UK government has legally binding objectives under the “Climate Change Act 2008” to accomplish net zero carbon emissions by the year 2050. The government has implemented a variety of measures across many different sectors of the UK economy that are accountable for carbon emissions. The aim of this research is to evaluate and compare some existing renewable energy technologies. It discusses the advantages and disadvantages of installing these technologies into homes across the UK and the impact they have on contributing to the “net zero housing” scheme. A series of results were produced using SAP rating deploying an existing dwelling case study in Leeds, UK, fitted with a gas boiler, compared to an air source heat pump (ASHP) and a heat recovery mechanical ventilation system (MVHR). The tree systems were analysed in terms of cost effectiveness, carbon footprint, and energy savings. The study found that a gas boiler costs less than any other system to install, whilst an ASHP involves high upfront costs. However, the latter showed higher energy savings with an efficiency of 4.0 compared to efficiencies of 0.75 and 0.95 for gas boiler and MVHR, respectively. SAP rating showed that ASHP has a carbon footprint of 2396.3 kg/year for the studied flat of 65.72m2, whilst 3406.92 CO2 kg/year for gas boiler and 7143.45 kg/yea for MVHR. The study concluded that ASHPs work better for most existing UK housing, unless the improvement of the whole building fabric is considered, so some other renewable options could be a choice.