The Lies You’re Told About Sustainable Heating Solutions
Sustainable heating solutions including the use of natural gasses, heat pumps, and even fireplaces, have seen a significant surge in recent years. In fact, there was an 11% increase in the sale of heat pumps alone last year.
As well as saving homeowners significant amounts of money in the face of high energy costs, these sustainable solutions offer a great way to keep energy usage on a more eco-friendly level. But, considering that it means taking money away from major oil and gas companies, the powers that be aren’t always onside with this change.
As a result, there are almost as many myths about sustainable heating solutions as there are about Zeus. Let’s bust some of them.
# 1 – Sustainable heating is an expensive option
We’re continually fed the lie that sustainable heating solutions are an expensive option. And, that lie admittedly looks pretty valid when you consider that something like solar panel installation can set you back by as much as $20,000.
But, upfront costs are far from the full picture here. The average US homeowner can also save around $42,000 in energy costs within 25 years of solar installation. Equally, heat pumps can save around 30% on energy bills every year.
So, are sustainable heating solutions an outwardly cheap option? No. Are they anywhere near the untenable expense we’re led to believe? Definitely not. If you’re willing to stick with them, and even consider options like selling excess solar energy, then you’ll start making money from this option faster than you’d imagine.
# 2 – A damaging choice
Sustainable heating solutions like fireplaces are continually coming under fire as being a ‘damaging’ choice in themselves. This is because, when you burn any kind of fuel, you inevitably create chemical pollution. In reality, though, the damage of any fire is negligible compared to that of, say, an oil boiler.
You can also take simple steps to improve the environmental efficiency of your fireplace, including ensuring plenty of oxygen flow, burning high-quality wood, and generally investing in regular fireplace repair and maintenance to keep things safe and functional. Then, your fire will be a far better sustainable option than cranking up the heating.
# 3 – It won’t make any difference
The last lie is one that we’re told about almost any improvements we try to make to our individual carbon footprints – it won’t make any difference, so why bother? After all, it’s no secret that just 100 of the world’s companies are responsible for as much as 75% of global emissions.
But, fossil fuel producers like Shell and BP (who both feature in that 100), are reliant on consumer demand. If fewer of us invest in them, then there’s a hope that change will start to follow. Not to mention that, with an issue as dire as the current climate crisis, anything we can do to shake up the fossil fuel status quo has got to count as a positive.
Sustainable heating is an increasingly viable option. Make it even more so by putting these common myths to bed!
