Here’s your guide to the meaning of some key climate-related terms
Climate Change: Long term shifts in temperature and weather patterns. Carbon Neutral: When the amount of carbon emissions produced is cancelled out by the amount of carbon removed from the atmosphere. Energy Efficiency: Using less energy to accomplish the same task or provide the same product or service. Fossil Fuels: Produced over millions of years from decomposing plants and animals and then extracted as coal, oil or natural gas. Recycling: Processing something, usually waste, so it can be used again in the same form or by creating new material. Renewable energy: Where energy comes from a natural source that has a low or zero carbon footprint. Air source heat pump: This pumps heat from the air outside into your heating system to keep your home warm and heat your hot water. It can do this even when it’s cold outside. Air source heat pumps use electricity to operate. Ground source heat pump: This transfers heat from the ground outside into your heating system to keep your home warm and heat your hot water. External wall insulation: This is added to the outside of your home, effectively wrapping it in a blanket, to stop heat escaping. Cavity wall insulation: If the walls in your home are made from two layers of brick, you can put insulation material into the space between the layers. This will reduce the amount of heat escaping your home. Loft insulation: This prevents heat being lost through the roof of your home. Solar panels: These are fitted to your roof to convert sunlight into electricity. Solar battery: This stores energy generated from your solar panel, so you can use it later, for example when it’s dark. If you don’t have a battery any power generated by the solar panel which you don’t use straight away is exported into the electricity grid. Smart meter: This measures how much gas and electricity you use and sends readings directly to your supplier. They also have screens so you can see how much energy you use each day and how much it costs. Smart sensors: These collect data about the environment in your home, for example measuring humidity, temperature, and carbon dioxide levels. |