QUAKER GREEN ACTION

The Witness of Our Buildings

Information sheets to help Friends make our
buildings less damaging to the environment

II. SOURCES OF ENERGY FOR HEATING etc

Global Warming and Fossil Fuels

Most of the energy we use in our buildings for heating, hot water, lights, appliances and cooking comes from
burning "fossil fuels" (coal, gas, or oil) either directly, or indirectly through the use of electricity. Fossil fuels
contain energy from the sun, stored in plant material over millions of years, then buried under the earth for
millions more, which we are rapidly using up. They are non-renewable, and burning them generates carbon
dioxide and other pollution. The rising concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is changing the
Earth’s climate. It is expected to lead to rising sea levels, more storms, floods and droughts, loss of habitats and
species, and the need for drastic changes in agriculture.

Clearly we need to reduce the amount of pollution, and specifically CO2 production, from the energy use of our
buildings. The amount of CO2 we generate from energy use in our buildings depends mainly on three factors:

1. the fuels or energy sources that we choose;

2. the efficiency of our appliances and heating systems, and the level of insulation of the building;

3. the amount that we use those appliances and heating systems – the temperature, lighting and ventilation
levels we want to maintain, etc.

This sheet addresses the first of these factors, for the second see the information sheet entitled “I: Energy
Conservation”. The third obviously involves more controversial issues that are addressed in the QGA booklet,
Living Lightly.

Environmental impacts of energy use

Whatever kind of energy we use, we are likely to have an environmental impact. Coal is one of the most
environmentally damaging fuels – from the impacts of mining on habitats and groundwater to the high levels of
sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, heavy metals and smoke that are produced when it is burned. Burning coal
also produces more CO2 per unit of energy than any other fuel. The following chart shows the amounts of CO2
(in kg) released in providing a single unit (kWh) of energy, whether in the form of electricity or of heat. It
illustrates several points:

1. Using renewables, such as wind, solar, biomass and wave energy, results in near-zero CO2 emissions1.
In many ways the choice of these fuels solves the pollution problem at one stroke, but there are
practical difficulties. Solar energy for heating buildings needs massive buildings or other form of heat
store to store the heat over a period of cloudy winter days. However solar water heating panels are a
possibility if you use a lot of hot water and can afford the initial outlay. Wood from a sustainable
source can be used now in local clean burning wood stoves, but lacks the automatic control and timing
(and frost protection!) we have become used to in our heating systems.
(Electricity from nuclear power is a special case which we will deal with later)

1
In fact, some CO2 is actually produced when the generating facilities are built, in particular from cement-
making for concrete.
Sources of Heating (January 2002) Page 1
 2. The fossil based fuels pollute roughly in order of their density. Natural gas is the lightest fuel, and is
almost exclusively made up of methane, CH4. On the other end of the spectrum, the solid fuels are
made up of compounds that contain much more Carbon relative to Hydrogen. They produce much
more CO2 for a unit of energy.

Note that wood from deforestation is included here, since if a wood is cleared and prevented from
growing again, it will emit CO2 which will act as a global warming gas. If, however, the area is
allowed to grow again, the growing trees will capture the CO2 emitted by the previous crops burning.
In this way, the net CO2 emissions are zero and it becomes a renewable resource.
Following on from this, note that the solution to planting trees to absorb the CO2 emissions from fossil
fuels is fatally flawed – each year another area of wood land would have to be planted, and simple
calculations will quickly show that in only a few years the UK would run out of land for planting.

3. Electricity is a special case. Electricity is not a fuel but can be an energy carrier and is normally
generated upon demand. What we can do is look at the sources from which our electricity is generated,
and see how polluting they are.

Solar heat
Wood - sustainable
Electricity from Wind, Water
Renewables
Natural Gas
Propane (eg Calor)
Petrol
Domestic Heating Oil
Heavy Oil Fossil based or
Wood - Deforestation non renewables
Coal
Anthracite
Coke
Electricity (UK 1998 average)
Electricity (UK 1980 average)
Electricity from Coal

0 0.5 1
Kg CO2 per kWh

The bulk of our electricity used to be produced from burning coal. The conversion of heat to electricity is
fundamentally limited by the laws of thermodynamics, which results in three units of heat being produced for
each unit of electricity from a traditional coal-fired station. The remaining two units of electricity are dumped
to the atmosphere as low grade heat.

So a coal fired power station will produce roughly three times as much CO2 pollution than using the fuel
directly, as shown in the chart above. Of course, the cost of electricity is also several times that of fossil fuels
for the same reason. Sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are also produced by burning coal. These gases
combine with water to form acid rain, causing damage to trees and other plants, and acidification of lakes,
killing fish and other aquatic species.

From 1980 to 1998 Britain made a large reduction in pollution from electricity generation, mostly by the
change from coal and oil (85% down to 35%) to natural gas (1% up to 32%) and nuclear (12% up to 30%).
Whilst this is a commendable result in terms of straight CO2 emissions, there is some cause for concern. This
is in the huge increase in nuclear power, with it’s attendant dangers. The fact that nearly a third of our
electricity now comes from nuclear power is hidden since it is made up partly from “imports” from France,
which is over 90% nuclear generated.

Finally, the contribution from renewables to the total UK generation. According to the UK Energy Digest
(DTI) renewable energy electricity generation increased from about 7GWh to about 10GWh between 1995 and
1999 although before 1995 it was pretty well constant. However in 1990 the vast majority of renewable
electricity was from large scale hydro whereas in 1999 it was about half. The DTI includes waste combustion
and landfill gas in its renewables count, and wind and small scale hydro only account for 11% of their figure
but they are growing rapidly. The concern is that this growth is maintained.

Sources of Heating (January 2002) Page 2

Conclusions and advice
What conclusions should Friends make about the source of energy for heating their properties, in accordance
with making them less damaging to the environment?

Firstly, the use of electricity for heating and hot water use should be reconsidered. It is almost always
more efficient to use a fossil fuel and an efficient boiler than electricity, although for rarely used buildings, e.g.
Meetings Houses only used on Sundays, the cost of changing to a fossil fuel is unlikely to be recovered in the
life of the heating system from fuel savings at present fuel costs. Switching to a ‘green’ electricity supplier
would be a good option in such cases - see below.

Secondly, ensure that when appliances and lighting are due to be replaced, you choose the most efficient
ones possible. The EST and SEDBUK websites (www.est.co.uk and www.sedbuk.com) contain useful
information on appliances, lights and boilers.

Third, consider signing up to a “green tariff” for electricity consumption. If possible, use a tariff that
actually sells you electricity from a renewable source, rather than some which merely “invest” the extra cost
for future renewable generation construction. Alternative suppliers Juice and RSPB energy cost no more than
a conventional supplier but at the time of writing they do not supply business customers which most PMs will
be. Unit[e] supplies businesses and is the recommended as the greenest of the companies by Friends of the
Earth (it supplies only from renewables), but charges around 10% more than conventional electricity suppliers.
Contact details for some green electricity suppliers are listed below or look up www.greenelectricity.org which
will describe all the green suppliers for your region and provides on-line sign-up for some of them including
Unit[e].

Fourth, work on making our buildings as energy efficient as possible. This is covered in detail in
Information Sheet No. I (“Energy Conservation”) and Information Sheet No. VIII (“Design, Construction,
and Extension”).

Remember that if a new build scheme is to be undertaken, then it is possible to reduce the heating load of a
building to near zero by the simple application of correct insulation and glazing details! For Historic buildings,
large reductions can be made by focussing on zoning according to use, boiler efficiency, heating controls,
insulation of lofts and window draught proofing. (see Information Sheet No. I)

Useful Contacts

Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT): Machynlleth, Powys SA20 9AZ; 01654 702400; www.cat.org.uk

Some green electricity suppliers:

Juice (npower/Greenpeace: 0800 316 2610; www.npower.com/juice

RSPB Energy: 0800 0288 552

Unit[e]: 0845 601 1410; www.unit-e.co.uk

(This Building Sheet is based on Quaker Green Concern's The Witness of Our Buildings Information Sheet II.
Sources of Heating dated July 1997. We are grateful to Peter Warm of AECB for help in updating this sheet)

(Copied on 100% recycled post consumer waste paper)

Sources of Heating (January 2002) Page 3