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Homes of The Future

Since 1990, the UK has almost halved its greenhouse gas emissions, and renewable energy is now the cheapest source of power across two-thirds of the globe. Clean power is driving change in pollution-heavy industries around the world. Almost all major car companies now manufacture zero-emissions vehicles, as electric vehicle technology and its supporting infrastructure improves rapidly.

There is not only a massive need for power produced in manufacturing industries that depend on burning fossil fuels, but there’s also a huge demand for energy in every household in the UK. Over 105 billion kWh of electricity was used by UK households in 2018, the equivalent of around 40 million tonnes of oil. 

This is the reasoning behind why new-build developers are looking to create innovative houses that are more energy efficient than ever before. To effectively arrive at net zero carbon emissions by 2050, energy sources must be renewable, but homes must also become much more efficient in order to lower the demand for energy across the UK.

 

Predicting the future

Historically, we’ve had some pretty extravagant ideas when it comes to predicting the future. Amongst them, time machines and cities being protected from the weather by large glass domes have cropped up. But there are many predictions that aren’t far off our reality now:

  • Robot Warehouses – warehouses nowadays utilise technology to become more efficient. This includes robots that carry produce around without human input.
  • Wristwatch TVs – smartwatches are a thing of the present, with some now offering video-watching capabilities.
  • Driverless cars – Tesla automobiles are already utilising driverless software in their cars in the USA, although it’s not yet legal in the UK.

In reality, we can only guess what features homes will look like in 2050, but looking at how technology is advancing now there may be some things that we could come to expect.

We asked the British public what features they think homes in 2050 will have, check out what they said below.

 

Homes of the future

27% believe wind turbines could become a feature of homes of the future.

In the period from 2009 to 2020, electricity generated by wind power has increased by 715% – this has been aided by the installation of the largest wind farm in the world, located just off the coast of Yorkshire. In 2020, the UK generated 75,610 gigawatt hours of electricity from wind power, enough to power 8.4 trillion LED light bulbs.

As wind power continues to be a great alternative to fossil fuels, the International Energy Agency’s roadmap says that 90% of electricity generation globally will come from renewable sources in 2050, with solar and wind responsible for 70% of this.

 

39% of Brits think that rainwater collection devices will be commonplace in homes in 2050.

On average, a person in England uses 141 litres of water per day. With around 56 million people inhabiting the country, total water usage per day within England is close to 7.9 billion litres.As population grows and temperatures increase around the UK, water supply is set to fall and demand is set to rise. It is estimated that by 2050, the water supply system will need at least 3.3 billion more litres of water per day to support day-to-day life.

To combat this, water companies have suggested many different solutions to increase the water supply, including utilising rainwater collection systems to reclaim water, to be used in activities that don’t require drinking water, such as watering gardens.

 

31% of UK residents believe EV charging points will be installed in future homes.

This is even true now. Electric cars are becoming more mainstream in the UK, accounting for 11.6% of cars sold in the UK, and over 15% of all sales in the first quarter of 2022.

Because of the ever-increasing popularity of electric cars, the government has introduced a new law in building regulations, stating that all new build homes and buildings must have electric car charging points.

 

28% of Brits believe that there will be increased recycling opportunities.

According to the UK statistics on waste, in 2020 the waste from households totalled 27 thousand tonnes. Of this number, 12 thousand tonnes were recycled, meaning 44% of waste was recycled.

As we try to direct our efforts away from waste incineration and landfill, actions will have to be taken to facilitate recycling options. To achieve this, investments in rubbish sorting facilities and recycling centres must continue to grow.

 

27% believe wind turbines could become a feature of homes of the future.

In the period from 2009 to 2020, electricity generated by wind power has increased by 715% – this has been aided by the installation of the largest wind farm in the world, located just off the coast of Yorkshire. In 2020, the UK generated 75,610 gigawatt hours of electricity from wind power, enough to power 8.4 trillion LED light bulbs.

As wind power continues to be a great alternative to fossil fuels, the International Energy Agency’s roadmap says that 90% of electricity generation globally will come from renewable sources in 2050, with solar and wind responsible for 70% of this.

 

44% of Brits think that solar panels will be standard in all homes by 2050.

As of the end of May 2022, there is a total of 13.9 Gigawatts of installed UK solar capacity across over 1.1 million installations. Compared to May 2021, this is an increase of 2.2%. In total, Solar power provided 28% of the UK’s renewable energy supply in 2021.

If we take a look back 10 years to May 2011, there were just 167 Megawatts of installed solar capacity in the UK, just 1.2% of the current capacity. [Source: National Statistics for Solar Photovoltaics deployment]

Seeing an exponential increase in the installation of solar throughout the UK, it is no surprise that such a large number of UK residents believe that solar panels will be installed as standard in new homes in 2050. 

 

Solar panels are a great way to reduce your energy bills. By generating your own electricity you can both power your home, and reduce your carbon footprint. Did you know that installing solar panels in your home saves one tonne of carbon from entering the atmosphere each year?

Get in touch to start your solar journey with us today.