Low carbon technology

Low carbon technology is a scientific method to help achieve lower the amount of carbon dioxide emission to protect our atmosphere environment. There are many kinds of method of using building structure or equipment to implement low carbon technology to our dwelling, such as heat pumps, LED lighting, solar PV, wind turbines, and solar thermal arrays. However, sometimes these low carbon technology method could be overlooked the cost of benefits, it causes a major factors to reduce the efficiency of the system. 

Heat Pump
Application of Heat Pumping, basically it is a system that uses a small amount of electric energy to move the heat by using the heat pump at the house, it makes the heat transfer from one place to another. Hence, during the winter time, when outside temperature is extreme freezing, the continuous heat supply would be affect the house temperature rises and keep warm by a thermostat to control the pump's ON/OFF (refer photo A). On the other hand, if the household buy a few fan heater to solve the cool problem, their expenses would be increased. 
There is another heat pump called ground source heat pump ( Photo B), this kind of heating system it takes time to make the floor to be heated before the house is warm enough, and it is relatively a very high installation cost and should be implemented within construction period.

(Photo A)

(Photo B)

Solar PV- Using sun energy is a most green power source. But, when come across with the intermittent weather, there may not have enough sunlight for supplying the energy to the Solar PV. Therefore, we can applying the solar PV for the house installation.  The Solar PV built-in an inverters to convert sun energy to electric energy and storage onto the batteries for later usage during the sunlight period is less. The Solar PV operation costs is low and almost free maintenance. But their initial cost on the setting up the whole system is expensive.

Wind turbines- 
It converts kinetic energy from wind to electrical power, it is a most economical green power, but needs suitable space location and big investment. As it requires wind to producing energy, when a place surrounding by high rise building or the area without wind. Thus, it is a waste of money for using wind turbine for the above reasons. 

Wind turbines at Aston University not producing much energy as the wind is not strong enough.

Low energy lighting
  A fluorescent lamp its cost is higher, the lamp lighting cost is cheaper on continuously use base. And when a fluorescent lamp uses for such a period of ON & OFF times, the brightness will dimmer. 

From the above case studies, it explains the choosing and applying the right low carbon technology method is important to affect on our living cost. Also it improves our atmosphere environmental protection and keep our air fresh. Such as Oxley Wood, they have chosen to use an EcoHat for the dwelling. It does cost a lot, however the energy efficiency and is much more than other low carbon technologies.

Sources:

Erin Watson-Price. (2013). reasons-isn_t-producing-enough-heat.Available: http://www.ehow.com/list_7329576_reasons-isn_t-producing-enough-heat.html. Last accessed 20th Nov 2013.

energysavingtrust. (2013). Solar-panels-PV. Available: http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Generating-energy/Choosing-a-renewable-technology/Solar-panels-PV. Last accessed 20th Nov 2013.

energysavingtrust. (2012). Wind-turbines. Available: http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Generating-energy/Choosing-a-renewable-technology/Wind-turbines. Last accessed 20th Nov 2013.

wisegeek. (2013). What are Advantages and Disadvantages of Fluorescent Lighting?. Available: http://www.wisegeek.org/what-are-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-fluorescent-lighting.htm. Last accessed 20th Nov 2013.