The
earth’s resources
... how energy efficiency can make a difference
Like the forests and
the oceans, the earth’s natural ‘bank’ of
fossil fuels doesn’t just belong to our generation. After
all, it’s
been accumulating since the time of the dinosaurs.
So why have we given future generations
so little consideration since we started our fossil fuel ‘binge’ around
a century ago? We now consume, annually, around a million years’ worth
of this inheritance. And it’s impossible to know how much
is left, although estimates are in decades and not centuries.
Now isn’t that one good reason to
be more energy efficient?
Within the next 10 years, the UK will become
almost completely dependent on imports of oil and gas, while
Russia and the
Middle East hold most of the remaining fossil fuel energy resources.
With increasing world demands on finite resources the less
energy we need, the more protected we’ll
be from potential supply and price shocks. Another good reason
for us to use energy more efficiently.
CO2 is produced in huge quantities by
burning fossil fuels, and most scientists believe this is
causing potentially profound
changes to our climate and environment. But the science is complex
and inexact. For governments, making cooperative agreements across
nations
with very different interests, over long periods of time, for
a problem that's largely uncertain… it’s
difficult to imagine a bigger political challenge. For us
though, as individuals, energy efficiency is a simple and effective
first step.
With concerns for the future, much effort
is going into finding ways of using the sun’s energy more
directly through green, or clean, technology. After all, the
solar energy
that reaches the earth is thousands of times the world’s
annual energy consumption. But, to decide whether an energy
investment is financially worthwhile, we need to consider
how long it takes before it’s
recovered through energy savings. And, compared with renewable
energy options, efficiency improvements will pay back more
quickly.
That’s not to underestimate the value
of renewable energy resources. But if you’re looking to
make small changes and get big results, energy efficiency comes
first - the cheapest and greenest units of energy are the ones
you don't use. And your own Home
Energy Survey could be just
the place to start.
Your energy report will tell you in
simple, jargon-free language what we’ve found out, what
we recommend, how much it will cost – and
most importantly, how much you could save.
Feel free to
contact us
to discuss any of this in more detail.
For your own Home Energy Survey all you need to do is get in touch today.
