Is the green revolution a passing fad, or is it really the way of the future? We’ve been hearing about the massive global benefits of a greener world for many years now, yet the practicalities still seems to be somewhat elusive for many of us, particularly without a substantial financial outlay.
Let me quickly put the basic scientific facts in perspective, and then see what this means for all of us when it comes to saving us money.
Oil Resources – In the late 70s the prevailing academic wisdom was that oil reserves would be exhausted in 20-30 years. Thankfully that prediction is somewhat off the mark. However, remaining reserves are more difficult to access, and the cost of extraction is rising. Also, the immediate and longterm costs of the BP environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico is only going to increase oil production costs further.
Carbon Tax – the real cost of using scarce and polluting carbon fuels will rise with a gradual increase in taxation to penalise the user. Many governments today impose ‘green’ taxes based on carbon emissions. In the near future, the largest single contributor to energy usage in the developed world, the running, heating and cooling of our homes, will be taxed on a similar basis.
Peak Oil – the point at which global oil production peaks, after which production goes into terminal decline. It’s the point at which oil consumption will effectively have to be rationed and preserved for critical uses only. Oil costs post ‘peak oil’ will skyrocket. Experts differ on when exactly ‘peak oil’ will arrive.
Solar Energy – effectively an infinite source of clean renewable energy which can both heat and generate electricity. It is the engine for many other forms of renewable energy such as wind energy, wave energy, and bio energy. If the Sahara desert was covered in photovoltaic (electricity generating) solar panels, they would produce nearly 3 times the current global energy demand! The greatest barrier to more widespread adoption by homeowners is the high relative cost and long payback.
Other Renewable Energy Sources– there are many other renewable energy technologies such as hydroelectric and geothermal, which have been around for many years. Many exciting newer technologies such as tidal, wave, enhanced geothermal, ocean thermal energy conversion, nanotechnology thin-film solar, osmotic power, and microbial fuel cells are being developed, which will almost certainly make major contributions as technology advances.
So what does all this mean for you and me and how does it help when paying our monthly electric bill? Traditional forms of energy are going to become more expensive so we need to get our heads firstly around reducing consumption and secondly around replacing hydrocarbon based sources with renewable alternatives.
Here are five practical things you can do that will really help. Some will cost money, but all have excellent payback.
Insulate your home – this reduces the cost of heating and cooling. Improving the floor, wall, and roof insulation and replacing windows and doors with energy efficient alternatives will make significant savings on your electric and gas bills, and makes your home feel more comfortable.
Replace domestic fittings and appliances with more efficient alternatives – when domestic appliances need replacing, look for the most energy efficient new models. These are now available from all the major brands at little or no extra cost, and with immediate and significant energy savings.
Switch off at source – a simple principle that I’m sure you’ve heard many times, and sounds like it couldn’t make a difference. Don’t be fooled. Electrical appliances consume up to 25% of their working energy load on standby so switching off appliancea and unnecessary lights really does make a difference.
Reuse and recycle – reducing the carbon footprint from the goods manufacturing and waste disposal. If oil becomes as expensive as many predict, worthless waste will become a valuable commodity.
Try out renewable energy options – particularly solar panel systems which, if approached in the right way, can be very inexpensive to build and install, and suited to most house types. These can make a real positive contribution to your home energy costs. Having reviewed and installed many very expensive systems over the years I really like the effectiveness and simplicity of this DIY Solar Panel System and is well worth checking out.
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