Saving energy - some common sense
28th September 2009
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It's in everybody's interest to save energy; the environmental effects of too much energy consumption leading to emission of carbon dioxide, as well as the fact that using too much energy costs money. But what are the most effective ways of saving energy?
Actually, they're the same things that cost a lot of money in the first place - simple! Things like heating your home, and driving your car. They aren't things like unplugging your mobile phone charger, or wet shaving instead of using your electric shaver (really!).
So, lets look at the big one: heating your home.
Heating your home is rather like pouring water into a leaky bucket - the water is the heat going in to your house, and the hole determines how fast the heat leaks away. When you pour more water into the bucket - guess what, the water escapes from the hole at an even faster rate! So, when you hear in the news that turning down your thermostat saves you money, they're right - it does for two reasons. First, you don't heat your house up so much in the first place; and second, because your house isn't quite as warm, it doesn't leak heat at such a high rate.
The other parallel is when somebody opens your front door; it's a bit like yet another hole in the bucket, open sometimes. A lot of heat escapes outside as soon as you open that door.
So what do you do, not answer the door? Of course not, but the biggest effect you can make to your home is have cavity wall insulation and double glazing fitted. The second biggest effect is roof insulation. Combine this with a reduction of heat you use in the first place, and you'll be surprised how much energy can be saved.
