Whoever said that saving money would be out of fashion - because it never is, but this is certainly a topical subject today. We used to be concerned about receiving those energy bills and would mutter under our breath as we tore open the envelope. This would always be the time to make a resolution, vowing to turn off all unnecessary lights. Back then, though, it did not seem to be so urgent and we were somewhat poor at following through. If we fast forward to today, we seem to be living in a different world. All of the ways to save electricity are being explored and we now understand how important this is.
Once the domain only of environmentalists and tree huggers, we now all know how important it is to cut back on our energy use, so that we do not emit carbon dioxide and damage the planet. News reports tell us on a virtual daily basis how global warming is changing everything, threatening to melt polar ice packs and taking away the ability of people who live in remote countries to look after themselves, due to intense alterations in weather patterns and climate change. Closer to home, we hear that companies are going to be penalised for using too much energy and emitting carbon and imagine that these costs will be passed along to us as well.
Even if we don’t look at things from an overall perspective and express our concern for nature, we can see how energy costs themselves have exploded in recent times. The government has tried and seems to be failing to regulate the energy industry and infrastructure seems unable to cope and is constantly under pressure. Those seasonal spikes in energy seem to be causing more issues as we go along and we wonder how long the system will be able to put up with this, as we continue to rely on fossil fuels for our power. We all know the benefits of renewable energy, but we collectively have not moved forward fast enough to try and embrace them. We would be helping the environment in no small way if we were able to receive the majority of our energy from renewable sources, wind, solar, etc.
Getting down to business, what can we do at home to help both ourselves and the environment? There are many things. For a start, we should always purchase highly efficient equipment for our kitchens and for our heating and air-conditioning needs. Look for a refrigerator, for example, that consumes around 100 KwH per year and you will be in possession of an appliance that is four times more efficient than the European Union average. You may have to spend about five or maybe 10% more to actually buy the machine, but just think about how much energy you could save and how it would help to reduce your electricity bill. These appliances may last for 4 to 5 years and the additional amount you pay to buy them up front will definitely be saved in the long run. Remember that they will need less repairing as well and you won’t be as annoyed by that fan circling on whenever you are trying to sit down and watch the television!