Make A Master Plan To Cut Down Your Electricity Bill
Energy saved is energy produced. This is not just a physics fact, but a crucial detail to remember while speaking of conservation. Most of the power generated in the world today comes from fossil fuels. Even though increasing numbers are shifting to 'green electricity', the production of electricity remains one of the most polluting activities of humankind.
However, the good news is that a little bit of conscientious saving and some commonsense can go a lot way in cutting down on power demands drastically. Not only does that reduce the pressure on energy production and subsequently pollution, it could slash our household electricity bills by as much as half!
How to Reduce Your Electricity Consumption
Did you know, your TV could consume up to 25 per cent of its total power requirement when on standby? Or that 85 per cent of the electricity consumed by your VCR is when it is not running? Or if every home in the UK used three compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), it would save enough power to supply all street lighting in the UK for a year?
Startling facts indeed. It does not take much to start cutting down on our electricity demands. If you make an effort through a few simple changes in your lifestyle, you will be surprised at the amount of money you could save.
we save energy but why??##$ ?
the answer follows because:
Climate ChangeAt the same time as stripping the planet of its natural resources, our energy consumption is also drastically affecting its climate patterns. Each time a fossil fuel is burned, CO2 is released during the process into the atmosphere, changing the Earth’s natural climate and weather systems. While of course long hot summers and heat waves can be a welcome change to the usual wet weather in the UK, flooding, diminishing ice caps, droughts and extreme weather conditions around the world aren’t so desirable.
Here are some more startling predictions of what changes to climate could cause, and how we’ll be affected:
- Major floods may now start to happen every 10 or 20 years rather than once or twice a century
- Global sea levels could rise by almost a metre by 2100
- London and parts of the South East will be at a greater risk of flooding
- Exposure to higher levels of UV light could cause an extra 5,000 deaths a year from skin cancer
- Climate change may drive more of a quarter of land animals and plant species to extinction
Over a quarter of the CO2 produced in the UK comes from the fuel we use in our homes, so cutting the amount of energy each of us use would have a major impact. The WWF has called for a cut of at least 60 per cent in carbon dioxide emissions by 2050.
Looking AheadSo far, the UK’s commitment to saving energy has been more talk and less action. The government set the goal of cutting carbon dioxide emissions by just 20 per cent from 1990 levels by 2010, but are likely to fall well short of their targets. In fact, carbon dioxide emissions have recently risen due to the rise in the price of gas, meaning more coal (which produces the greater amount of CO2) being burned instead. And with the global economies of China and India booming, the amount of energy used in the world as a whole looks set to escalate further.
It’s easy to see why saving energy has taken main stage on the national and world agenda. And more than ever, there’s no excuse for not doing something about it.
Listed below are a few suggestions to get you going:
•When buying appliances, look for energy efficiency.
•Reducing your thermostat by 1 degree Celsius can cut down your electricity bills by 10 per cent.
•Running a maximum-load wash in your washing machine is more efficient than two half-loads.
•Use compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) instead of ordinary light bulbs. They use a fraction of the power and last up to 10 times longer. If each household in the UK used three CFLs, it would save enough electricity to supply all street lighting in the UK for a year.
•Turn off computers when not in use.
