* RodWarnock.com *

Hi,
I am sure that many of us are reeling form the high energy bills we have received following the recent artic spell of weather. Many of you like me probably had to turn up your heating to keep warm with the resulting higher energy bills.

hopefully some people will have decided that they have had enough of paying through the nose for energy and will have resolved to do something about it. What should we do and where do we start?
Well the sensible first step is to try to reduce the energy we waste in our homes. This does not mean doing without things or spending any money, but rather developing good habits.

We should close doors behind us, turn off lights when we leave a room, turn off equipment such as TV’s at the socket rather than leave on standby, make sure we have a full load before operating washing machines or spin dryers. If we have any appliances that need replacing we should do so with energy efficient appliances.

Having completed the no cost measures we can then consider low cost measures like replacing our light bulbs with energy efficient ones. They cost a little more but they do last longer and will reduce your electricity bill and your carbon footprint.

Another important area to look at is insulation. Is your roof space properly insulated? The current UK recommendation is for 270mm of insulation. You should check to see that your doors and windows are insulated. If any of your appliances need replacing make sure to replace them with energy efficient appliances.

Once you have taken care of these low cost measures to improve the energy efficiency of your home, you can then consider how you might generate your own energy at home. How do you decide on what approach to take? Much will depend on the location of your home. Solar panels to generate electricity can be used almost anywhere provided that there is sufficient exposure to the sun with out obstructions such as tall buildings or trees.

Wind turbines however require a wind speed of 5-6metres per second in order to be viable. Solar panels only need daylight to generate electricity and are normally erected on the roof of your house.
Why not check now how you can generate your own electricity and save 50% or more on your electricity bill.

Hi,

With the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit reaching its conclusion this Friday, it is highly likely that Governments will encourage us all not to fly. Aircraft apparently contribute significantly to global warming due to the carbon emissions as a result of the fossil fuels they burn.

When we do fly in future we may be asked to offset our carbon footprints in some way as a matter of course. Indeed Carbon offset companies already exist. The most frequent method used by companies is to offset your carbon footprint by planting a tree.  Trees of course absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and so help to reduce carbon emissions.

There are of course many ways to reduce our carbon emissions. One obvious way is to use our cars less often, particularly for short journeys. I am sure many of us are used to jumping into the car to visit the local shop for the odd grocery item or a newspaper, when we could easily walk. The great benefit of this method is that we will be taking exercise which is very good for our health.

What other methods can we use? I am sure that many of do not want to have to plant a tree every time we take a flight, but how about changing one of our light bulbs to an energy efficient light bulb. According to the experts if we change three standard 100w light bulbs with energy efficiency equivalents, we can save 1Kg of CO2 in eight hours.

Surely this is a very simple way to reduce our carbon footprints. The energy saving light bulbs are a little more expensive but they last longer and are perfectly adequate to light your home or office. They now come in different shapes and despite reports of them causing skin alergies in a very small percentage  of people, I would recommend them. I have changed more than 90% of the light bulbs in my house for energy efficient equivalents and am delighted with the result. you just need to get used to the light taking a little longer to come on.  

Hi,

         Last week the UK Government announced the creation of four Eco towns in different parts of the UK. On the face of it this sounds like good news, at last the government are moving on trying to save the environment. One of these proposed towns lies within about four miles of where I live. I welcome this development, but forgive me for being sceptical. The land on which the eco houses are to be built is currently owned by the British Army and some of it is used for training.

The Army say they will not give up this land until 2016 yet the local council say that the Houses will go up in 2016. Also at a recent public meeting the residents of the existing town overwhelmingly rejected the proposals for an eco town. I certainly hope it happens as it will bring much needed new employment to the area. The council has a desire to make the area carbon neutral by 2036, meaning that the footprint of the new town would be no more than the existing town,s carbon footprint now. Let us hope that this whole scheme is not merely window dressing by the Government to meet agreed European targets.