Wasting energy wastes money, it wastes valuable fuel resources that are needed by the generations that follow us.
Wasting energy creates vast amounts of carbon dioxide, which is thought to be a major contributor to 'Climate Change.
Many people do not realise the amount of energy wasted in their homes whilst others can not afford to keep their home adequately heated.
These problems can be reduced by
- being more careful when using energy
- following simple measures that make homes more efficient
- substituting normal fossil fuels with renewable energy
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The average home spends around £600 each year on energy but in most cases at least a third of this is wasted.
The main improvements come from better insulation, using more efficient heating equipment and other appliances and through simple good housekeeping. Some of these will cost you nothing and there are grants available for many of the others.
For example, homes which are poorly insulated are difficult to heat, suffer from condensation and tend to be uncomfortable to live in. This can lead to damage of the structural components in the home and frequent redecoration which could reduce the property value.
Similarly people on low incomes may have difficulty in affording high fuel bills and go without adequate warmth. This can cause homes to suffer from cold and damp conditions, encouraging mould growth, which leads to ill health. Physical problems include cardiovascular and respiratory problems, particularly asthma, and hypothermia. The NHS currently spends £1billion every year, treating people with cold related illness.
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The average home consumes around 20,000 kWh of energy each year of which 7,000 kWh is wasted. The waste alone represents 900 litres of oil, 880 cubic metres of gas or 1.7 tonnes of coal.
Although it's not certain how long the world's reserves of fuel will last, current estimates are based on the known reserves of each fuel and current demand. The results suggest that we will have used all of the oil in the world within 40 years, gas will run out in 50 years and coal will probably last for another 400 years.
We already need the equivalent of 3 earth sized planets to maintain our present consumption of natural resources. The next generation will have to find an alterative if we continue to waste fuel at this rate.
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The chief scientific adviser to the Government (Sir David King) has already stated that 'climate change represents a greater global threat than terrorism'. No one will escape its effects because we all share the same troposphere (the part of the atmosphere that we breathe and where the world's weather is created).
Although the world regularly undergoes climatic changes, a link has now been established between changes in temperature and the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Carbon dioxide is released when we burn fossil fuels and over the last 250 years, since the start of the 'Industrial Revolution', the concentration of carbon dioxide has increased by a rate not seen for several hundred thousand years. If this link is correct, global temperatures will increase significantly over the next few decades.
No on can say with any certainty what the exact consequences will be, but with the planet's glaciers now receding and the ice caps melting, sea levels are rising. Storms are becoming more severe, rainfall tends to be heavier and periods of drought are longer.
In the UK, insurance companies are already refusing to insure some homes in low lying areas.
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Inadequately heated homes cause or exacerbate ill health. Homes that are poorly insulated are difficult to heat and tend to suffer from condensation leading to mould growth. This in turn can cause or worsen respiratory problems including asthma. Cold conditions within the home will adversely influence cardio vascular problems and can ultimately lead to hypothermia.
Every year in the UK, more people die in the winter than the summer, even more than in much colder places such as Scandinavia.
Over the last few years deaths in winter throughout the UK have been recorded at 25,000 per year and the NHS spends around £1billion each year treating people with cold related health problems.
Those most at risk include the elderly and young children because they spend a much greater proportion of their time at home. The government is also targeting those on very low incomes who may not be able to adequately heat their homes, by providing insulation and heating grants.
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