Go Green!

Due to the rising costs of gas, oil, petroleum and electricity, we have now over the past 10 years seen a huge change in behavior towards conserving energy. Both governments and individuals have woken up to the indisputable fact that energy created by fossils fuels is not an infinite resource. Plus by burning fossil fuel, there’s the irreversible damage caused to the ozone by omitting CO2 gasses. This has brought about what is known as the green revolution.

Because of the concerns seen by the risk caused from nuclear plants such as evident in Russia at Chenobyl and more recently in Japan at Fukisima, alternative methods of producing energy have been given an impetus. Probably the most important growth has been noticed in the use of renewable technologies.

Unlike standard fuels, which pollutes the atmosphere, renewable energy has less effect on the planet. Renewable energy development  also contribute to jobs and much less oil being  shipped in from other countries. There are various forms of renewable energy such as; wind and sun, as well as water or (hydro-power), geothermal and biological processes.  The challenge is to harness that energy for use.  Some renewable energy technologies are criticized for being intermittent or unsightly, yet the market is growing from many different kinds of renewable energy.

The biggest use of renewable energy is in the use of generating electricity for example solar photovoltaics (solar panels), wind farms and making use of the oceans currents to create electricity. Green electricity markets have been developed in the last few years in various European countries for example Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, along with the United Kingdom.  Everyone is going green, and many companies are making it easier than ever.  If you want to do your bit towards the environment, a terrific way to start is right in your own home.

For a simple resource that many homeowners can do, go to how to insulate a loft.

Many governments have national programs to encourage homeowners to invest in cutting down on energy consumption in the home. One example is the UK government give home owners grants for home insulation that will help towards the expense of installing cavity wall insulation and loft insulation. For more information on UK grants go to home insulation grants. Plus newly built UK homes have to generate 20% of their energy usage from renewable technologies.  Both Germany and UK also give homeowners financial rewards to put solar panels on the roof. It has seen a massive uptake in the use of solar photovoltaics in non-commercial dwellings.

In addition to wind and solar, other types of renewable technologies are:

Biomass

This originates from reusing wood, forestry, agriculture, construction and transportation. This is generally useful for heating homes or as an alternative for burning fossils fuels.

Biofuels

Biofuel is any fuel made from biomass. The 2 kinds of biofuels are ethanol and biodiesel.  They are typically used to power vehicles and cooking stoves.

Geothemal Heat Pumps

Geothermal heat pumps uses the Earth’s capacity to store heat in the ground and water thermal masses to provide heating or air conditioning.