Everyone’s being efficient these days

As anyone who’s recently opened an energy bill will agree, the rising costs of gas and electricity are something that simply can not be avoided at the moment. Bills have risen a whooping 45% during 2008 alone, and Britain’s biggest supplier, British Gas, even raised the price of its gas by 35% over night.

High energy bills seem to be the bane of everyone’s lives right now, myself included, and while there’s been talk of slashing gas and electricity prices, not much has been done yet…

Except in the offices here at ConsumerChoices.co.uk that is!

Being the good people that we are, we have produced a Complete Guide to Energy Efficiency, to help you make those all important energy efficient home improvements that could potentially half your energy bills each year.

There are plenty of ways you can reduce your energy bills without switching suppliers, as you’ll see in the guide. Anything from turning your thermostat down 1 degree, to making sure you don’t put furniture up against a radiator can make your home more energy efficient, and ultimately help cut down your fuel bills.

So download the guide now, and see how much you can save on heating your home this winter.

Click here to download your guide to Energy Efficiency >>>

Oh, and in other news, feed-in tariffs could see the demise of energy bills, as the government looks to the future of renewable energy sources and microgeneration.

  So, energy saving lightbulbs hey…

Wednesday 12th November, 2008 - £7,408.16 in debt…

So, energy-saving lightbulbs. Not the most exciting subject to write about, you might think, and you’d be right. But today, my parents received a couple of these bulbs through the post from British Gas, and suddenly British Gas was the most considerate and forward-thinking energy supplier on the face of the planet. Obviously their PR people are reading this and rubbing their cloven hooves together with glee.

According to Act On CO2, the government-run energy initiative, a typical household can save up to £300 a year by being fuel efficient in three easy steps:

     1.  Insulating the home

     2.  Using energy-saving lightbulbs

     3.   Switching off lights and appliances when you’re not using them.

One energy-saving lightbulb can knock £60 off your electricity bill over the course of its lifetime, which could be about £5 a year but it’s still money.

Of course, It’s not just British Gas that does this - most of the UK’s energy suppliers have leapt on the same idea recently. Your energy company won’t give you enough free bulbs to fill your house, so the idea is to use them in the important rooms and high-traffic areas of your house. And use them as soon as possibe - don’t just stash them away for the next time a standard bulb blows.

And if your energy supplier loses £5 a year because you’re using your new bulbs, that’s just fine - at heart, they’re as human as the rest of us at the end of the day. They just want you to enjoy lighting your house without worrying about the bill, and they want to save the polar ice caps at the same time.

And they can always cover it by putting their charges up.

Feeling the squeeze…

So it seems the time has come when we all must decide what is more important to us - saving the environment or saving money?

Only a year ago, the enthusiasm for green policies and practices appeared to be growing exponentially, with everyone wanting a slice of green action. But those days are gone. With the rate of inflation rising and the cost of living sky-rocketing, for most people it is simply unfeasible to be spending money on “greener” exploits.

Recent statistics from MORI have highlighted this change in view. Only a year ago, 15% of those polled placed the environment in their top three concerns, but this month that figure has dropped by a third to just 10%.

Now, people are putting the economy, rising prices and crime issues at the top of the list. People are feeling forced to fight for their own survival rather than that of their grandchildren and the organic and earth-friendly lifestyle is increasingly being seen as a middle class luxury that the majority of us simply cannot afford. Eco-warriors have lost their appeal and in the midst of a recession, we resent paying more to be “green”…

Ironically however, in this period of environmental rejection, Britain seems, almost by accident, to be becoming more environmentally friendly. The credit crunch, by proxy, is aiding the environment! Let me illustrate:

• Due to rising food prices, for the first time in a decade people are actually throwing away less food and planning their weekly shop more effectively, so as not to waste food.
• Fewer people are moving house, so there are fewer people buying new white goods (such as fridges and dishwashers), and thus fewer old appliances being sent to landfill.
• Bottled water sales have fallen as the population cut back on unnecessary indulgences (which are coincidentally highly damaging to the environment).
• People are growing their own vegetables in order to save money (there has been a 10% rise in vegetable seed sales in the last year).
• With energy companies hiking up their prices, consumers are choosing to keep their heating off for longer, saving fuel and cutting emissions.
• Increasing petrol prices are leading more people to avoid driving wherever possible
• In order to save on travel costs, many people are choosing to holiday in Britain this year, which will massively reduce their carbon footprint.

So, while our current economic situation is causing us to neglect our concerns about the environment, it is also causing us to do more to protect it. Indeed, as the examples above show, it seems we don’t necessarily have to choose between saving money and saving the environment, these actions are compatible!

In light of the recent energy price hikes, one of the most effective ways you can save money and the environment is to improve your home energy efficiency.

A recent study by British Gas claimed that energy saving measures could cut our domestic gas bill, as a nation, by £4.6 billion a year. It showed that by installing energy efficient technology such as solar panels, loft and cavity wall insulation, energy efficient light bulbs and modern boilers as well as making simple energy saving behavioural changes, families could knock up to 50% off their gas bill (as well as significantly reducing their emissions).

Rising fuel costs have shortened the pay-back time of energy saving devices, so as well as ensuring you are on a capped tariff and making your payments by direct debit, now is the time to sort out your energy efficiency if you want to save money (with the added bonus of protecting the environment!).

For more information on how to improve your energy efficiency, read our complete guide to reducing your energy bills.