Everyone can make a difference by saving energy at home. When you use less energy, you also save money and help protect our environment from the impacts of climate change.
If you haven’t noticed, Australia’s climate is warming. The average temperature has steadily increased by 0.8°C since 1900′s, which was the warmest decade on record. 2002, 2003 and 2005 have all been within the top 10 hottest years on record, which means our current decade may be the hottest yet. Not a record we really want. So what is causing the temperature rise?
The greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, are heating the planet. They do this by forming a blanket that traps the sun’s heat inside our atmosphere. Like smoke it clogs up the atmosphere. The biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions is from energy generation and use. So it’s up to us all to act now and start saving energy.
Just by making a few changes at home can help change our future for the better. Being energy efficient is the easiest way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at home, this will also reduce our energy bills. We need to act now as just a small rise in global temperatures will have huge consequences for our future. We are already experiencing extreme weather events and they are only going to become more intense and more frequent in many regions. Our daily life will be affected as droughts, storms and flash flooding become commonplace. It will affect places in very different ways, the dry areas will be prone to floods the snow fields will see less snow, and bush fires will spread over more and more dry barren land.
Here are a few ways to get you started:
- Use fans in summer to keep the air moving, this will help to keep cool
- Lay a carpet for the winter and feel the difference under foot as well as in the room.
- Wash on a cold water cycle, and only full loads.
- Fit water saving shower heads.
- Replace old light bulbs with energy efficient bulbs.
- Take shorter showers
- Don’t brush teeth under running water.
- Turn off excess lights.
- Car pool to work etc.
- Buy appliances with a good power efficiency rating.
- Hang out the wash don’t use the dryer.
- Insulate your home.
- These are just a few ideas to get you started
Filed under: Green Energy Tips For Home, going green, green, green energy tips, tips to go green
