What is energy conservation?
Energy conservation should be defined as the practice of decreasing the quantity of energy used while achieving the same outcome. In a real world application this should result in a decrease of expenditure and reduced environmental impact, with no significant reduction in human comfort.

Why is energy conservation important?

• Money - Individuals and organizations that consume (and therefore pay for) energy may want to conserve energy in order to reduce costs!
• Global warming and climate change - By reducing total energy consumption, you are not only cutting costs but also reducing emissions, energy conservation is an important part of reducing the impact of climate change.

Facts about energy conservation, global warming and climate change

• According to Nasa 2005 was the hottest year ever recorded
• There has been a steady increase in both the intensity and duration of hurricanes and tropical storms since the 1970’s
• Over the past century, average global temperatures have risen by 0.74°C
• The ten warmest years on record have all been since 1990. Six of the ten warmest years on record in the UK were between 1995 and 2004
• The rise in global temperatures also causes flooding. The number of people affected by floods worldwide has already risen from around 7 million in the 1960’s to 150 million today.

Basic energy conservation tips for people - simple ways to help energy conservation

• Insulation and draughtproofing, effective wall, loft and floor insulation along with good draughtproofing around doors and windows will make it cheaper and quicker to heat your home
• Pipe and water tank lagging - foam insulation around your hot water cylinder and pipes will reduce heat loss making your central heating system more efficient
• Low energy light bulbs - a no brainer, everyone should be using these nowadays, if not why not?
• Heating controls and thermostatic radiator valves - along with programmers and timers give better control of your heating system making sure that heating is only utilised when and where it is needed.
• Double glazing - much of the heat is lost from your home through the windows,effective double glazing can greatly reduce these losses.

How does energy conservation work in practice?
It’s easier than you think to implement energy conservation practices in your everyday life. Simple things like turning off all electrical appliances when not in use (particularly computers and peripherals). Reduce water temperature in boiler, thermostat should be set at 60°C maximum (have you ever noticed how some people have the water so hot that they have to add cold water before using it!). Turn off lights when leaving the room. Have your boiler serviced regularly (will keep boiler working at maximum efficiency and safety). Dont use your car for short trips and when you do need to use it try and combine all your errands into one trip. Next time you need to replace any electrical equipment make sure you buy a high efficiency product from an Energy Saving Recommended retailer. Close curtains in the evenings to slow down heat loss through windows. When you put the kettle on just boil enough for your needs - filling kettle up for one cup of tea wastes loads of energy! These simple changes show how easy it is to put energy conservation into practice and can make a big impact on global warming and your wallet!

More energy conservation facts

• Concentrations of greenhouse gases are now higher than at any point in the past 800,000 years
• According to the IPCC, global temperatures are predicted to rise by between 1.1 and 6.4°C over the next century
• During August 2003, the hottest temperature ever was recorded in the UK, it was 38.5°C and between 4th and 13th August 2003, over 2,000 people in the UK died as a direct result of these temperatures
• Between 1997 and 2004, carbon dioxide emissions worldwide increased 18.0%
• In the United States, the annual surface temperatures have been rising with 1 degree Fahrenheit since 1990

The future of energy conservation
There are many avenues currently being investigated in an attempt to conserve energy and reduce emissions, largescale adaption of just some of these measures could potentially put an end to global warming and solve the energy crisis. However, although the technology is well proven in many cases, it will take many years before any of the following alternative or renewable technologies are adopted in any meaningful way. The most hopeful avenues of research in energy conservation at the moment are:-

• Biomass/Biofuels produced using the aquaculture of Algae
• Nano Plastic Photo-voltaics
• Large scale Geothermal power plants
• Tidal Current Turbines
• Low Energy Nuclear Reactions
• Artificial photosynthesis to produce fuels directly from water and carbon dioxide using renewable solar energy