I came across an article the other day in a magazine about “Ben & Jerry’s Irelands Global Ambassador for Climate Change”.  (Never knew that we had a Global ambassador for Climate Change.)  Congratulations to Dr Cara Augustenborg on this achievement.

Here are a few quotes from the article which I think rings true.

“it is unrealistic to be green in every aspect of your life, but if we all start doing the odd thing and ticking along by the time we’re 50 or 60 we will be green”.

“You don’t have to be a hippy or a tree hugger, you can be just a normal person who is exchanging ideas on how to make a difference.  It’s a fantastic time to become involved as it’s all becoming so popular”.

If we all do a little, our combined efforts will make a difference.

Ireland has taken the initiative and become the first country in Europe to ban the use of wasteful, high energy incandescent bulbs in favour of CFL bulbs. This is a great step towards becoming a greener and more energy efficient society in Ireland and indeed, creating a more cost efficient and economic lifestyle for the bill payer.

As of January 2009, all incandescent bulbs will be phased out and replaced with CFL’s (Energy Saving Bulbs).  John Gormley, Minister for the Environment has stated that by getting rid of these bulbs, “we will save 700,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions every year. It has been estimated that consumers will save €185 million in electricity costs every year as a result of the measure”.  Greenpeace climate campaigner Louise Molloy said: “By banning all wasteful light bulbs within months, Ireland has shown the rest of Europe that it’s serious about energy efficiency and fighting climate change.

To put it in context, an 11 watt CFL bulb will give off as much light as a 60 watt incandescent bulb but will have up to fifteen times the lifespan.  Energy Saving bulbs use 80% less energy than normal bulbs and last up to 15 times longer.

Now that our summer is half over, winter is fast approaching and we are in a (dare I mention the R word) Resession, our focus in business is to keep overheads down as much as possible.   Energy is one overhead that, when managed effectively, can be reduced.  Energy is not a fixed overhead but rather an expense that can be controlled……….

Our attention is drawn to heating and lighting our Businesses for the winter or, to put it another way, the cost of heating and lighting our business over the winter. This cost, which up to now, most of us didn’t pay much attention to, is rising and will continue to rise into the future. We all have noticed it at the pumps when filling our car, our electricity bills have increased, our gas and oil bills have risen.

Efficiency is a goal for any small business.  There are technologies and products new to the Irish market (but are proven worldwide) that will save on Heating, Ventilation and Lighting.     It makes sense to invest in some technology that will save you money and go on saving you money on your Energy Costs.

There are many ways to reduce cost and become more energy efficient in the home.  Here are five simple steps you can follow to minimise your monthly bill at little or no cost to you!

Step 1 –  Unplug or switch off all phone chargers, battery chargers etc., when not in use. While plugged in they still use energy.

Step 2 – Use your washing machine and dishwasher only on “full load”, (it makes more sense to wait for a full load as half loads use the same energy) and try to reduce the temperature to 30 degrees.  Turn off appliances completely as they still use energy while the “standby” light is on.

Step 3 – Avoid using the tumble dryer excessively, instead use an outside clothes line whenever possible (a difficult thing to do sometimes with our Irish Summers!) or pull out the clothes horse!

Step 4 – Switch off lights when not in use or go a step further and switch to Energy saving bulbs which will greatly reduce your bill.  Energy Saving bulbs use 80% less energy than normal bulbs.

Step 5 – Try taking a shower instead of a bath, a shower uses only one fifth of the energy compared with a full bath.

These simple steps can both reduce your bills and your carbon footprint – everyone’s a winner!  If anyone would like to share their energy saving tips please leave a comment below…

Congratulations to all those town councils around the country who have opted for energy saving and energy efficient Christmas lighting for their towns and local communities. They have taken the initiative and saved money while reducing their town’s electricity consumption.

It’s a wonderful way for a community to help reduce their carbon footprint and to teach younger generations not to waste energy…

For Householders and Businesses, by making a few simple changes this Christmas ie. changing from traditional incandescent lights to more efficient energy saving Christmas Lights, we can save thousands of tonnes of CO2, and many customers across the country will have lower energy bills in January, when the January blues hit.

Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Eamon Ryan said “The increased demand for electricity during the run up to Christmas as a result of Christmas lights is substantial and should be considered when decorating your home this year. It is now possible to illuminate your home with more energy efficient festive Christmas lights which are now widely available. By making small changes here and there, these lead to a big difference.”

Wishing all our readers and their families a safe and happy Christmas from all here at Allen Energy Saving Solutions Ltd.