Alternative Energy

Increasingly, lifestyles are being defined in terms of the "carbon footprint" which results from the consumption of energy.  The intention of these pages is to provide some background data and to profile some of the technologies and lifestyle changes in terms of  their cost and effect on household CO2 emissions.  The work is the result of an attempt at personal research as to what is practical, affordable and unlikely to result in my teenage children being labelled the offspring of an anorak.  As a computer programmer, I'm happy to be a geek, but there are limits.

From the start, it was clear that there were going to be no general rules, everyone's personal situation is different.  If you live on a well served bus route, increased use of public transport is a possibility, however, its not an option for most people in rural communities.

This exercise started in the first quarter of 2006.  It soon became apparent that it was possible to achieve quite a lot by doing relatively little and some relatively painless lifestyle changes.  Also, that it was possible to spend a lot of money.  I think that my approach to being green is typical of many people, I'm prepared to pay a small premium for things which genuinely reduce CO2 emissions, but am unwilling to part with significant sums of money, say for micro-generation which may take a long time to pay back.  Money which is saved from reducing energy bills can be used to fund further improvements.  Thus much of the material on this part of the site focuses on the benefits of using energy efficient lighting, making sure the central heating system works properly and thinking about work and travel plans.

These pages are work in process and opinions and conclusions may not always be consistent -  just like life.

Page Updated: 14-Mar-07

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