Hello from the sunny south east of Ireland! For some time I have been interested in renewable technologies, especially those which can give you 'free' electricity, 'free' hot water and so on. Coupled to that is an inbuilt desire to cut down on waste, reduce my energy consumption, and where possible keep energy waste to a minimum. The end goal here is to save money. The by product of this is lower Co2 emissions, better use of sustainable resources, and ultimately a better environment for the future.

When we stop and think about where the energy we use comes from, it makes me push harder towards a greener lifestyle. This, in my view, is the aim of greener living. The concept of 'going green' is not a new one, and our ancestors were past masters in the art of using the base elements of fire, wind, and sun to help make their tough lifestyles just a little more bearable. Today, we live in a different world where everything we want is readily available, as long as we are willing to pay for it.

Living Costs:

I don't want to end up saving the rainforests, but I do want to make the lifestyle changes which require minimal effort. The bonus is that, on a collective scale, these small changes that we make as individuals really do add up, and feed into the global environment which delivers long term benefits for us and our dependants. However, living in Ireland makes this ideal very difficult to achieve. Since building our house in rural Ireland in 2001, I have still not come to terms with the high cost of living here. Everything from transport, postal deliveries, electricity, products, appliances, heat, water, you name it - it costs more here than anywhere else I know! Added to this is the pervasive culture of 'rip off Ireland', which means that anyone aspiring to an average lifestyle must have a) won the lotto or b) have at least two good incomes to get by. On the plus side, this is Ireland, the land of green fields, lots of rain, and dancing leprechauns...

Double Standards:

I consider myself very fair minded.  I am amazed by the ironies that I find in everyday life, and the following are just some examples of the wacky world we live in:

1) An Irish government that actively supports and encourages the concept of a cashless society on one hand, and yet charges us EUR20 minimum for every debit & credit card issued, every YEAR. Madness!

2) A local authority who is keen to support the concept of recycling, but expects me to deliver this commodity to them, at both travel and other expense to myself, and then has the nerve to actually charge me to use the recycling facility! Madness times two.

3) A local retailer who is less than 12 miles away refuses to match, or even come anywhere close to the price for an appliance that I have found on the internet. This is despite me a) being willing to come and collect it in person myself and b) assure him that I will buy from him again to show support for my local retail community if he considers reducing the price a little. But the answer is no, so I get it from the internet, delivery included, to my door, saving 20% on the price. Madness times three.

4) A government who offer grants to the public for renewable heating and energy technologies, but who do not offer grants for anyone generating their own electricity. The use of GRID electricity is one of the most wasteful resources on the planet, as the majority of it is a) created from fossil fuels and b) is subject to huge line losses by the time it finally arrives in our home. Strangest of all, the electricity company that we, yes you and me, have paid to create (E.S.B), in turn pay us back by blocking the implementation of standard technologies such as net billing and metering, while the rest of Europe passes us by. 

The point is: if we all work together, and give and take on an equal basis, then the future benefits for us and our dependants can be realised. Set against this however, are hurdles to overcome such as poor leadership, vested interests, and worst of all, apathy among the consumers who are the first to complain in their local pub about "rip off" Ireland, and the last to vote with their feet and shop around for the best price.

Simple Goals:

Although some of the points made above are not directly related to energy efficiency, they all fit into the broader context of using money wisely. But turning our focus to energy, we must stop and think about what we do every day. There is no point saving money on energy if we use the car every time we pop to the corner shop. What's the point of generating your own electricity if you stick 100watt incandescent light bulbs everywhere. Is it practical, or even necessary, to turn on the heating during the day when no one is home, just so we can come home to a hot house? Should we install a brilliant heating system if the house is insulated to a minimum standard and most of the heat escapes though our ceilings and walls! A sea change is required to our overall lifestyle habits in order to contribute towards the ultimate goals -