What are the benefits of saving energy?

Thinking about saving energy can seem like a lot of hassle. For instance, a lot of people will just turn up the thermostat when they think their heating isn’t warm enough, rather than taking measures to stop hot air escaping. But once you get into good habits, it’s easy to reduce your energy usage dramatically by adopting simple steps. And there are a lot of benefits of saving energy.

Reducing demand

There are loads of reasons to manage your energy usage. Aside from reducing damage to the planet, you can save yourself considerable amounts of money and together we could help avoid occasions when supply cannot meet demand. Energy is a limited resource and it has long been mismanaged by the UK Government. This will reduce pressure on the UK during uncertain times with approaching energy gap.

Reducing bills

Saving money is an obvious benefit of cutting energy use. Savings can add up quickly from simple measures such as draught excluding and installing LED bulbs. Smarter heating controls and insulation can save even more money. Being less dependent on energy companies can only be good, because energy prices are volatile and can rise at any time. Because you have no control over this, it’s important to keep control of your energy bills as much as you can – by reducing the amount of gas and electricity you use.

Reducing environmental impact

Some methods of energy generation produces huge amounts of fossil fuels. The less we use, the less we need to generate. This means less damage to the planet. Pollution released from power plants contributes to climate change. Coal power plants also release radiation. Another problem with non-renewable energy sources is water usage in the generation process. At a time when droughts are a recurring event in many parts of the world, it is controversial to use huge amounts of water in this way.

Avoiding unsafe technology

A considerable amount of the UK’s energy is nuclear, considered by some a ‘clean’ energy, because it emits no direct pollution. However, nuclear power generation risks huge dangers if things go wrong – and occasionally they do. When nuclear reactors are damaged and release radiation, the effects are felt for decades to come on human health, wildlife and the planet. Although these events are rare, they are not impossible – proven recently by the Fukushima disaster in Japan.

This problem – as well as pollution – could be avoided if UK moved to renewable energy; although saving energy where possible would still be important because the weather dependency of wind or solar means it would be hard to rely on a constant supply.

Increased thermal comfort

Surprisingly, saving energy could also improve the thermal comfort of your home. This is because if you are concentrating on reducing draughts, your home will stay warm with less energy used. Being clever about heating means your rooms will retain heat better, be less draughty, and you’ll be more comfortable.


Think we missed something? Do you have a different opinion?

Comment below to get your voice heard…