Consumer Information

The Big Picture – Climate Change and its Impacts on Us

Everyday activities are responsible for about 20 percent of all green house emissions generated.  These emissions are generated through activities such as heating, cooling, cooking, lighting, travelling and rubbish rotting in landfill.

Many building that have been built within Australia work against the climate rather than with it.  This is due to such things as wrong orientation to the sun, heat loss through poor insulation and drafts through cracks and gaps.  Not surprisingly, dwellings can be energy inefficient and be quite expensive to run.  Fortunately there are options.  Some options which can help increase the efficiency and save costs are heavily subsidised or are free.

It is highly likely that local weather patterns are likely to continue to shift, increasing the need to adapt our dwellings and lifestyles to these changing conditions.  All the more reason to engage the services of a trained and qualified GGE.

Energy efficiency

The cheapest and easiest way to cut electricity costs and greenhouse emissions is to apply energy efficiency measures.  Such measures can range from roof and wall insulation to draft stopping in between floor boards and around doorways using foam or rubber stripping.

An average home uses 38% of consumed energy for heating and cooling.  Therefore air trapping and sealing living areas which need to be temperature controlled can reduce energy needs.

Changing globes to compact fluorescents can achieve 75% savings on lighting costs.  While these are not the services you would expect from your average electrician, GGE’s are now trained to ensure you use energy wisely. This is in addition to the usual service of ensuring the safe and consistent supply of electricity.

Renewable energy

Most buildings rely on and are designed to use electricity supplied from the national grid.  Currently up to 90% of our electricity is sourced from coal fired power stations.  Those wanting to take further action to reduce their emissions may invest in installing a renewable energy source. Photovoltaic solar cells are the most common household form of renewable energy. System sizes vary, as does the costs and energy created.

As technology advances and market demand increases, costs for renewables will decrease due to economies of scale.  The federal government has used a rebate/certificate scheme to assist increasing demand by reducing up-front costs.

While not all of our GGE’s are qualified to install solar panels (this is a separate qualification), they are able to explain the cost reduction application process for solar panels and associated benefits.

Commercial scale renewables can include hydro, wave, geothermal, wind and large scale solar. The GGE training focuses on energy efficiency, energy auditing and renewable options for the home and commercial premises.