I think we as a country need to change our basic views on energy and that is all of us. We cannot blame everyone else, demand cuts or whatever, we have to act. Some can do that alone, many need support to do this.
The problem we have is relying on a volatile finite resource from some dodgy countries for our energy supplies and the fact that we are running out of our own easy supplies on the doorstep. Fossil fuels are getting increasingly expensive to extract and are causing terminal climate change issues. I hear lets frack / extract more etc but the reality, lenders no longer see them as a safe bet to invest in. Why invest in something that takes years to pay back, that now has lower returns & might be a stranded asset in a few years.
I started a journey many years ago to end my reliance on such as system, gradually weening myself off energy & fossil fuels. I have been laughed at, ridiculed and been told I'm some kind of swampy / fool. Of course now with minimal energy bills and none of these worries, it is me that has the last laugh.
Lets start with home energy efficiency. Whilst many pillared insulate rebellion for sitting on motorways, insulted them and attacked them the reality is that they were 100% right. The Government have bowed to developer profits and not implemented the higher energy efficiency homes & have not rolled out any successful programmes to improve our housing stock, which is the worst insulated in Europe. Its the least well off that suffer the most and those in jams that complained!
Many years ago, I could not afford the heating bills for my home when oil prices went up. I only had a small oil tank and winter oil prices were very high whenever it got cold. My house was EPC band G. So I got some rolls of insulation & as I could afford increased my loft from 4" to 10". Took me 2 winters to do it buying when rolls were on a special offer, £4 each I can remember. Now if only that grant system could return! I then bought some TRVs, drained my CH system & fitted them. A couple leaked as I didn't have all the skills / tools needed but they got fixed in the end. I wanted a timed thermostat control system but could not afford or know how to do it at the time. Then I got a loan & did the windows, house down to EPC band E, bills down a lot. A warm house in winter.
Next I did all sorts of draught proofing, filled gaps in the cavity insulation, changed lightbulbs as they became cheaper, raided a DIY store going bust for cheap LEDs.
These are simple things anyone can do with a bit of help, learning on youtube etc.
In 2011 after 3 winters in a row with snow, extortionate oil prices, a freezing cold house relying on scavenged logs, old timber & rubbish to keep warm I used the RHI scheme to install a pellet stove & solar thermal. It gave me 10 years of free central heating. The bills for pellets are beginning to bite now though! Many pellets come from Russia / Ukraine and that's hit UK production prices too, like with oil / gas. I will find a way. Even at current prices, my heating will cost me £60 per month. My house now has underfloor insulation, more loft insulation, wall insulation & bits so is EPC band B. Underfloor heating is a lot easier to install than I thought!
In 2016 after high fuel bills, maintenance & repair costs for my old diesel, I switched to an EV. I did the maths, created a spreadsheet and it cost me less per month than my previously 4 cars did. OK range was crap at the time, but resale values were not and now I'm on my third EV which is the cheapest per month to own and is the best car I've ever owned, with great range. It costs me under 1p per mile to drive, no tax, mot, maintenance etc.
In 2019 I saved up for a solar PV system, but due to cut grants the return was low, so I added a solar diverter to charge my car & to heat my water to get a 10% return on an asset with a 25+ year life. Electric bills cut 80%. I am lucky to still be on a long fixed tariff, but not for much longer, next winter will be a shock for me as I only pay £90 a year on electric at the moment, so I bought a share in a wind turbine that fixes my leccy rate for 25+ years. Magic!
What I'm saying is, there's a lot you can do for not a lot of cost all by yourselves. Ignore the myths & lies promoted by the fossil industry to stop the transition to renewables because they are a damn sight cheaper and its from our own land, not imported or subject to prices spikes.
I have made little change to my lifestyle, have not turned the thermostat down a degree, shortened showers or travelled less but I have saved stacks of ££££
So instead of signing petitions for cheap energy, change for the better, support crazy people laying down on the M25 because that is how people will be able to afford to heat their house or flat by using a lot less energy!
