Are We Facing An Energy Crisis & How Should We Respond?
You’re likely to have heard a lot of discussion in the news recently surrounding concerns of an energy crisis in the UK & Ireland, with the cost of energy soaring drastically. Talk of a global energy crisis began to emerge at the end of last year as concerns of gas and other fuel shortages became apparent. Unfortunately, these concerns are continuing to dominate the agenda in 2022. What’s causing this & how can householders protect themselves? Let’s find out.
What’s Causing An Energy Crisis?
A number of overlapping factors have caused a large-scale energy crisis to occur. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is partly to blame as the worldwide economy continues to recover, boosting inflation on the cost of oil, coal and gas. However, environmental factors have also had a big role to play in contributing to the energy crisis, as the world is faced with incredibly low supplies of gas. In Europe, exceptionally cold weather in winter 2020/21 was a key factor in depleting gas reserves, drastically disrupting demand and supply. This was made worse by the summer being relatively windless, making it nearly impossible to replenish supplies.
The combination of these factors has resulted in a huge increase in energy bills, with prices continuing to rise. It’s also seen many major suppliers enter administration.
How Can I Protect Myself From Rising Energy Bills?
With the energy crisis set to be more of a long term fixture, it’s only natural that homeowners are feeling increasingly concerned about the cost of rising bills. However, there are steps that homeowners can take to protect their finances.
When faced with higher costing bills, your first instinct is likely to be switching suppliers. Whilst as consumers we’ve always been encouraged to shop around for the best tariffs, at the moment, economic deals such as fixed deals simply aren’t available. The energy crisis is having a huge impact on all suppliers meaning exceptional costs will be universal across every company.
That’s why householders are instead being encouraged to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. This releases you from being tied into mounting bills from suppliers of gas, oil and coal, whilst also helping to alleviate pressure on shortages. The more efficient you can make your home, the less pressure on natural supplies and the impact that this has on pricing. It’s also important to reduce your reliance on fossil fuels as the strain on these resources is only likely to increase in the future as demand continues to escalate.
How Can I Make My Home More Energy Efficient?
There are many different ways to make your home more energy efficient in response to the energy crisis, from upgrading your boiler to installing smart heating controls. Making changes will not only be more cost-effective, it will also have huge environmental benefits.
At Pipelife Eco, we talk homeowners through their options on a case by case, ensuring they find the best home heating methods to suit their requirements. These may include:
- Air To Water Heat Pump
- Underfloor Heating
- Heat Recovery Unit
- Energy Efficient Aluminium Radiators
- Smart Control Systems
- Eco Heating Pipes
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the team to discuss the most suitable options for making your home more energy efficient.