There is plenty of talk around at the moment, particularly in themedia, about the clean, endless supply of energy that can be obtainedfrom solar, wind, and wave power. However, over two thirds of ourenergy supplies still come from our non-renewable, polluting, andrapidly dwindling supply of fossil fuels such as gas and crude oil.



Evenif you choose to ignore the long term environmental consequences ofcontinuing to burn fossil fuels for this purpose, the rising cost ofenergy caused by the increasing scarcity of fossil fuels has affectedeveryone in recent years. This has made energy conservation anincreasingly important issue for all of us. So if you're looking to doyour bit for the environment, and want to save some money into thebargain, here are a few handy hints to get you started:

If youhave an air conditioning system in your home, try running it at aslightly higher temperature. Switching it from 72 degrees Fahrenheit to78 can save around 40% of your energy bill, and you'll hardly noticethe difference.

In winter, you don't have to turn your heatingoff entirely just to save money on your utilities. Simply cutting thetemperature on your central heating by one or two degrees can make asubstantial difference to your bill.

If you have air conditioning, keep the filters clean, as if they are dirty, the system will be working very inefficiently.

Onlyuse heating or air conditioning in rooms that are occupied, and don?tleave your heating or air conditioning on when you are out of thehouse, unless there is a danger of pipes bursting if you don't.

Usefans and portable heaters to complement your air conditioning orcentral heating. You don't need to control the climate of your wholehouse if you are only going to be using a small part of it.

On abright day, opening your blinds but keeping your windows closed canhelp to heat your home by trapping heat from the sun's rays, withoutexposing you to the chilling effects of the wind.

On summernights, opening windows can cool your home just as effectively as airconditioning, and the best thing is that it won't cost you a thing.

Keepyour house isolated from the elements by making sure that there are nodrafty windows or holes in your roof. This will ensure that you makebetter use of the heat you generate through your appliances.

Loftinsulation is cheap and can save you a packet on your utilities bills.Furthermore, there are sometimes grants available from the governmentto help with the costs.

If your boiler is over ten years old,then you could save a lot of money off your bills by upgrading it withbetter controls, or replacing it with a new, energy efficientcondensing boiler.

Switch to British Gas' cheapest electricity tariff and on your electricity bill. You can also start saving on with our lowest available gas prices today.