It is often the most common clichés that can harbour the most practical sense, and the simple axiom that “every little helps” is no different. But what should be realised is that regularly the reverse also holds this same logic, that being, every little piece of waste contributes to what soon may become mass loss, as global warming and climate change become more of a reality.

According to gas and electricity regulators Ofgem, electricity bills in Britain have risen by 51% over the past five years, seeing the average gas and electricity bill for a family living in a three-bedroom house climb to well over £1000 annually. But is it this type of statistic which is creating a change in the way we think about domestic energy? And with the credit crunch snapping at our heals, do we need any more motives to take a step-up away from unnecessary waste and start looking to a more eco-efficient lifestyle? This is why the solar solution is becoming more and more a part of the logical resolution.

If you’re not an electrician or a general wiz with circuitry, the reasons for why appliances can incur waste and efficiency losses may just be an acceptance that in fact, they do. However, for the broader awareness of why Britain is aiming to become more solar-solved by 2020 it is helpful to understand the ways in which circuitry (at even the smallest levels) can lose energy?

In all systems there are transference losses, in which, for instance, appliances may suffer a deficiency of maximum voltage as electricity is carried across wires – also through batteries and inverters – which are not 100% efficient. These efficiency losses vary from component to component, and from system to system, but can be as high as 25% in some cases. But even on a small scale, loosing ¼ of the expected energy through poor and inefficient designs still remains simply unacceptable.

Now imagine a larger circuit that is used all year, on a national level, and can still experience these equivalent percentages of loss: The traditional route of receiving electricity (in its most primitive delivery) begins its lengthy journey from generators at the power plant, then it’s passed into a transformer which increases its voltage for transmission, sending the electricity through transmission lines that carry the energy long distances to neighbourhood transformers, which then step down the voltage so that it can be distributed into more power-lines and carried to individual houses via another set of transformers which reduces the electricity even more before it enters the home, so that it can finally reach the appliances we require it for and be used in our daily routines.

But is this sort of waste really necessary? Unfortunately, despite transference losses being daily and particularly undue, there are little models that offer alternative routes. That was until recent advances in photovoltaic panelling (or PV cells) began to open a clearer pathway so that we can all do our bit in preventing the fuel crisis.

There are hundreds of ways we can change our lifestyle and homes to become more energy efficient. Nevertheless sometimes the simplest solutions can escape without really being recognised. Solar panels are just one way we can make an economical use of what shines from directly above us.
In the last year, the British and United States Departments of Energy have publicised that the amount of solar energy that hits the surface of the earth every +/- hour is greater than the total amount of energy that the entire human population requires in a year. To put this in some other perspective, the U.S. Department established that roughly 100 square miles of solar panels placed in south-western America could power the entire country. As well as no emissions, no power-lines or national grid network (therefore no blackouts!), low energy costs, and little maintenance, one of the greater benefits for using solar lighting is that it makes not contribution to global warming, but is instead better suited to saving you money and helping to preserve the world’s natural resources.

So even if you change the security light in the front drive, the light above the back door, or even just a few patio lights. Through the technology of PV cells and just solar lighting alone, you can choose to use what hits the ground right under your nose, and make use of the simplest things whilst making great contribution. After all, every little helps.

For further information on what else solar can do for you, free-phone Smart Energy on 0800 230 0240 for information about advanced solar systems today.