We can easily reduce the amount of energy we consume if we take a few simple steps. Most are not too expensive and they pay back fairly quickly.

It's one of the cheapest and simplest ways to save a huge amount of energy and the payback period is pretty short. The panels to be installed are basic and require very little maintenance. Essentially, the technology consists of nothing but copper pipes which zigzag behind a glass pane and heat the water that runs through them. This water is stored in an insulated tank so that if you wake up at the crack of dawn and try to have a bath, there'll probably be some warm water for you to use. That's if you didn't use it up the previous night. [more...]

For centuries, until the invention of electricity, architects simply had to take into account the ways of the weather so that the interior of a home or workplace was comfortable for its tenants. In India, it led to the development of the Vastu Shastras - an ancient science that has now been obfuscated into a first class superstition... But that's another story. [more...]

The incandescent bulb is the most common - and one of the most wasteful - ways of lighting a space. Today we have numerous fluorescent type fittings; both, the old tubelight as well as modern compacts which retro-fit into incandescent holders. Light Emitting Diodes - LEDs are rapidly getting cheaper and have now reached a level of affordability. [more...]