Five Ways to beat the Carbon Tax in Ireland

With Ireland in the grip of a serious recession and with the Greens in Government waiting to impose a Carbon Tax on anything that moves, there are ways in which families and individuals can protect themselves against these taxes. I am here compiling a number of ways in which to save energy in the home and their lives.

The steps are as follows,

In the home,

1. I would recommend getting a BER Cert as this gives the householder a lot of information on what is needed in the property in order to get it up to standard.

2. I would highly recommend an infrared thermal survey, this is state of the art technology that literally sees cold and captures it in a thermal picture. Essentially thermal imaging is like a x-ray of your property but the essential difference is that it measures the surface temperature of any surface. Example, if you are buying a property in the future it may look good, but how does it perform? Does it leak like a bucket? Thermal imaging will spot these leaks fast and save you thousands on upgrades and energy costs.

3. Check the efficiency of your boiler, there have been major improvements in boiler efficiencies over the last number of years.

4. Energy efficient bulbs are definitely the way forward. They are being phased out in Ireland at the moment due to the EU. However, when you take the example of a 50 watt spot light in the kitchen which is very common in Ireland there are LEDs on the market that give the same light output for 2 watts. This is astonishing and the money it can save consumers.

5. If you are building a house get the key information right and consult an energy consultant. Air Tightness in the home will save you serious money in the long term. Air Tight properties in Austria and Switzerland consume 80% less energy than properties in Ireland. Imagine saving 80% on your heating bill and the carbon tax that you will save.

Above all these are great ways to beat the carbon tax in Cork and all around Ireland. Over the last number of years there have been many properties built to a very poor standard due to a lack of supervision and regulation. I hope that the above steps will be useful to you and help you save money and paying more tax than you have to.

I run my own successful energy consultancy business. I specialize in infrared thermal imaging and provide advice to consumers using this technology. It is a non-invasive way to see air infiltration and missing insulation in the home. I provide this service in Cork City and County in Ireland. You can also source energy efficient bulbs and save 10% for all your needs on my website. For more info log on tohttp://www.dkec.org

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Daniel_Kenneally

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2933031

Carbon Credits

"Carbon credits will be the world's biggest market" - New York Times

 Companies and individudals are going green by offsetting their carbon footprints.
Carbon credit brokers are springing up and making good money all the time.


CLICK HERE to find out how you can get involved

Is Nuclear Power Worth Investing In?

For the last ten years, most media outlets have paid a great deal of attention to the worldwide energy crisis and to global warming in particular. It is generally agreed that alternative energy sources will need to be developed to meet our ever expanding need for power. Possibilities include wind power, solar power, wave/tidal energy and biomass but while these technologies can make a contribution, it is unlikely that that existing alternative energy technology can provide enough energy to meet out needs.

Another possibility is nuclear power which is clean, efficient, reliable and relatively cheap. Despite the problems disposing of the dangerous waste produced, politicians seem to be ready to consider the use of nuclear power and might agree to a large scale construction program.

Many analysts have speculated that the worldwide nuclear energy market could grow substantially by 2030.

Does this mean nuclear energy is worth investing in?

In the U.S.A, the Department of Energy expects the amount of electricity needed to rise by 50% during the next twenty years. Worldwide electricity consumption is expected to double by 2030. Fossil fuel stocks are dwindling and the price oil continues to rise

It more than possible that there will be an increase in demand for nuclear power and this coincides with a weak amount of supply. Basic economics tells us that prices increase and decrease according to supply and demand.

Furthermore, as emerging economies in Asia develop over the next twenty years, the spike in demand for cheap, clean, reliable alternative energy sources could intensify and nuclear power is well placed.

Various private sector investment managers have recently described the structural shortage of power generation facilities in the developing world. Some countries are in the process of building large numbers of nuclear power stations and this will lift the demand for uranium.

Until recently, it has been very difficult for an ordinary investor to participate in the nuclear energy market because most investment opportunities were offshore. This has changed and there are now several options available:-


Three years ago, the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) launched its first futures contract for uranium. This allows investors to speculate on the future growth. Prices were high before the Global Credit Crisis in 2008 when uranium was trading at approximately $140 per pound. Recently it was approximately $40
Investors can invest in the potential growth in the price of uranium by investing in mining companies which often have a very low share price. Proper research should be carried out and if the company finds substantial deposits the share prices will rise significantly
Investors can invest in companies that have existing uranium operations such as BHP Billiton and Cameco which are both large companies and proven leaders in the field. Many smaller companies in countries with uranium deposits are good investment opportunities but shares would need to be purchased on a foreign exchange.
The currency of countries with uranium deposits should increase in price and Forex Brokers could give advice about whether this is a viable investment opportunity

Global Warming? Energy Crisis? No Way!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_M_Williams