Aust Conserv

A new solar hot water system or better insulation would be ideal ways to spend the federal government?s Christmas bonus, helping to stimulate the domestic economy while saving money, energy and the environment at the same time.

The Clean Energy Council believes the government?s $10.4 billion stimulus package is a great opportunity for households to have a green Christmas this year while being able to enjoy the bonus, which will continue to keep giving through lower power bills.

Investment in smart energy solutions like installing insulation, solar water heaters or solar panels can cut electricity bills by at least 15-20%.

Energy efficiency and renewable energy will need to deliver more than three quarters of the world?s greenhouse emission reductions by 2030 if the world is to see only a 2°C increase in global average temperatures, the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) said yesterday.

In his keynote speech to the Clean Energy Council?s conference on the Gold Coast, Mr Nobuo Tanaka told delegates that the world?s energy system sits at a crossroads.

Current global trends in energy supply and consumption are patently unsustainable. Preventing irreversible damage to the global climate ultimately requires a major decarbonisation of world energy sources,? Mr Tanaka, Executive Director of the IEA said.