The majority of the world’s energy is generated by burning non-renewable resources. These are naturally occurring substances that cannot be reproduced, grown, generated or used on a scale to sustain it’s consumption rate. When a non-renewable resource is depleted it cannot be replaced. If they’re consumed faster than nature can create them then they are also considered non-renewable. This includes fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum, natural gas, uranium and certain aquifers. Metal ores are also examples of a non-renewable resource. Resources such as responsibly harvested timber and the wind itself are considered renewable.

Liquid Petroleum Gas – Non-Renewable

Petrol and diesel fumes are considered the greatest source of pollutants in the environment; they are the main reason for poor air quality and a known cause of health problems in the young and very old. Particulates – tiny particles of black smoke and other pollutants – are released by diesel and, to a lesser extent, by petrol engines and are the most harmful air pollutant. Particulates contribute to the deaths of an estimated 10,000 people in the United Kingdom each year. Benzene, a harmful carcinogen, is considered so dangerous that it is impossible to demonstrate a dose that carries no risk; the main source of benzene in the atmosphere is from petrol. The problem is exacerbated by another chemical, 1,3 butadiene, that is a threat at any measurable dose; approximately 6,500 tonnes are released each year from petrol engines. Many of the emissions from petrol and diesel engines are known to cause damage to the natural environment and buildings.

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Natural Gas

Natural gas consists primarily of methane (CH4) and can be used as a motor fuel in a conventional gasoline engine. It requires special storage and injection equipment and large-scale use of natural gas as a motor fuel would have to be based on cars specially built for natural gas rather than on retrofitting existing gasoline vehicles. Natural gas as a motor vehicle fuel has to be kept either under high pressure (200 bars) or in liquefied form at -162°C in order to allow vehicles to carry fuel for a sufficient range (+400 km) between refuelling. The high-pressure solution is most likely to be the technically preferred option.

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Electricity

How often do you leave a light on when it is not required? Never – it’s always someone else!

Electricity is not cheap and, in most cases, is produced by burning fossil fuels – and yet we waste it every single day.

So you’re very careful and never waste electricity but there are simple cost-effective methods of saving Money:

• When did you last look at those old, low-efficiency fluorescent tubes and think that they were not as bright as they could be?
• How many energy-efficient bulbs do you have at work or at home?
• When did you last check the thermostat on the water heater to ensure that it was set at the correct temperature?
• Do you leave equipment on standby?
• Do you put more water in the kettle than you need for your cup of tea?
• Do you leave lights on when the room is not in use?
• Do you set the temperature of your water heater too high so that you have to run cold water at the same time?

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Heating

Is your profit going up in SMOKE or out of the WINDOW? No business owner wants to lose money but if you do not have control over the heating in your business premises, YOU ARE LOSING MONEY!

Buildings are expensive to heat but older ones, without good insulation, are even more expensive. Heat losses are difficult to detect; it is important to ensure that the heat which is paid for is giving best value for money.

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Methanol and Di-Methylether (Alternative Fuels)

Methanol and Di-Methylether (DME), normally derived from natural gas, are potential alternative fuels; Methanol can be used in a gasoline engine; DME as a substitute for diesel.

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