One of the biggest problems facing the world today is the difficult question of energy sources. The entire world relies on energy, in some shape or form, for their everyday lives, but with the world's population ever-increasing, traditional energy resources are being rapidly depleted. With stocks of oil dwindling, focus will need to turn to other sources of energy, and renewable energy could be key to the future of the earth’s energy needs. Here at Just Radiators, we work with energy on a daily basis. We understand that things need to change, and in this article, we discuss our energy predictions for the future.

More People, More Energy

The world population has expanded to a level that’s never been seen before. There are more people alive today than there ever have been at any other point in the planet's history, and with an increasing reliance on tech, and higher standards of living, energy consumption is rising exponentially.

More people means there’s a need for more energy. Higher standards of living require more energy to keep those standards at a desirable level for the larger population, while resources are dwindling at a faster rate than they can be replaced. But the question facing us today, is where will that energy come from?

Fewer Fossil Fuels

Traditional energy sources have always been found through fossil fuels. That includes the likes of coal and oil, for instance. But in recent decades, these resources have not only proven to be unreliable in the long term, but they have proven to be huge polluters. Burning fossil fuels is contributing to global warming, while their mining and sourcing have in many places caused destruction to the environment. We are entering an age of environmental awareness and concern for the planet that we live on, and the use of fossil fuels in the future will be incompatible with those ideals. The most obvious energy prediction for the future is that there will be less reliance on fossil fuels across the board. Technologies will develop and evolve to make use of different forms of energy, as the world moves away from oil. You can already see this trend appearing in the rise of hybrid and electric cars, or even in electric radiators. This trend will only continue over the coming years too.

Renewable Energy Will Be a Key

Solar power energy.

The question then, is what will replace fossil fuels and traditional energy sources as the energy of the future? The focus of the future will be on renewable energy and greener energy sources. These will be energy sources that won’t cause as much destruction to the environment, energy sources that are more sustainable in the long term, and energy sources that are more efficient and produce less pollution.

As technology improves, so will efficiency, and there will be a marked rise in the efficiency levels of the energy being consumed across the world. Different forms of energy will be harnessed more effectively, including renewable energy sources. There will be a rise in infrastructure related to wind power and hydroelectric power. More wind power and hydroelectric power could provide alternatives to the oil and gas industries, but of course, these large infrastructure projects will come with their own environmental concerns too.

Solar power also has huge potential for the future, and harnessing the power of the sun to produce electricity has been proven to work, and not just on a small scale. Companies like Tesla have already created huge batteries, storing solar powered energy, that is strong enough and reliable enough to power vast residential areas. It’s electricity that will be the energy of the near future, that much is certain, as it can be created using environmentally friendly methods, and not just through burning gasoline or petrol.

Other options that have been given considerable media attention, mainly due to their negatives, include the likes of fracking. While these provide viable alternatives to crude oil, they bring with them just as many environmental concerns. If these dilemmas can be figured out though, they could pose good sources of energy in the long term.

There are many more unique forms of energy that can be looked into as well, ranging from the geothermal energy that is already used in countries such as Iceland, to biofuels that are created from crops and biowaste. The future of energy will certainly be innovative and exciting, that much is guaranteed. Regardless of what form it’s used in, it’s renewable energy that will be the future, at least in the next century.

Zehnder Alura Electric Aluminium Radiator in a white finish.

What Can The Average Person Do?

While it might seem like the world’s energy problems aren’t something that the average person can really do anything about, given the scale of the planet and the number of people involved, there are in fact plenty of things you can do to help the world on an individual basis.

With more people than ever before fighting for scarcer and scarcer energy resources, it’s important that we start to become more efficient with our own energy usage. And that’s something that anyone can begin to do from their own home. For starters, you can change your outdated and inefficient radiators for a modern aluminium radiator that can not only save you money on your bills but reduce your carbon footprint too.

You can switch the classic heater for a chrome alternative, giving you a swish, modern-looking appliance in place of the old device.

You can even change your energy consumption habits altogether and start making use of electric radiators to lower your financial outgoings and create a greener household environment.

There’s lots of change awaiting us, and the use of energy in the future is going to need to be drastically different to how it has been in the past decades. You can do your part, and Just Radiators can help you to create a more energy-efficient household, through our innovative range of energy saving appliances. Contact us today to find out more.