A look at three houses in Jesmond using different technologies to reduce their energy consumption and discuss the steps taken and how well it works.
One has a solar thermal panel to produce hot water from the Sun's heat.
The second has an array of solar PV panels producing electricity and selling some back to the national grid.
The third has installed very deep loft insulation, wall insulation, underfloor insulation and double glazing. It benefits from some passive heating from the sun, which is considerable because of the insulation. It also has a recently fitted wood-burning stove.
It isn't all of the answers to climate change, or increasing prices for fossil fuels, but it shows some of the things you can do yourself. It gives you a chance to talk to the people who have had the experience and who can answer questions from their own experience.
Some of the most effective ways of reducing energy usage are also the cheapest. The Energy Saving Trust at http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/ is a good starting point for tips as well as information about grants and offers that may be available.
If you do want to reduce your energy usage you need to know what your current usage is. Recording all your meter values regularly helps show where effort is most needed and which changes are effective. If you need help motivating yourself, sites such as http://www.imeasure.org.uk/ may help by doing the arithmetic and drawing graphs for you.