It's Energy Saving Week in the UK. The Energy Saving Trust are asking people to commit to reduce their energy use, why not join in here?
Some ideas to save energy:
Only boil as much water as you need in the kettle
Use public transport, walk or ride a bike instead of driving
Don't leave appliances on standby
Fit energy saving lightbulbs and only have lights on when you're in the room
Put a jumper on rather than switch the heating on
Turn the thermostat down when you do have the heating on
Wash the laundry at 30 degrees Celsius
Fit loft insulation and cavity wall insulation
Fit double glazing
9 comments:
Whenever practical, I run my washing machine on cold. Many clothes are better off and some could go either way.
I do try to save energy, but some of these ideas are not as practicable as they appear at first sight - for instance, most of our appliances that are left on standby are ones with timers on them. Imagine reprogramming the VCR etc every time you turn it on - modern appliances just aren't designed for that. Also, you can fit energy saving bulbs, or you can turn the lights off when you leave the room,but not both - energy saving bulbs take a while to warm up, they are designed to be left on for reasonably long periods.
I usually wash on cold, 30 degrees celsius sounds quite warm to me! We also installed a ventilation system which uses warm air from the roof cavity to warm and ventilate the house - it is extremely energy efficient, as it only has to move the air, not warm it. But there is no way we can afford double glazing, and it would take about fifty years to recover the installation cost in reduced power bills.
I'm not in the UK... but I do my part for the good ol' US of A. XD I am really excited about buying all LED Christmas lights!!
Good list. I had the custodian at school come and turn my heat down. With a room full of people it seemed like a big waste to have it on 72 degrees. We really are working on conserving water.
Catherine - its just a list of suggestions. Many people wouldn't consider washing clothes on cold, but 30 degrees is achievable. We do switch off all our appliances that go on standby, its no real big deal to reprogramme the VCR or twist the timer dial on the oven. Plus when I say only have lights on when you're in the room, if you're popping in and out its not practicable or sensible to keep switching the lights on or off. Your ventilation system sounds good, but htat wouldn't be practical for a lot of people (most of those who live in flats for example) just as double glazing wouldn't be practical for you.
Abzdragon - yes I heard about those too!
Its not had much publicity really, has it?
i sometimes feel as though i spend half my life going around turning off lights....
Done!
I guess in New Zealand not nearly so many people live in flats. The ventilation system filters and dries the air, and a dry house feels warmer than a damp one, so it works well that way.
In the UK I was surprised that there were no cold water detergents. In NZ detergents designed for cold water washing have been popular for years, so it is quite a normal thing here to wash in cold water (though you are supposed to do a warm wash once in a while to clean out the machine).
I loved the double glazing in the UK, all the houses felt so warm. In the past huge picture windows have been popular in New Zealand, so it really puts the price of double glazing up, but new houses are being built with double glazing.
Catherine - your ventilation system does sound really good. Yes the Uk is pretty good in terms of double glazing being pretty widespread, particularly amongst home owners and public sector / housing association homes. You're right though that we have few cold water detergents on the market. Washing delicates in cold water is probvably fairly standard but for other clothes, most people here will go for the heated water.
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