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Protecting the planet – and your pocket
The warnings are clear, wave goodbye to patio heaters and plasma TVs or say hello to electricity rationing. Sarah Freeman reports THE environmentally friendly were once an easily spotted species. Their mating call involved quoting statistics on rain forest devastation, each summer they migrated towards the healing fields of Glastonbury and for ease of identification they helpfully wore tie-dyed T-shirts and plastic shoes.
But in recent years, things have got more complicated, their numbers have been swelled by less conspicuous members and, without realising, we have all become more environmentally-aware.
But while supermarket shelves have begun to groan under the weight of organic vegetables, while recycling has become a hobby and while the more dedicated have even taken up the call to car-share, experts continue to warn that doffing our collective hat to green issues is not enough.
If we're not careful, in just 15 years the entire country could become like a reality TV experiment, with us all transported back to the 1940s back-to-basics lifestyle, where daily power showers are replaced with a weekly tin bath, where fridges give way to cold room pantries and where even domestic central heating is heavily regulated.
"A massive 90 per cent of people think that their homes use more energy than they actually need – and they're probably right," says Philip Sellwood, chief executive of the Energy Saving Trust. "In fact, some homes are wasting as much as 250 on their annual energy bills, all of which could be saved if they simply slimmed and trimmed the way energy is used in the home. Every time a gadget or appliance is needlessly left on standby, the energy used results in carbon dioxide being emitted into the atmosphere, so it is imperative that we become more aware of how using energy has a direct impact on the environment."
While the trust is now backing new housing developments which use recycled materials, "green" roofs made of peat and solar-powered conservatories which could supply up to 50 per cent of a household's hot water needs, they haven't ruled out the possibility of fines for those who regularly waste energy.
However, before the Orwellian energy police take to the streets, such a bleak picture of life in 2020 can still be avoided.
"We can all take small measures to reduce excess levels of carbon emissions by at least 20 per cent," adds Philip. "Improving insulation, turning appliances off standby, installing energy-saving lightbulbs, turning the thermostat down by just one degree, filling cavity walls, properly insulating lofts, and upgrading to 'energy saving' appliances can reduce a household's emissions by two tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.
"Small measures make a big difference for both your pocket and the environment.
"As well as increasing energy bills, energy wastage is encouraging climate change that could prove catastrophic for the UK."
Cutting Winter Fuel Bills
Laying your loft with 10 inches of insulation can save 23 per cent of your home's energy use, saving as much as 140-170 every year.
The easiest way to save energy and money is to fill cavity walls, saving a fifth of your home's energy use, the equivalent of 100-120 on your annual energy bill.
Installing a high-efficiency condensing boiler can save about a third on your heating bills. Turning down the thermostat by one degree will trim about 30 off your annual energy bills.
Also, fitting an insulating jacket to your hot water tank can save 10-20 annually.
Replacing ordinary lightbulbs with energy-saving ones could save about 40kg of carbon dioxide and 7 every year, while switching off TVs and other appliances, rather than leaving them on standby, can save about 26 on your annual energy bills in the process.
If every household in the UK...
Installed cavity wall insulation (where possible), it would save enough energy for 1.8m homes for the same period.
Had loft insulation, the equivalent financial saving would pay the energy bills of 635,000 families for a year.
n Boiled only the water they needed, for example enough to make a cup of tea, instead of filling the kettle every time, it could save enough electricity in a year to run more than three-quarters of the street lighting in the country.
n Changed just two of their regularly used bulbs for energy-efficient ones, it would be enough to power all the street lighting in the UK.
Turned down their heating by just one degree, the savings would be equivalent to the energy consumed by all hospitals and health care facilities in the UK.
Turned off one 100W light bulb, the energy saved would be equivalent to the output of two large power stations.
If every UK business...
Turned off office lighting overnight, they would save enough energy to heat water for 1,000 cups of tea.
Switched off PC monitors overnight, instead of leaving them on standby, it would save enough energy to microwave six dinners per monitor.
Shut their windows – a typical window left open overnight in winter will waste enough energy to drive a small car over 35 miles.
Switched off all non-essential office equipment for just one night, they would save enough energy to travel over 100 miles.
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Weather for Yorkshire
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -2 C to 0 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: South
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