The 10:10 Challenge – Save on electricity – be bright!

by Joc Sanders, Nenagh Carbon Watchers

Retailers must by EU law display an

energy efficiency rating on new appliances

- use it!

‘The old tumbler dryer finally died’, said my friend, ‘the wife insists the new one must have an A energy rating. But it’s so much more expensive than a C.’ ‘Listen to the wife,’ I told him, ‘it’s always a good policy. But in this case she’s spot on. ‘Which?’ tests show that a C-rated dryer costs 70c per load for electricity but an A-rated one only 28c. At 5 loads a week the A-rated dryer saves more than €100 a year - you’ll be quids in!’

Saving electricity at home cuts CO2 emissions at the power station, reducing global warming and saving money on the bills. You would be pretty dim not to follow these 3 steps:

Step 1: Switch off and unplug
When you leave a light on that’s not needed, or leave an appliance on standby, you are wasting electricity. Stopping the waste is the first step to saving. So turn off the lights when you leave a room. Turn off appliances, TVs, computers and phone chargers rather than leaving them on standby, unless you have a recent model with a special energy-saving mode.

Step 2: Use appliances and lights more efficiently
Don’t boil more water than you need – it will save electricity and be a lot quicker. A dishwasher or washing machine uses the same amount of electricity regardless of the amount of clothes or dishes in it - so wait until you have a full load before starting it. Dryers use a lot of power – so if the weather is fine consider hanging the clothes out on a line as our grandmothers used to – the sun and the breeze are free! If you use external lights at night fit them with motion detectors, so that they only come on when they are needed.

Step 3: Buy efficient appliances and lights
The traditional tungsten filament light bulb is so inefficient that their sale has now been banned. But it makes sense to change out your old bulbs before they fail, since the lifetime cost of the new efficient CFL bulb is 20% of the old one.

The biggest users of electricity around the home are the tumbler dryer (up to €1 per cycle), the refrigerator (30c per day), the washing machine (48c per cycle), the dishwasher (30c per cycle) and the plasma TV (56c per day). But there is a big variation in the amount of electricity different models use. Retailers are now obliged by EU law to display energy efficiency labels (see the picture) on the products they sell, rating them from A to G, with A the most efficient. Always check the rating before you buy a new appliance. Aim for the highest rating possible to save emissions - frequently any extra cost will be more than outweighed by savings in your electricity bills.

Renewable Electricity
It is now possible to get domestic scale wind turbines to make your own electricity when the wind is blowing, and you can also sell any surplus to the ESB. But the capital investment is large, and unless you live in a particularly exposed windy place your savings are unlikely to repay the investment.

However one thing any of us can do is to make the switch to an electricity supplier that consistently supplies a high proportion of renewable electricity. All suppliers make claims for their commitment to increase the renewable electricity they supply: Airtricity won the Green Energy Award this year for supplying the most; Bord Gais say they will increase renewable electricity to 30% by 2012; and ESB plan to increase theirs to one third by 2020. The latest figures certified by the Energy Regulator are for 2008, when Airtricity supplied 69% renewable electricity, ESB 12% and Bord Gais 8%. In order to encourage the move to renewable electricity, I have made the change to Airtricity. But I will continue to monitor the certified figures and change again if the figures suggest I should.

For more information and to take the 10:10 pledge see www.1010.ie or contact Nenagh Carbon Watchers (email nenaghcarbonwatchers@gmail.com).

The 10:10 Challenge - Cut car emissions, save money and be healthier

by Joc Sanders, Nenagh Carbon Watchers

‘I’m in shock’, said my friend. ‘It just cost me €55 to fill up the car – that’s more than a quarter of the weekly pension. What with this new carbon tax I can’t afford to go anywhere – but what can I do?’ ‘You can’t blame the carbon tax’, say I, ‘because at 4.2c per litre of petrol that’s less than 4% of what you pay. But you do need to find ways to drive less or increase your miles per litre.’

We all know by now that we must find ways to cut our personal carbon emissions to halt global warming – I’m on track to save 10% in 2010 – how are you doing? Since family cars account for around a third of household carbon emissions in Ireland, we need to cut down on the fuel we put in our cars, either by driving less or driving with fewer emissions. Let’s not kid ourselves this will be easy. Over the last 50 years of cheap, plentiful oil our whole way of life has become dependent on using cars more and more – it will take time for this to change. But there are many things we can all do to make savings right now.

First, think before you jump in the car. For a short journey less than a couple of miles consider walking or cycling – you’ll be healthier too! Join with other parents to set up a ‘walking bus’ to walk your younger children safely between home and school rather than driving them – the exercise will be good for them. Plan to combine errands into a single trip. Take off the roof-rack if you’re not using it, and take unnecessary stuff out of the boot – both increase fuel consumption.

Second, follow ecodriving guidelines - they can save 5-10% of fuel and emissions, and reduce accidents too:

• Easy does it – Drive smoothly, accelerate gently and read the road ahead to avoid unnecessary braking.
• Change up earlier – Try changing up at an engine speed of around 2000 rpm in a diesel car or around 2500 rpm in a petrol car. This can make such a difference that all cars will likely be fitted in future with Gear Shift indicators on the dashboard to indicate the most efficient gear change points.
• Turn it off – Any electrical load increases fuel consumption, so turn off your heated rear windscreen, demister blowers and headlights, when you don't need them.
• Stick to the limits – Drive at or within the speed limit – the faster you go the greater the fuel consumption and the greater the emissions too. Driving at 70mph uses up to 9% more fuel than at 60mph and up to 15% more than at 50mph. Cruising at 80mph can use up to 25% more fuel than at 70mph.

Third, look for public transport alternatives for regular trips, like commuting to work. And if there are none, consider sharing a ride to work with a colleague or two – the time will pass much faster!

But there is no reason to stop there.

When you next change your car, make sure you choose a car in the best emissions rating bands (A under 120 CO2g/km, or B120-140 CO2g/km). Not only will you save on fuel and emissions, but you will help your pocket with big savings on VRT and Road Tax.

Looking further ahead consider an electric car. From 2011 mainstream manufacturers Renault, Peugeot and Mitsubishi will start supplying electric cars. The initial cost will be higher than for petrol or diesel, due to the high cost of batteries, but the fuel costs will be much lower – perhaps one sixth. Emissions will also be lower, even if the electricity comes from fossil fuels, but lower still for green renewable electricity. Electric cars will be charged on cheap night rate electricity at home, giving a range of 60-120km, for around €2.50. The ESB plans to install 1,500 public ‘juice points’ for recharging in towns and cities right across the country between now and 2012. Living in a rural area, and occasionally needing to drive longer distances, I would prefer an electric car with an auxiliary petrol or diesel engine to extend the range – so I’m interested to see that the Opel Ampera, scheduled for launch in 2011, will have a battery range of 60km and an extended range of 500km.

I’m getting quite excited already – I reckon it’s time to lobby the Council for juice points in all towns and villages!

For more information and to take the 10:10 pledge see www.1010.ie or contact Nenagh Carbon Watchers (nenaghcarbonwatchers@gmail.com, or phone Joc on 087 699 6775).