energy : conservation / insulation
Conserving energy offers the opportunity to make a real and often under-estimated contribution to combating Climate Change and Carbon emissions. Information on improving the energy efficiency of your home can be found on the website of the Energy Saving Trust, a not-for-profit organisation promoting all kinds of energy efficiency measures. Changing the energy supplier you use can also bring environmental benefits look at the websites of RSPB Energy and Green Energy UK.
Energy Efficiency - Electricity
Low-Energy Light Bulbs - Lighting accounts for around 15% of a households electricity consumption. Fitting a single low-energy light bulb can save about £7 a year off the electric bill. Tungsten incandescent light bulbs use about 90% of the electricity they use heating up the filament in the bulb until it is glowing white hot. They could more fittingly called energy-guzzler bulbs.
The National Audit Office have set out the case that the cheapest way to meet the UK's Target of a 20% carbon emissions reduction by 2020, is through energy efficiency improvements. Low-Energy light bulbs are a very well established technology, that has been around for over 20 years, work well and saves money. If you live in the Arnside/Silverdale AONB you can benefit by claiming 2 free low-energy bulbs. Call in at the AONB Offfice or the RSPB Leighton Moss Visitor Centre to collect the bulbs (and return for recycling any old energy guzzling bulbs.) AONB Residents in the Yealands can also coolect their free bulbs during the Monday morning Coffee-Stop at the Village Hall - every Monday 10:30 - 11:30 am. More information on the value of switching to low-energy bulbs is available on Ban The Bulb website.
Insulation
Thermal Insulation - All buildings leak heat in varying quantities. Cutting down on that leakage
can save both money and carbon emissions.
Insulation made from sheeps fleece is making real progress as a sustainable, eco-friendly material.
Details can be obtained from Second Nature UK.
Fuel Economy
Energy Efficiency information on all energy consuming equipment is available from all retailers of appliances and equipment. Check for information on Energy labelling.
Switch It Off!
Equipment on "Standby" uses a rather suprising amount of power. There are some "worst" case where the standby setting uses about 40% of the energy the equipment consumes when it is switched on and in use. The average energy use of equipment in standby mode is "25% of the "on" power consumption, and turning everything off when not in use rather than dropping onto standby mode will trim about £37 per year from your electric bill.
