Energy

Designed by Malcolm Coxall

1001 Ways to Save the World

Free to read, free to reproduce

· Where does it all go? An introduction
· Reducing Energy Consumption
· Reducing Energy Losses and waste
· Buying appliances
· Solar and Wind Energy in the Home
· Other alternative energy sources

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YOUR choice!

Tip 1201	Why do it?	Do What? and How?	Is it Easy? Is it Green?
Use rechargable batteries for everything. Don't use throwaway batteries	Its much cheaper per unit of electricity, it saves waste, reduces contamination of the ground and water and reduces CO2 in battery production	What: Just spend the money on buying a charger and rechargable batteries for all battery powered appliances. How: Each week buy a few until everything is using rechargable batteries The new ones last a long time and give great power.	Green: Easy:

Use rechargable batteries

Use Low Energy Bulbs

Tip 1202	Why do it?	Do What? and How?	Is it Easy? Is it Green?
Replace all light bulbs with Low Energy Bulbs	25% of all domestic energy goes into lighting. Energy bulbs reduce lighting energy conumptyion and costs by 75% so you could easily and cheaply redice your energy consumption by nearly 20%-	What: Replacing incandescent bulbs with energy saving bulbs will reduce the your lighting costs by 80% and the lifespan of an energy bulb is 8 times that of an incandescent bulb.This further reduces your replacement costs, and reduces hassle. Energy bulbs are expensive (because the EU wont remove the tarrifs on Chinese energy bulbs to make them cheaper). Despite this they have a dramatic and continuous effect on energy consumption. How: Buy a couple every week and you will soon be completely low-energy	Green: Easy:

Always buy Energy efficient white goods

Tip 1204	Why do it?	Do What? and How?	Is it Easy? Is it Green?
Buy the hightest Energy efficiency rated white goods you can. Start looking at A or A+ and don't comprimise unless you really have to	White goods, expecially fridges, freezers and washing machines which are in constant use, are our major consumers of energy along with lighting. Buying Energy efficient products is good for the environment and very good for the purse.	What: These days you can buy white goods in all energy classes right up to Class A+ A is better than E. Energy efficient products tend to be a bit more expensive but you get the difference back after a couple of electricity bills in saved energy and money. Also just sit down and calculate the payback.... How to decide - the payback on energy efficiency? How many years does it take to get the payback in saved energy and money. How: Always ask for the energy efficiency of the item you are buying and always buy the most energy efficient model you can.	Green: Easy:

Keep the Fridge and Deep freeze doors closed

Tip 1205	Why do it?	Do What? and How?	Is it Easy? Is it Green?
Keep the Fridge and Deep freeze doors closed . this saves a lot of wasted energy, and money and keeps your food fresher	Leaving the fridge or freezer doors open means they have to work harder and use more energy (and money)	What: If you leave the fridge or freezer open, the warm air in the kitchen starts to defrost them. When you close the door again, the fridge or freezer has to work hard to get the temperature back to the safe level again. How: Just close the door and moan at the kids to close the door.	Green: Easy:

Only boil as much hot water as you need

Tip 1206	Why do it?	Do What? and How?	Is it Easy? Is it Green?
Only boil as much hot water as you need	Because boiling 5 litres of water for one cup of coffee is a gross waste of energy and money.	What: If you boil a load of water and then just use a little bit, the rest sits there and goes cold and the energy you used is wasted. How: Don't fill the kettle up, just put in as much as you need , otherwise you are just boiling water to waste....	Green: Easy:

Reduce your central heating thermostat by 1 degree

Tip 1207	Why do it?	Do What? and How?	Is it Easy? Is it Green?
Reduce your central heating thermostat setting by 1 degree and save a load of energy and money	1 degree drop in thermostat setting can reduce your energy costs by 10%. You wont notice the drop in termperature from 21 to 20 degrees celcius	What: Small reductions in heating and cooling have a dramatic effect on energy consumption and almost no impact on comfort levels. People tend to set thermostats very high to get quick heat or cooling. Of course, this has no effect on how fast you get the effect at all. How: Put your heating thermostat down by 1 degree in the winter. In the summer turn the Air-conditioning down by just 1 degree	Green: Easy:

If you aren't using it then switch it off

Tip 1203	Why do it?	Do What? and How?	Is it Easy? Is it Green?
If you aren't using it, then just switch it off	4% of our energu costs go in leaving appliances on stand-by of just leaving them on because we might need them (even when we are asleep, we need to keep that printer and PC switched on!, and that TV on standby and that Stereo amp ready to go at a moments notice!)	What: Don't leave lights on in rooms no-one is using, switch off the stereo and TV when you aren't using them and switch off the PC and printer when you don't need it. How: Look when you go to bed, just switch it all OFF! Thats a good start!	Green: Easy:

Energy

Ensure your roof is properly insulated against cold (and heat)

Tip 1208	Why do it?	Do What? and How?	Is it Easy? Is it Green?
More than 25% of energy is lost through the roof of a house without adequate insulation	Hot air rises and in cold climates conentrates around the roof a house. If the roof isn't adequately insulated then the energy is lost by radiation into the cold ouside atmosphere. In hot climates the sun beats relentlessly on the roof warming the house and if the roof isn't properly insulated, the unpleasant heat forces th inhabitatnts to use air-conditioning	What: Use the highest quality and grad of roof insulation available. Its pretty much an obligayion now in modern building practice. How: Pleanty of advice on this on the internet and from local government.	Green: Easy:

Install Double or Triple Glazing to reduce heat losses

Tip 1209	Why do it?	Do What? and How?	Is it Easy? Is it Green?
		What: How:	Green: Easy:

Install draught excluder on doors windows, letter boxes etc

Tip 1210	Why do it?	Do What? and How?	Is it Easy? Is it Green?
		What: How:	Green: Easy:

Avoid dirty fuels like coal

Tip 1211	Why do it?	Do What? and How?	Is it Easy? Is it Green?
Don't burn coal	Coal is a dirty fuel producing CO2, NO2, S02, SO3, and a lot carcinogens and particulates	What: Coal is the crudest and dirtiest of all fossil fuels. Give it a complete miss! How: Use gas instead. Wood / Turf or biomass fuels are better than coal, gas is the cleanest, biomass is CO2 neutral, oil is also not very clean but better than coal	Green: Easy:

Switch appliances off standy (CD, satellite etc)

Tip 1212	Why do it?	Do What? and How?	Is it Easy? Is it Green?
Switch your TV, satellite, stereo, video, DVD OFF. Forget standby	Save 2% by switching your appliance OFF rather than leabing them on stand-by,	What: Standby uses a small amount of energy to keep appliances "ready to use with rem ote controls" How: Just switch them off instead.	Green: Easy:

If Its cold, try a jumper

Tip 1213	Why do it?	Do What? and How?	Is it Easy? Is it Green?
If it's a bit cold in your house, put on a jumper don't turn up the heat	Saves probably 10% to 15% of your energy costs	What: Dont assume you have a god given right to walk around in your Bermuda short in mid January in Northern Europe, you don't. How: Dress a little sensibly even when at home!	Green: Easy:

Install a woodstove if you can

Tip 1214	Why do it?	Do What? and How?	Is it Easy? Is it Green?
If you physically can, install a wood stove or wood pellet stove	Its more or less CO2 neutral, is economical and cosy.	What: There are wood stoves of the traditional type and there are pellet burning stoves which will run your central heating. Wood is considered a smokeless fuel in most countries How: See what you can fit in.	Green: Easy:

If you install Air conditioning, install inverter types with latest propellants

Tip 1215	Why do it?	Do What? and How?	Is it Easy? Is it Green?
If you need to install AC, install the latest and the best	There is a lot of junk AC units on the market using now banned CFCs and which are terribly inefficient	What: Check the CFCs to make sure it isn't now bannedm (and therefore unavailable for maintenance use!). Check the ratio of output to input energy. The higher the better How: Do the research first and don't just buy the cheapest.... it will NOT pay,	Green: Easy: