In the home
One-sixth of the energy produced world-wide is used in the home — more than the Middle Eastern oil nations produce every year.
Consumption of electricity and gas creates a significant proportion of greenhouse pollution. Much of this use is unnecessary.
Around three-quarters of the energy used in the typical British home, for example, is devoted to water and space heating, like central heating — about a third of this is wasted due to poor insulation.
Energy-efficient light bulbs are on the market that offer electricity savings of up to eighty per cent, and a lifetime five times as long as traditional bulbs. If you lower your thermostat by just one degree Celsius, the amount of energy you use — and your heating bill — could be reduced by almost ten per cent.
There are many, many ways in which we can be more energy-efficient in the home and thereby reduce the greenhouse effect. And it's not just a question of energy use. Eliminating waste and over-consumption can reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a number of areas as we shall see in later sections.
Walk round your house and identify the ways in which you are contributing to the greenhouse problem. The following points represent a few first steps you can take to limit global warming.
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If you are buying a flat or house, check its energy efficiency |
Find out how energy-efficient your future home is by undertaking a home energy audit or by asking your surveyor to check the extent of loft insulation and other energy-saving measures.
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If you are a local government tenant, ask your local authority for an energy audit |
Government-owned property should be designed for maximum energy conservation. An energy audit will reveal whether or not this is the case. Both you and the local authority will benefit from energy savings. If such measures were standard, heating bills would be reduced and there would be less default on rents — putting a priority on heating payments is often a major cause.
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Insulate your home |
You can gain a lot by properly insulating lofts, walls, windows, doors water pipes, hot water tanks and floors. Did you know that if British homes were insulated to Danish standards, carbon dioxide emissions could be reduced by over half a million tonnes a year? Lagging a hot-water tank with a thick jacket can reduce heat loss by three-quarters, covering the initial outlay in just weeks. About half the houses in the United Kingdom, for instance, have cavity walls — insulating these walls can reduce heat loss by 50 per cent. (There are a number of different materials used in cavity wall insulation. Do be sure to avoid urea formaldehyde (UF) and polystyrene because of the toxins and other harmful pollutants they contain.)
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Insulate windows and doors and think about double glazing |
Draughts through windows and doors can account for as much as fifteen per cent of the total heat loss in a typical British home. Single-glazed windows alone are responsible for up to a quarter of the heat lost. Double-glazing can halve this loss. Double-glazing with low-emissivity glass can halve it again! There are other benefits, too — double glazing reduces both condensation and external noise. Do make sure you use a reputable firm, though, and that you still have good ventilation and can leave the house through a window in an emergency.
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Keep heating to a minimum |
If possible, have thermostats fitted to all your radiators — or make sure that the radiators are off in rooms you don't use. Check all your thermostats for maximum sensitivity, and replace them if necessary. You should also fit a thermostat to your hot water cylinder. Keep it at 120°F or 50°C.
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If you have central heating, use a time switch |
A lot of energy can be saved by making sure heating is off when the house is empty. If you work away from home, make sure that your heating comes on only in the mornings and evenings. Remember, too, that your heating system will work best when regularly serviced.
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Whenever possible, use cold water rather than hot |
Try using cold water to rinse dishes and floors — you'll save a lot of energy! Do not do the washing until you have a full load and use economy/cool settings. If you have very dirty laundry, try pre-soaking it rather than washing it twice or using a very hot setting.
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Avoid using automatic dryers and limit ironing to necessities |
Hang clothes outside whenever you can rather than tumble drying. If you need to iron, plan your ironing sessions: start with cooler settings, working up to the hotter ones to save energy.
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Don't buy unnecessary electric appliances |
Dishwashers, electric carving knives, hairdryers, electric coffee machines, electric mixers and so on are rarely essential. Think hard before you buy and, if you do buy, then think hard before you use. A typical dishwasher uses as much as fourteen gallons of hot water a load. And are they really labour-saving? Many household jobs can be done as efficiently if hands are used.
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Buy the most energy-efficient appliances available |
If your local dealer cannot advise you as to the most energy-efficient washing machine, freezer or fridge, tell them they should be able to! Consumer guides can be invaluable here — so research before you go shopping. Gas cookers can use as little as a third the amount of energy used by electric cookers. Insist that your local council collects and recycles the CFCs in old fridges. Washing machines are available which are weight-sensitive. They select the right amount of water for the weight of clothes in the load.
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Substitute energy-efficient lighting for traditional bulbs |
These are more expensive initially, but the total cost of energy-efficient lighting is about half that of traditional lighting. Not only do energy-efficient bulbs consume a fraction of the electricity — they last five times longer. Simply changing one traditional bulb for an energy-efficient one can keep half a tonne of carbon dioxide out of the air.
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Reducing lighting and heating levels and switch off what you're not using |
Beware of wasted energy. Turn off lights when you are not using a room — and train your children and visitors to do the same. Reduce overall lighting by using desk or side lamps rather than overhead lighting. Fit dimmer switches and replace existing bulbs with lower wattage ones if possible. Turn the thermostat on your heating system down — at least 1°C — and wear a sweater. Don't leave appliances on — even on stand-by — when they are not in use.
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Whatever your appliance, maximise its efficiency |
Use a kettle rather than a pan to boil water and only boil the amount of water you need. Descale kettles regularly — they'll work more efficiently. Put lids on pans when cooking. Avoid keeping your fridge too cold and remember to defrost it regularly. Do not use a larger fridge-freezer than you need. For maximum efficiency, keep your freezer section three-quarters full and stuff empty spaces with newspaper.
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Learn more about saving energy |
Electricity and gas showrooms should be good sources of information on home energy conservation, stocking pamphlets containing practical ideas for saving energy and money. If they're not, ask why not. The more people ask for information, the more likely they are to respond to demand.