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From WSJDN
Earth Savings
How to reduce energy consumption, save money and help the environment
Apart from the obvious benefits to people’s pockets, saving energy will also help ease environmental and energy security concerns. Small lifestyle changes by individuals on a national scale could potentially make big differences to overall energy consumption. It is a fact that U.S. citizens make up just 5% of the global population and yet consume 20% of its energy. This imbalance needs addressing. “Consumers can’t always see the benefits of energy efficiency to them,” says Richard Bradley, head of the energy efficiency and environment division at the IEA in Paris. But according to the Energy Saving Trust, the average home can save around £340 (€395) by following simple recommendations.
Local authorities also play a role. “Governments should create efficient policies and make more information available,” adds Mr. Bradley. The IEA recently launched its Energy Efficiency Policy recommendations in which it provided tools to help governments save energy at a low cost. Here is a guide for governments, consumers and companies alike to save energy and money.
Put that Light Out
Conventional lighting is one of the key areas homeowners should tackle to reduce their electricity bills. In the U.K. people spend about £2.4 billion on electricity to power their lighting.
This represents a whopping 17% of all of the world’s energy and electricity consumption in buildings. “If consumers buy compact fluorescent lamps, or CFLs, they can make a significant difference in their energy consumption,” says the IEA’s Mr. Bradley. “Incandescent bulbs will last about 1,000 hours but a CFL lasts 5,000 hours.”
Check for Cavities
Most homes are under-insulated so increasing insulation is a very easy way to be cost effective. Moving to more efficient windows will make a lot of difference, according to the IEA. The Energy Saving Trust estimates homeowners could potentially save £160 on annual heating bills by identifying “cavities” or heat lost in a property as a result of poor insulation. But buyer beware. A recent investigation by consumer affairs organization Which? found that mis-selling and bad advice is rife.
Mind Your Watts and Joules
According to the Energy Saving Trust, heating rooms and water in a household amounts to between 50% and 70% of total household energy use. This makes it of paramount importance to monitor energy consumption, for which there are tools available. “In the U.K. current systems remain incredibly primitive. People need to be able to set up an on-and-off heating system that matches their lifestyle. We have different patterns of consumption during the week than on weekends, for example,” says Joel Haggan, chief executive of Onzo, a company that makes a device that gives consumers real time information about how much electricity they consume in their home.
Lead From the Front
Governments play a critical role in reducing energy consumption. As tenants of large buildings, they can look to generate more environmentally friendly practices. By leading from the front, governments establish moral authority. “Having done that [they] are in a position to introduce legislation and encourage energy reduction,” says Paul Younger, at the University Institute for Research on Sustainability.
He says legislation is already in place but some targets have been set either too low or too high. In the U.K., for instance, the aim is to reduce current carbon emissions by 50% by 2040 and 80% by 2050. Some argue this is way too ambitious. The European Union, on the other hand, has a target of reducing current emissions by 20% by 2040, which some say is too little.
Better Your Batteries
Despite advances in other energy saving technology, batteries remain bulky and don’t last long enough. This could be about to change. IBM is working on a battery that could potentially last 10 times longer than the average battery in use today. “Batteries may disappear altogether in smaller devices,” says Lucy Chapman of IBM U.K. “By rethinking the basic building block of electronic devices, the transistor, IBM is aiming to reduce the amount of energy per transistor to less than 0.5 volts. With energy demands this low, we might be able to lose the battery altogether in some devices like mobile phones or e-readers.”
Embrace Change
Telling people they are going to face horrible consequences as a result of damaging the environment hasn’t worked. In fact, it “paralyses people with fear and they lose motivation,” says Mr. Younger. Companies and governments need to make it easier for people to change.
One way is through a carrot-and-stick approach. Some employers will offer public transport discounts through their payroll, while at the same time making car parking spaces more expensive. Businesses have gradually embraced cultural change.
“Simple office environment tweaks, such as removing bins from desks, introducing filtered water systems and the introduction of video conferencing in every office, have resulted in more engaged and green-aware employees,” says a spokesperson for GyroHSR, a New York-based advertising agency.
