How to save £5 billion per year
July 23, 2008 at 4:05 am
UK households could save £5 billion a year by buying ‘green goods’, according to Climate Change Minister, Joan Ruddock. Many of our biggest energy using products – including set-top boxes, fridges and washing machines – will be replaced with more efficient models without us even noticing.
Sadly, the Government has not arranged for the White Goods Fairy to sneak in and replace our old energy-guzzling appliances at the dead of night. Ms Ruddock was speaking at the launch of the Progress Report on Sustainable Products and Materials (10 July 2008), which describes what the Government has been doing, and what it plans to do, to address environmental impacts arising from products, services and materials consumed in the UK.
There are many worthy initiatives under way, particularly those examining the whole life cycle impacts of products and services – that is, from raw materials to end-of-life disposal – and it’s good to see that the Government treats this as a priority. Also encouraging is their assertion that green goods must become the norm on our high street shelves.
But how do we save our individual slice of this £5 billion? With around 25 million households in the UK, each one should be saving £200 every year – but what should we spend our money on in order to save?
Well, don’t rush out to the shops just yet… many of these energy saving products and services are not yet available. The report reveals that real progress will not be made for some years; even our old, inefficient incandescent light bulbs will remain on the shelves until 2011 despite the fact that “energy saving light bulbs can reduce lighting costs by up to £100 over the lifetime of the bulb”. Many of the Government’s plans set target dates of 2020 or even 2030.
In the face of the seemingly inevitable economic downturn, it seems we have not been offered a new and painless way of saving money after all. It’s good to know that our children’s generation should find it easier to be green consumers but, in the meantime, we must continue to find our own way through the maze of eco-promises and do the best we can.
Green energy revolution on its way
July 16, 2008 at 7:34 pm
The UK could soon be witnessing a new Industrial Revolution. However, rather than coal, it will be wind, sunlight and thermal heat that power the change.
A recent government consultation has seen renewable energy put firmly back on the table. In a bid to reach the EU target of 15% of energy coming from renewable sources, it has been decided that action must be taken swiftly if any real changes are going to take place.
The changes are likely to see six times as many onshore wind farms being built in the next 12 years, with even more offshore wind farms planned. As the windiest place in the UK, it has also been decided that nearly half of our wind energy is to come from Scotland. The other major areas that are going to see radical changes are bio-energy, microgeneration and biofuels, all of which will undergo huge developments.
After a speech last week, Prime Minister Gordon Brown called for a national debate on the matter, stating that the changes would “require national purpose and a shared national endeavour”.
However, the proposed plans have not come without warnings. Business Secretary, John Sutton, who unveiled the blueprint, said that bills were expected to rise as the changes take effect, and that they would require £100 billion in investment. There would also be a shortage of resources and workers needed to carry out all of the developments.
On the bright side, the changes would lead to many more jobs being created, bountiful clean energy and large savings being made in the long term. With all of the recent rises in oil prices, they would also provide security for our energy sources for many years to come.
Stagecoach to use renewable energy
July 8, 2008 at 3:00 pm
The public transport giants, Stagecoach, have finally realised that buses and coaches are affecting the environment. Deals have been struck and plans have been put into place for the bus company to seek most of its fuel for its sites from renewable and environmentally friendly sources.
A £3.5 million deal with electricity supplier, Opus Energy, will see Stagecoach invest in at least 2 years’ worth of electricity from renewable sources and will see up to 70% of the power needed for the company’s various HQs up and down the country come from green initiatives.
Power will come from hydro sources, on-shore wind turbines and biomass as well as from low-carbon emitting power plants and generators. It will all go towards powering 240 Stagecoach sites across the UK from where a total of around 7000 buses operate, taking us around our towns, cities and across the countryside.
On top of the Opus deal, Stagecoach has also rolled out the use of Smart Meters. The Meters are placed at every Stagecoach depot and provide accurate measurements showing exactly how much electricity each site uses. A Smart Meter is a very useful and increasingly popular device that allows energy users in all commercial and residential environments to keep in direct contact with the amount of energy they choose to use. It’s accurate to the decimal place and it even amazingly has the capability to help you sell back unused energy to the supplier, which Stagecoach will be embracing too.
Stagecoach understand their position of responsibility within the UK’s environmental position and so are said to be welcoming the new deal and are eager to cut down their annual CO2 emissions as much as they can.
One in three of us getting inaccurate bills
July 1, 2008 at 2:44 am
If you’re the sort of person who never bothers to check their energy bills, you might like to re-think your tactics. According to a recent survey by uSwitch, one household in three has received an inaccurate bill in the last two years. You may think the Inland Revenue are not always on the ball but the energy companies can obviously give them a run for their money.
Part of the problem, of course, is the outmoded method of basing bills on estimated meter readings and often having to rely on customers to read their own meters. Over 11 million of us end up owing money because our actual consumption turns out to be more than the figure estimated. For most of us the shortfall is around £137 but about one in ten of us ends up with a debt ranging between £200 and £500. Only 26% of bills turn out to be accurate, with more of us being owed money by the provider (40%) than vice versa (26%).
Smart meters would seem to be the solution but, for now, several of the energy companies are trying out different methods in an attempt to put their bad reputation for accuracy behind them. EDF Energy is tempting its customers with Nectar points for reading their own meters, whilst others are inviting customers to text their meter readings. E.ON are meanwhile investing £2 million into smart meters which will give remote live readings. The days of this technology being available across the board is, however, a long way off, so for now customers are advised to check their meter carefully and to compare the figures against the consumption shown on their bill.
