Baltic Environmental Forum Latvia Antonijas iela 3-8 LV-1010 Riga, Latvia www.bef.lv Baltic Environmental Froum Deutschland e. V. Osterstraße 58 20259 Hamburg, Germany www. bef-de.org Energy smart living
The sole responsibility for the content of this publication lies with the authors. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Union. Neither the EACI nor the European Commission are responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein. Authors: Matthias Grätz Baltic Environmental Forum Germany Editor Rachel Hideg Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe Translation: XXXXX XXXXX Layout: Philipp Engewald Baltic Environmental Forum Germany Printing: Printing Company, Inc. Pty Ltd Plc. 12, Typographer Grove 12345 Colorswatchtown Country Copyright 2011 Baltic Environmental Forum Group and... Cover image: haushaltsgeld.net PIXELIO Images are reproduced with kind permission ıntense energy efficiency
PRACTICAL STEPS The aim of this brochure is give you some ideas for saving energy at home. Most of the suggestions are easy to implement and take only a few seconds. However, once they have become part of your everyday routine, you will soon notice the benefits of lower fuel bills. Remember: the cheapest energy is the energy you do not consume. Heating and ventilating Heating is one of the biggest household expenses, especially in colder climates with long winters and a high number of heating days. Appropriate heating and ventilation can help you create a comfortable interior and prevent unnecessary heat loss. This will save you money while protecting the environment. The interior temperature should be adjusted separately for each room, if possible. Rooms that you are not using for much of the day do not need to be fully heated. A temperature of around 20 to 21 C in the living room and kitchen is comfortable, even in winter. Fig. 1. Some thermostatic valves indicate the right setting for the desired room temperature. Image: P. Engewald IIn bedrooms, a temperature of 17 or 18 C should be sufficient for most people. Wearing an extra layer is a cheaper and more environmentally friendly solution than turning up the heating. For each degree you raise the temperature, your fuel bill will be 6 percent higher. 1
Adequate ventilation can be ensured in winter by opening your windows widely two or three times a day for five to 10 minutes. Leaving windows ajar for longer periods in cold weather will waste energy and cool down the walls next to the open window. Washing and drying Modern washing machines offer an ever-increasing number of programmes and special features, and many have built-in dryers. Although this may make life easier, you can end up wasting a lot of energy when washing and drying your laundry. If you are thinking of buying a new washing machine, remember to check the energy label: the appliance should belong to efficiency category A at least, although the best options are A+, A++ or even A+++ (from 2011). The higher the number of plus signs, the lower the energy consumption of the appliance. Since new washing machines use water more efficiently and can save you up to half of your energy costs, it makes sense to upgrade to a new appliance rather than repairing an old model. Washing powders and liquids are also far more powerful today, which means that they are effective at 30 or 40 degrees for almost all your laundry. According to the German Öko-Institut, reducing washing temperature from 60 to 40 degrees can save up to 45 percent of your energy consumption, while reducing from 40 to 30 degrees saves a further 30 to 40 percent. 2
Fig. 2. Most laundry can be washed at 30 degrees. Avoid running your washing machine half full: it is far more energy efficient to run it when fully loaded. The washer drum should be filled loosely with laundry: remember that the clothes should be able to move around and that overfilling will damage your machine. Connecting your machine to the hot water tap is more efficient than heating the water in the washing machine: the hot water from your tap is usually produced from a more energy efficient source (gas or district heating), while your washing machine uses electricity to heat the water, which is usually less environmentally friendly. Tumble dryers should be used sparingly. Drying clothes indoors, or where possible outside in warm weather, will save large amounts of energy and money. Bear in mind that dryers are huge energy eaters and should be avoided as much as possible. 3
Cooking Some very simple steps will save you energy when cooking. Putting a lid on your saucepan means that the contents will heat up more quickly and the cooking time will be reduced. Vegetables require only a small amount of water: with a lid on the saucepan they will cook in the steam, saving you time and energy. If you have an electric cooker, the hotplates can be turned off 10 to 15 minutes before the food is cooked, since the plates will retain sufficient heat. Make sure that you use saucepans that have approximately the same diameter as your hotplates to avoid heat loss. If you have an electric cooker, your saucepans should be flat-bottomed to allow maximum heat transfer. Fig. 3. Use the right plate for your pot: both should have approximately the same size (right). Images: P. Engewald Using a kettle is generally more energy efficient than boiling water on a hotplate. You should only boil as much water as you actually need. Keeping your kettle clean and free from lime scale will also ensure that it is working as efficiently as possible. Standby switch Many household appliances are fitted with a standby switch or, in the worst case, have a standby mode only and do not switch off entirely. When appliances are in standby mode they continue to consume energy, and the same is true for chargers that are left plugged into the socket when not in use. Turning off your electrical devices entirely and unplugging chargers is a good habit to get into: one of the easiest solutions is to 4
use a multiple outlet strip with one main switch (a so-called master slave socket). Turning off the entire socket strip allows you to eliminate standby mode from your television, DVD-player, stereo and plugged-in chargers in one go. Fig. 4. Don t forget to switch off your devices entirely and not to leave them in stanby mode. Image: P. Engewald The energy consumption of your appliances when left in standby mode can be measured using an electricity meter that can be purchased or rented from your electricity supplier. It is a worthwhile exercise and you may find the results surprising. Fig. 5. Using master slave sockets allows you to easily switch off devices entirely. Images: P. Engewald 5
Computers should also be shut down entirely when you finish work. While standby mode is a useful energy-saving option for short breaks, your operating system will be consuming energy unnecessarily if left on standby mode for a longer period. When purchasing a new electrical device, the available standby options should become one of your priority criteria when deciding between the various products on the market. Lighting You are probably already using energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL) in your home as the European Union has now banned conventional light bulbs due to their high energy consumption. Another option to consider in the future are light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs, which are even more efficient than modern CFL bulbs. There are already a number of LED lamps available on the market that are worth investigating, and further innovations can be expected in the coming years. Fig. 6. Mondern compact fluorescent lightbulbs (left) use a fraction of energy compared to older bulbs (right). Image: wrw PIXELIO. 6
ENERGY SMART LIVING: A QUESTION OF SMALL DECISIONS Buying new appliances When replacing a household appliance, remember to take energy consumption into consideration. In most cases, energy-efficient models are no more expensive to buy, while the difference in running costs will soon become apparent. As mentioned above, energy labels indicate energy efficiency on a scale from G, the most inefficient, to A+++. Some countries publish a so-called top-10 website, indicating the most energy efficient products in each appliance category. The European portal www.topten.info/ will guide you to the relevant page for your country. There are plenty of appliances on the market designed to make our lives easier and more comfortable. But do we actually need them all? How much time and effort does an electric tin opener actually save? Remember that the adverts will sell you the benefits while omitting to mention increased energy consumption and higher fuel bills. Purchasing green electricity You can take a positive step towards environmental protection by choosing a green electricity provider. Although this does not mean that the electricity you obtain from your socket comes directly from your local wind farm or hyrdo-power plant, it does ensure that your provider is supplying green electricity to the grid. However, not all of the apparently green providers have a green philosophy. Investigate for yourself and identify which providers invest their profits back into renewable energy sources. Using renewable resources 7
Using renewables In addition to purchasing green electricity, you can actively switch to using renwables in your home. There are several possible ways to make use of solar energy, including solar panels that generate electricity or solar thermal installations that produce hot water during most of the year. In colder regions, it may not be possible to produce sufficient hot water from a solar installation between October and March, so an additional energy supply may be needed. In warmer months, solar technology can be efficient even on overcast days, although to function effectively panels should always be installed on south-facing roofs. Fig. 7. Solar panels on a roof Image: D. Indriksone. Another alternative for switching from fossil fuels is to heat with wood chips, wood pellets or other forms of biomass. However, installations of this kind may have some disadvantages, including increased emissions of particulate matter. You can search on the Internet or approach your local engineering office for advice. 8
Mobility As mentioned above, the best and cheapest energy is energy that is not consumed at all. A lot of energy is wasted in everyday mobility. Private car use generally accounts for a large proportion of an individual s ecological footprint. Many of us will acknowledge that some of the trips made by car might easily be replaced by cycling or walking. Regularly walking or using your bike for short local trips is an ideal opportunity to save money, improve your health and contribute to environmental protection. If you commute regularly in a city, check the available public transport options. In many cases, using public transportation can be more relaxing than sitting in a rush-hour traffic jam and looking for a parking space in narrow, overcrowded streets. Going by bus, tram or local train can reduce travel time, expense and stress. Fig. 8. Using a bike saves money, CO 2 and keeps you healthy. Image: P. Engewald 9
Make energy saving your philosophy. Every decision you make as a consumer has repercussions for the state of the environment. Even the smallest changes can have a significant impact if many people are following the same recommendations. For example, goods or parts of products are often transported twice around the globe before they end up on your supermarket shelf. Although in some cases there is no indication of this, the origin of fruits, vegetables and dairy products must be clearly indicated on the packaging. This means that you, as a consumer, can make an informed choice. Rather than buying apples from the other side of the world, you can choose to buy fruit that is locally grown. It is likely to taste better, while the reduced need for transportation has environmental benefits and will contribute to the local economy. Energy-saving habits can be cultivated in all aspects of your everyday life. Some of the most straightforward measures include turning off your television, switching off the lights when you leave the room, taking showers instead of baths, reducing your meat consumption, using environmentally friendly modes of transport and avoiding flights. Take some time to explore additional ways to save energy, money and the environment: a few simple changes can make the world of difference. 10
CHECKLIST ASPECT YES NO Do you close thermostat valves when opening the windows? Do you ventilate your rooms in the cold seasons by opening for some minutes widely, so that there is no condensing water on the glazing and the frame? Do you only run your washing machine with a full load? Do you run most of your wash loads at 40 C or less? Do most of your appliances belong to energy label category A or better? Do you use a water kettle to heat up water? Do you usually switch off your appliances completely? Do you use master slave sockets in your households? Do you purchase your electricity from a green provider or do you use renewables in your home? Do you use your bike at least once a week instead of a car? Do you buy at least some local products? Do you think about your carbon-footprint and how to reduce it? Evaluation If your result is: 9-12 YES: Congratulations! You do a lot to save energy in your home and to protect our environment. Try to convince others to be as eager as you. 5-8 YES: You are aware of energy saving measures and you already do many things right. But there is still a high potential saving energy and money. Try to follow a few more of the tips in this brochure. 0-4 YES: You are wasting too much energy and money. We recommend you to reflect your daily habits and make some changes to reduce your energy consumption. It will pay off. 11
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