Nearly half of the UK population finds the climate change debate confusing
…why am I not surprised?
This report on Earth Times says that almost 8 in 10 believe that climate change is real, and more than 9 in 10 of people in the UK are aware they can save money on their energy bills, but only about 4 in 10 are doing anything about it directly.
Earth Times has a few suggestions on how to save energy and money:
- Use plug-in timers. For things like dishwashers and washing machines that use lots of electricity, UK customers can save money by running them late at night when energy rates are cheapest. I don’t think many energy customers in the US save money by using appliances at night, but even if you don’t save money, running this stuff at night reduces the load on energy facilities that have to deal with air conditioning, TVs and computers being used all day. I wash my clothes late at night and hang them in the morning.
- Use a multi-plug socket with a single power switch for the PC. I do this, and use one for my TV as well. All my computer stuff is plugged into one master power strip, and my TV, game console, VCR and DVD player are plugged into a separate one as well. No using standby for me!
- Replace standard bulbs with compact flourescent lights. I’ll admit I haven’t done this yet simply because I’m waiting for the standard bulbs to burn out, but I think it’s a great thing that some countries have banned standard incandescent bulbs. I use a triple-LED flashlight attached to my headboard for reading at night instead of the old halogen clamp-on light I have that uses loads more energy.
Of course, there are other ways to save energy:
- Turn off the lights when you leave a room, and turn off the TV when you leave. You’d think this was a no-brainer, but just talk to my housemates!
- When it’s hot, use fans instead of A/C. Unless you live in a drastically hot area, ceiling fans and even desk fans are more efficient at moving and cooling the air around you. You could try a home made heat exchanger if you want, although it would take a bit of effort to move all that ice around!
- When it’s cold, put more clothes on instead of turning the heat up. Seriously. Layer up and you’ll get warm. I don’t see the point of walking about barefoot in boxers and a t-shirt in the middle of winter. Winter is all about bundling up! So bundle up.
- Use a lower temperature for washing clothes. I’ve been washing my clothes in cold water (30 degrees Celsius) for years. They last longer than in higher-temp washes and it saves loads of energy.
- Hang clothes to dry instead of using the dryer. On a sunny day you can easily dry several loads of laundry in one go. The clothes will smell great and you’ll save on clothes softening sheets (although using less soap will help prevent the use of clothes softener too).
- If you have a thermostat, set it at a lower temperature. Same as the washing machine example above.
- If you use a kettle for hot water, only boil enough water as you need. No need to fill the entire kettle or even half of it if you’re just making one or two cups of tea or coffee.
- Use lids when cooking and warming foods. Whether it’s the stove or microwave you’ll boil water or cook food much faster if you use a cover.
More advanced measures to save energy can be found here and here.
When you talk to folks about saving energy, my number one suggestion is that it save them MONEY and energy. I think this is often the most effective way to get the point across.
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