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So, our beautiful, warm, dry September is up, and a – hopefully – mild October upon us. But with the nights drawing in and the bills for heating and lighting starting to go up, what better time to try saving some energy?
In that spirit, we’ve been asking friends to commit to an energy challenge – big or small – for the month of October. We hope that the by looking at individual habits, routines and appliances, we can glean some useful insights and help work out what changes really do make a difference to our energy use, and whether it’s possible to live with bigger changes than just turning the thermostat down a notch.
So who’s doing what?
Simon is already living without a fridge.
Tamsin H is forsaking her domestic washing machine and using the launderette.
Lee has pledged not to turn on the central heating*.
Bridgetta is giving up her tumble dryer.
Paul is waving goodbye to his treasured baths and taking only showers.
Magico is giving up meat and dairy.
Sam is abandoning the bus and getting to work under his own steam (he’ll be using Tom as his mentor, no doubt).
I’m giving up the use of my car for getting to work, and will be attempting to cadge lifts, cycle and walk instead.
Inveterate elevator-users Dean, Ellie and Caroline have pledged not to use the lift at Living Towers, but to familiarise themselves with the mysteries of the stairwell.
*UPDATE 12.10.09* Two new energy challengers:
Natalie will be giving up her TV for a month (once she’d worked out how much she’s using now, and hence how much she’ll save…)
Tamsin M has pledged to buy only second-hand goods for two months. This does not, apparently, include food.
Find out how we do
We’ll be blogging the progress of our intrepid challengers and putting together a video showing some of the high and lows, in collaboration with the Low Carbon Households project – where more than 30 families have been measuring their homes’ energy use for the last six months.
And from time to time, we’ll also be turning to our energy-saving expert friends at Lewes District Council, Earthpill and the Energy Saving Trust for their advice and opinions on our efforts.
Got advice for us? Want to join in? Why not email editor@living.morethan.com or leave a comment below. And remember you can follow the action and talk to us on Twitter.
* Lee may not be at home for all of October, and hence has kindly agreed to extend his challenge into November. Brrr.
I challenge you all – can you give something up for a month and save energy? Come on, you know you want to! http://is.gd/3QF7E #energysaving
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
Its day five of my non-bus driven journey to work and so far so good! It has only rained once and I have managed to save £18 towards a new pair of running shoes in preparation for my marathon debut in April. I can envisage it getting harder but so far this walking malarkey is proving a doddle…
We all need to change our electricity devouring habits and Quickly!
I miss the lift – but I do feel a bit smug taking the stairs. Its how I imagine people who jog feel when they go past ordinary walkers.
I love that you’re competing to use LESS energy!
Idea: You could use an energy monitor to help see who’s saving the most! The company I work for sells them, so if you’re interested, I’d be happy to facilitate.
Is it cheaper / more eco friendly to scrap a thirty year old fridge, still working perfectly than the eco cost of production of a new one? Nothing gets manufactured without incurringa a carbon footprint to make it. Not least motor cars? This carbon cost seems to be ignored.
@Claire thanks – we’re going to try and compare the savings of our challenges, but many of them won’t be measurable via an energy monitor – e.g. water heating, use of lift in an office, effect of giving up meat and dairy. We need proper eco-footprinting to compare a lot of this stuff. However, as more an more people get energy monitors there will definitely be an opportunity to make energy saving the home more competitive. What do you think of Google’s Power Meter project, BTW? not sure if there’s a partner for this in the UK yet…
@Graham – agreed, this is crucial to discussions of energy saving – perhaps Simon H will take a look at this in relation to his fridge (he’ll be sharing the results of his fridge energy challenge next week). would be good to see energy ratings that include cost of manufacture – and likely longevity. Perhaps replacing appliances a just a handful of years, or even months, will become as unacceptable as burning tyres in your back garden.
Your point is well taken. It would be hard to monitor the energy efficiency of meat and dairy consumption without using a broader approach than I can offer you! As for PowerMeter- I love to see what they’re doing. It’s great visibility for the overall energy savings effort. Did you see this? http://www.smartmeters.com/the-news/662-google-steps-in-to-uk-customers-what-they-need.html– I’m sure in time there will be other displays that play nice with PowerMeter.