Little Things That Make A Big Difference

The Age

Wednesday October 10, 2007

Nick Galvin

Saving the world is easier than you think. Nick Galvin finds 10 simple things you can do to help the environment

GREENPOWER

One of the single most effective steps an individual householder can take to cut their greenhouse gas emissions is to ensure some or ideally all of their electricity comes from GreenPower. Under the Green- Power scheme, consumers decide how much of their power should be generated from "clean" sources: wind, solar, hydro or waste and the power generator buys an equivalent amount of power from those sources.

For an average family, ticking the box for 100 per cent Green- Power would cost up to $400 extra a year, although supporters of the scheme point out that the real figure should be much less once the family reduces its consumption as much as possible by using, for instance, energy efficient light bulbs.

Opting for 10 per cent Green- Power would add about $1 a week to the average bill. To get maximum bang for your green buck, however, it's important to choose a GreenPower-accredited scheme.

SITES www.greenpower.gov.au www.greenelectricitywatch.org.au

STANDBY POWER

If you're not using it, switch it off. It's a simple rule, but many of us fail to turn off the dozens of electrical devices around the house when they are not needed. And while devices such as TVs, stereos and mobile phone chargers are plugged in on stand-by they are silently wasting up to 10 per cent of your annual power bill.

Cutting down on this waste can be as simple as doing an audit of the appliances in your home and deciding which need to be switched on permanently (such as the fridge) and which can be turned off until needed.

One trick is to group appliances together that can be switched off and plug them into a single power board. That way they can all be switched off together.

SITES www.energyrating.gov.au/standby.

html

LIGHT BULBS

Conventional incandescent light bulbs are very inefficient, converting more than 90 per cent of their energy into useless heat. And the halogen downlights so beloved by kitchen designers everywhere are scarcely any better in environmental terms.

By changing all the incandescent bulbs around the house to the compact fluorescent lights, the average home can slash its light bill by 75 per cent, with a corresponding reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

Solving the problem of halogen downlights is a little more complex. The ideal replacement for energy-guzzling downlights are LED (light-emitting diode) lamps but the technology is still developing and it may be a couple of years before LEDs are powerful enough to be a true downlight replacement.

Infrared-coated halogen bulbs are a reasonable compromise and are much more efficient than conventional halogens, however they are also a lot more expensive.

SITES www.greenhouse.gov.au/ education/cfls.html www.climatesmart.qld.gov.au/ your-home/lounge/lighting

SHOWER EFFICIENTLY

On average, 20 per cent of the water used in the home goes down the plughole in the bathroom. A water-efficient shower head will cut the amount of water used by about 50 per cent and also trim the amount of electricity used to heat the water. Modern shower heads are designed to restrict water flow to about seven litres a minute while still delivering an invigorating shower.

SITES conservewater.melbournewater.

com.au

WASH YOUR CLOTHES IN COLD WATER

According to the Australian Greenhouse Office, the energy it takes to run the average washing machine for a year produces about 90 kilogram of greenhouse gases while heating up the water to do the family load adds another 475 kilogram of greenhouse gasses. The motto: wash clothes in cold water. A cold wash will do the job just as well as using hot water.

SITES www.energyrating.gov.au/cwl.html

DRY CLOTHES NATURALLY

Used three times a week, the average clothes drier will add about $100 to your annual electricity bill and generate about 500 kilograms of greenhouse gases. It's pretty easy to get into the habit of relying on an electric drier but pegging out your clothes on a washing line the oldfashioned way is a very smart environmental choice. It's also kinder to your clothes.

SITES www.laundrylist.org www.climatesmart.qld.gov

USE AIR-CONDITIONERS EFFICIENTLY

If you're going to use an airconditioner in your home, there are things you can do to make sure it works as efficiently as possible and uses as little energy as possible. AGL recommends a summer setting of between 24 degrees and 27 degrees. Every 1 degree cooler will add between 10 and 15 per cent to your energy costs. AGL also recommends turning off the air-conditioner for about 15 minutes each hour, as well as only cooling the rooms that you use - other rooms can be sealed off.

SITES www.energyrating.gov.au/acuse.

html

CHECK YOUR FRIDGE

After your hot water service, the fridge is the biggest energy consumer in the home as it hums away in the kitchen all day, every day. Because of this it's wise to make sure your fridge is working as efficiently as possible and that the door seals are in good order. A dirty, poorly fitting or worn out door seal should be replaced.

The way you use the fridge, for instance putting cold items back into the fridge immediately, also has a big effect on efficiency. According to the Australian Greenhouse Office, cooling a two-litre drink bottle back down from room temperature generates 10 times as much greenhouse gas as does opening the fridge door.

SITES www.greenhouse.gov.au/gwci/ refrigerators.html

GET RID OF THE BEER FRIDGE

And while on the topic of fridges, the second or "beer" fridge that lurks in the uninsulated garage of many Australian households is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.

It's often an old, inefficient appliance that gets used only intermittently yet stays on all the time, steadily consuming power. If you don't really need a second fridge it's worth considering getting rid of it.

WALK, DON'T DRIVE

It's a big ask for most people to replace an existing vehicle with a fuel-efficient alternative. However, one simple thing almost anyone can do to cut emissions caused by driving is to choose to leave the car at home more regularly. For very short journeys, walking may be the way, while for longer trips and even the daily commute, a bicycle may do the trick.

SITES

? www.bicyclevic.org.au

? www.walk.com.au/pedestrian council

© 2007 The Age

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