Archive for Tips for reducing CO2 emissions

Greener driving- how to reduce your CO2 emissions

June 15, 2008 · Filed under CO2 emissions, Carbon Dioxide emissions, Tips for reducing CO2 emissions, carbon footprint, carbon neutral, green driving, reduce carbon footprint · Tagged , , , , ,

A while ago we looked at green cars and how engines are being modified to run on biofuels and alternative sources of fuel.  However, not all of us (me included) have a car that has low CO2 emissions so what can you do to keep emissions lower without having to fork out for a new car?  The obvious answer is to leave the car at home and use public transport or cycle/walk to your destination.  This is great but what if you need your car for work?  Thankfully some companies such as PwC have low CO2 emission company cars but this is not the norm.

 

If you want to reduce CO2 emissions whilst you are driving here are a few tips from the UK Government about driving efficiently.  When fuel prices are so high this is useful for everyone!

  • driving smoothly can reduce fuel consumption - check the road ahead, anticipate traffic and avoid harsh acceleration and braking
  • shift to a higher gear at the right time - shift up at 2500rpm for petrol cars and 2000rpm for diesel cars. A vehicle travelling at 37mph in third gear uses 25 per cent more fuel than it would at the same speed in fifth gear
  • get in and go - modern engines are designed to be most efficient when you just get in and go. Keeping the engine running or pumping the accelerator wastes fuel, increases engine wear and increases emissions
  • switch your engine off if you know you won’t be moving for a while
  • check your tyre pressures regularly - under-inflated tyres can increase your fuel consumption by up to three per cent
  • stick to the speed limits - at 70mph you could be using up to 30 per cent more fuel than at 50mph
  • remove unnecessary weight and roof racks - they increase the weight and air resistance so they increase the amount of fuel you use
  • air conditioning and other on-board electrical devices (like mobile phone chargers) increase fuel consumption, so only use them when necessary
I have read elsewhere on the net that using your air conditioning doesn’t actually affect fuel consumption massively.  If you have any information on this get in touch.
I’ve just taken everything out of my boot (except the spare tyre) so we’ll see what a difference taking on board this information makes to my fuel consumption.
For more information on greener issues you can check out the UK Governments website by clicking here.

No comment »

The Big Green Idea

June 3, 2008 · Filed under CO2 emissions, Tips for reducing CO2 emissions, carbon footprint, carbon neutral, reduce carbon footprint · Tagged , , , , ,

Here in the UK the BBC recently ran a series called It’s Not Easy Being Green that followed a family who were trying to live a sustainable lifestyle.  Since the show finished the family has been inundated with people asking for tips on how to live more sustainably, ethically and generally more green.

The result of this was The Big Green Idea.  If you are a UK resident or happen to be visiting the country this summer you may well see the big green bus.

The Big Green Idea busLet’s face it-you’re not going to miss this if it’s in your town and basically that’s the point.

Fear not those of you thinking about the bus pumping fumes into our atmosphere and making the project have a huge carbon footprint.  The bus is powered by bio-diesel.

The downstairs is going to be packed with ethical and green products that people can try out.  Examples include eco-friendly skincare products and energy saving devices.  Upstairs there will be workshops and a solar powered cinema showing demonstrations and convincing people that it’s not hard to go green!  Films to be shown are ‘An Inconvenient Truth” and ‘The Power of Community.”

All in all this is a great idea so pop along if you see the bus.  The Big Green Idea are also trying to get local councils on board and do follow up visits with a green man in a van if people want a consultant to come into their home with green ideas that also save money.

We are all really looking forward to this event.  An update will be posted when the bus has visited this neck of the woods.

The website is www.thebiggreenidea.org

 

 

 

No comment »

Top Tips to reduce CO2 emissions

October 10, 2007 · Filed under CO2 emissions, Carbon Dioxide emissions, Tips for reducing CO2 emissions, carbon footprint, reduce carbon footprint · Tagged , , , , , ,

Welcome!  Today we thought we would give you some cheap yet effective ways that you can reduce CO2 emissions in your house.  According to the Energy Saving Trust every household creates six tonnes of CO2 a year from the energy it uses!!  To give you a visual idea of how much gas this is, one tonne of CO2 occupies the same space as six double decker buses……

So follow these simple steps and try and get rid of a bus full of CO2!!!

1. Turn down the thermostat

Turning the thermostat down by just one degree can cut your heating bills by 10%.  If enough people did this we could save 3.6 tonnes of CO2 a year.

2. Keep your water at 60 degrees

Your water doesn’t need to be hotter than 60 degrees so don’t waste energy by heating it over this temperature.

3.  Keep your fridge efficient

Set your fridge at the correct temperature and make sure you defrost your freezer regularly.  An efficient fridge/freezer can help save £35 a year on your electricity bills. 

4.  Turn it off

As the MTV ad campaign tells us SWITCH IT OFF!!  This means all things electrical from lights to televisions.  In fact mobile phone chargers are worth mentioning here.  Most people leave their phone plugged in long after it has fully charged.  One statistic we found said that only 5% of energy is used to charge a phone if left on overnight.  That’s a huge 95% waste of energy…

Are there any lights on in your house that could be turned off?  Go and check……(but come back!)

6.  Buy better light bulbs

There are lots of energy efficient light bulbs on sale now.  Apparently they last twelve times longer than ordinary ones thus saving your money (or at least offsetting the fact they are more expensive….) Also over the course of its lifetime an energy efficient light bulb can save you £100.

7.  Close your curtains

At dusk close the curtains as this will help keep the heat in.

8.  Fill up

Fill up your dishwasher and washing machine to the max.  This will save energy.  It’s also worth taking a look at buying more energy efficient white goods.  Look for the labels that show you how environmentally friendly they are.

9.  Boil the minimum amount of water

That’s right folks.  Only put the amount of water you need for a cup of tea in the kettle.  Filling the kettle to the top and boiling is a waste of energy.  If you accidently do it take a cuppa round to your neighbour.  Save the planet and make a friend!

This goes for boiling your vegetables as well.  Only boil enough water to cover your veg.

10.  Energy Check your house

Make sure you have insulation in the right places to stop heat from needlessly being lost.  This goes for windows, roofs and water tanks. 

More info can be found on the Energy Saving Trust website.  It costs a bit but in the long run will save money.  Also with the introduction of HIP for moving house you’re going to have to do it at some point anyway.

So there we have it.  Some top tips for reducing your CO2 emissions.  They are all so simple you have no excuses.  The fact that they will save you money should also be a good incentive.  We’ll have to write something about where to invest your extra pennies now!

Comments (1) »