Join the North Wales CRAG

madlittlepixie

CRAGger North Wales

Everything that you do that consumes energy causes the release of greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases cause global warming. Greenhouse gases are measured in carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalents, since carbon dioxide is the main greenhouse gas. For every gallon of unleaded fuel that you use, 19.56 pounds of CO2 are released. For every gallon of diesel, it’s 22.384. If you heat your house with heating oil, that is a form of diesel and you are releasing 22.384 lbs of CO2 per gallon. If you heat with natural gas, you are releasing 12.0593 lbs CO2 per 100 cubic foot (CCF) that you use.

The average Briton is responsible for around 20,000 pounds (10 tons) of CO2 per year just from direct consumption of energy for heat, transportation, and electricity. An additional 14 or so tons is spent on indirect uses like food transportation, product manufacturing, and waste disposal. You have some control over the indirect uses but your reductions are hard to measure. You have complete control over the direct uses and can measure your consumption on your bills.

Energy conservation techniques will both save you money and prevent greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing your carbon footprint from direct, measurable energy uses is the premise behind Carbon Rationing Action Groups. The goal is to reduce that 20,000 pounds of CO2 by 12.5% each year- to reduce about 2,500 pounds and get our emissions down to 17,500 pounds. Here are some examples of really effective energy reductions that are painless (you don’t have to buy ANYTHING) and can get you to that goal:

Light bulbs (incandescent) emit 0.08-0.14 lbs CO2 per hour of use. Turn them off, even if you’re only leaving the room for a short time = 348.5 lbs/yr or 14% of your goal. Select the ten light bulbs you use most in your house (there are 23 in the average home) and change for compact fluorescents (CFLs). CFLs emit 60-70 per cent less CO2 than their “spectacularly inefficient, standard-issue counterparts”, and reduce your CO2 emissions by 1000 lbs/yr, or 40% of your goal. WOW. Do this if you do nothing else.

If you are able to reduce your driving by twenty miles per week, you will save about a gallon of gas (depending on your mpg). That amounts to 19.56 or 22.384 lbs CO2 per week (unleaded or diesel). Over a year, that adds up to half a ton of CO2. You can easily cut out the 10 miles by condensing your trips, shopping with a friend, carpooling, or taking the bus (which has negligible CO2 emissions). For a mere 20 miles a week, you are 20% further towards your goal.

Turn your thermostat down in the winter by three degrees and save 180 pounds CO2 per year from burning fossil fuel. There’s another 7% of your goal.

Some appliances use crazy amounts of electricity, as much as 5 kw per hour. Cut back on your use of these appliances and you will save lots of electricity:

Computers emit 0.19-0.45 lbs CO2 per hour of use, even with the screen saver on. Turn your computer off for 8 hours a day and save a minimum of 540 lbs CO2/year, a whopping 22% of your goal.

The big culprits are ovens at 6.85 lbs CO2 per hour of use – use the microwave instead; 2.06 lbs CO2 per hour and used for less time. Using the oven one hour less per week saves 304 lbs CO2 per year, about 12% of your goal!

You just met your goal. But keep reading because you can surpass your goal!

Electric clothes dryers emit 6.85 lbs CO2 per hour of use. My average load runs for an hour. Reduce 1 hour of clothes drying per week and you will save 356.2 lbs CO2 per year, about 14% of your goal! How can you reduce a load? Wear fewer outfits and wash your clothes less often. Don’t overload the dryer and clothes will dry more quickly.
Keep the lint filter clean and clean out the hose in the back- the lint makes the dryer inefficient and causes fire risk. Dry some clothes on the line- try it, they will smell nice! Wash towels less often. Get a more efficient dryer.

Electric water heaters emit on average 5.21 lbs CO2 per hour of use. insulate your hot water heater and the hot water pipes running from it to save 202 lbs/year, 8% of your goal. Turn the temperature on your heater down (try 140 degrees F- if you don’t run out of hot water for showers, turn it down in 10 degree increments until you hit the threshold – about 120 degrees for the average house). You can save 500lbs/yr just turning the temperature to 140 and more for even more drastic lowering. This is another 20% of your goal. Take a short shower (3 minutes is the optimum) which will use 7.93 gallons of water instead of a bath which will use around 20.3 gallons. You will save 203.3 lbs CO2/yr, another 8% of your goal.

Central Air conditioning emits 4.80 lbs CO2 per hour of use and each window unit emits 0.69-1.97 lbs CO2/hr. Turn up your thermostat by 3 degrees Fahrenheit in summer and save 150 lbs/year. Get a newer thermostat that lets you automatically program to lower your energy demand when you are not at home. That’s 6% of your goal.

Coffee Makers release 1.23 lbs CO2 per hour of use. Turn the coffee maker heating element off after your brew your coffee instead of leaving it on for an hour and save 449 lbs/yr. Can you believe that? It’s 17% of your goal!

That 19” TV uses 2.9% of the average home’s electricity and emits 0.08-0.12 lbs CO2 per hour of use. Turn it off (I know it keeps you company but come on!) and turn the surge protector off for 8 hours every day and save 228 lbs CO2 per year, 9% of your goal. That’s a lot of TV!

As you can see, you have a lot of control over your direct emissions, and it can save you money to reduce them. Join the North Wales CRAG and keep track of your emissions each year to see how your efforts are working.