One Planet Sutton

Saving energy on your computer

13/06/2011 By Ben 1 Comment

We've been busy helping the Hackbridge Green Business Network save energy and money in their offices and wanted to share our top tips with you.

1. Use the standby function on your PC for meetings and lunch, and switch off your monitor

Why? When your computer is on (even if you turn your monitor off) it consumes 65 to 250 watts/hour. When it is on standby it only uses 1-6 watts/hour. This is a reduction in energy use of around 98%! If you do this every day just at lunch time it would save 30kg carbon dioxide per year per person.

Switching off your monitor when you go to lunch or for a meeting and when you go home saves even more as it uses 20W when it is on even if the computer is off! Together, that's the equivalent to boiling 200 kettles!

How?

Press the shut down button on the start menu, then select standby from the drop down menu.
When you press the power button on your hard drive it will then resume your computer in the same state as you left it, i.e. with all your applications open.

2. Turn your PC off at the plug when you go home at night

Why? Even when your PC is turned off it consumes 5 watts per hour if it is still on at the plug. Mostly we are not using our computers for 15 hours of the day. So switching it off at the plug will reduce our energy consumption by 615Wh per week each. This would save 15kg of carbon dioxide per year – equivalent to boiling 100 kettles!

3. Put your laptop in projector mode if being used with a screen

If you use a laptop as your main computer and plug it into a screen, make sure the laptop is set to be a projector so that you are not powering 2 screens. Do this by pressing Fn and F5 together.

Click here for a top tips poster to stick up as a reminder.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Behaviour change, Business, Energy

Hackbridge businesses learn how to save energy

06/04/2011 By Sam Leave a Comment

Thanks to those who came to our office at BedZED a couple of weeks back for a really interesting workshop on energy use at work and how to save money by reducing it.

For anyone who missed it – see Isabel's presentation below;

Energy management

View more presentations from One Planet Sutton.

BioRegional energy expert Isabel shared her top tips for saving energy. There was lots of idea sharing between businesses present on what they’re doing to save money on energy – Parker & Son butchers (featured in last month's e-news) shared how they swapped ALL of their old-style incandescent light-bulbs to the new energy-saving ones, and Surrey Institute of Hypnotherapy recently insulated their loft following advice from BioRegional, as part of their audit.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Business, Energy

Green home competition

24/03/2011 By Sam Leave a Comment

Michael Fish and John Kettley, two of the most familiar faces in meteorology, are looking for the household which is making most effort to use energy efficiently. The top prize is £3,000, second place is £1,000. So if you think your home is a good contender, why not submit your home and see if you can win.

The Greenest Home Competition is run by FindaProperty.com and the solar firm HomeSun, that offers free solar panels to homes that have a good roof. HomeSun's vision is to install 50,000 free solar PV systems.

Nigel Lewis from FindaProperty.com said: “We’re seeing more and more people considering in environmental factors when buying a new home and over recent months solar panels have started to emerge as a selling point for some buyers.”

How to enter

The entry deadline is 30th June 2011. As the competition receives more entries, an online league table will monitor results allowing homeowners to see just how well their region is doing. The winner will be announced in July.

For more information, visit: www.homesun.com/community-network/competition/

Filed Under: News Tagged With: competition, Energy, pv, renewables

Energy workshop – 23/03/11

09/03/2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Energy is one of the vital organs that enables a business to operate however it comes at a financial and environmental cost. This FREE workshop takes a fresh look at energy, providing you with the knowledge and confidence to tackle your energy impacts.

Businesses that come will get a chance to network with other businesses involved in the Hackbridge Green Business Network. You will leave with:

A good grounding and vision for where you want to be with your energy
Understanding how to assess different options
Guidance on financial support and analysis
Specific advice on common areas: lighting, IT, heating, monitoring, renewables and mechanical equipment.

LOCATION: BedZED Centre, 24 Helios Road, SM6 7BZ (click here for directions)

DATE AND TIME: Wednesday 23rd March, 5.45-7pm

WHO IS IT FOR? This workshop is aimed at small and medium sized businesses in Hackbridge.

RSVP: If you are interested, please email ben.j.gill@bioregional.com to confirm your attendance. This workshop is aimed at SMEs based in Hackbridge and these will be given priority.

Join the Hackbridge Green Business Network

The Hackbridge Green Business Network is a group of forward thinking businesses that share a vision of a sustainable future and want to lead the way in making it happen. By working together as a network, businesses in Hackbridge can share resources, and learn and support each other in the process. Click here for more information.

The project is funded by the London Borough of Sutton and the European Regional Development Fund.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Business, Energy, Events, Hackbridge, workshop

Bright ideas for office lighting

07/03/2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Ben Gill, our business engagement chap has been busy working with businesses in Hackbridge on a project that supports them as they green their operations. Greening Businesses in Hackbridge is not just a project, it's a network for any business in Hackbridge that is working to improve their environmental impacts.

As this project goes on, we are sharing some of the top tips and advice businesses are receiving on this blog. So this month, we are focusing on office lighting. Here, Carbon Trust advice recommends the following:

Energy efficient lamps

If you have fluorescent tube lighting, changing from T12 tubes to T8s will bring energy savings of 10%. Upgrading lamps and fittings to T5 will bring even greater savings and will retain a high light output. This short video explains how to replace T12 tubes with more energy efficient lighting.

Occupancy sensors

Our experience shows many businesses are lighting unoccupied spaces. Occupancy sensors switch off lights when a space isn’t being used and can reduce lighting costs by 30%. Watch this video to find out more.

Daylight sensors

Many buildings are designed to have enough natural light during the day so you can turn the lights off. Often, working environments forget to turn lights off even when there is enough natural light. Light sensors (photocells) can switch off or dim artificial lighting when there is sufficient daylight. To see if these controls would work for your site, watch the video.

Other ideas

You may want to consider combination sensors, which are a mixture of occupancy and daylight sensing; these are widely available but more expensive. Alternatively, you might just be able to engage staff in switching lights off, through education or using "Switch it off" stickers – you can either make your own or order some from the Carbon Trust.

5 steps to sorting out your lighting

Here are the steps for acting on office lighting energy:

1) Have a walk around – investigate current lighting technologies in use and which lights are being left on by mistake or for too long. It's worth chatting to different employees to find out their experience and anything they need. Click here for an overview of lighting technologies.

2) Make an action plan – for what you want to replace, change and what sort of sensors would work best. Guidance on this is available here.

3) Check for discount opportunities – your energy efficient lighting equipment may be eligible for Enhanced Capital Allowances, so you can get 100% tax relief.

4) Find suppliers - for sensor equipment, you might already know a good electrician or building service engineer. If not, you can use Google or even Google maps to find a supplier close to home.

5) Start saving – with your new lights and sensor equipment, you should instantly start saving energy.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Business, Energy, lighting, Tips

The big London retrofit

10/01/2011 By Sam Leave a Comment

Here in Sutton we have ambitious plans to retrofit existing homes. This is to reduce energy consumption and the associated greenhouse gas emissions, as well as helping people keep warm and be resilient against rising energy prices.

Around one million homes in London are not properly insulated. As explained in the video below (that features our Sutton Retrofit for the Future project), the complicated jungle of different types of homes we have in London can make energy companies reluctant to invest, so it's important we have programmes to support mass energy efficiency if we are to meet targets for reducing carbon emissions.

Assembly Member Darren Johnson proposes how we could insulate every home in London to high standards, including those that are hard to treat and use an MOT-type scheme to make sure homes meet minimum energy efficiency standards:

The project for mass-retrofitting in London is called RE:NEW. This is a collaborative project of home energy retrofit for London’s homes. The key objective is to support carbon reductions from London’s homes, using an area-based, whole house approach. At present the project has completed a successful demonstration phase and it is hoped that it will continue to be rolled out, despite being under threat due to budget cuts. People could show support in Sutton by asking the council about their plans.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Efficiency, Energy, Homes, Insulation, London

Keeping Hackbridge businesses warm

16/12/2010 By Ben Leave a Comment

I’ve just returned from a fascinating morning spent surveying businesses for cavity wall insulation. Whilst fascinating might not be how most people would describe cavity wall insulation, we're always excited to find a cavity to fill and even more excited to find it's already full.

As part of the audits we are doing on the ‘Greening businesses in Hackbridge project’, we are looking for ways to save both carbon emissions AND money – insulation being the perfect example. Usually with a fast payback of within 1-2 years, it is a quick win:win for any building built before 1994 that hasn’t yet had its cavities filled. Accompanying a surveyor from Ecologistics, I gained lots of knowledge on what signs to look for to indicate a filled cavity – you can sometimes physically see the insulation by shining a torch through air bricks, or you can see the holes filled with fresh mortar where insulation was blown in. Out of four businesses visited, we founds that two had unfilled cavities so it was a successful morning’s work. The surveyor has gone away to put together quotes showing costs and payback of the work. If you are interested in having a free environmental audit and joining our Greening Businesses in Hackbridge network, head over to the Green Business Network page.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Business, Energy, Insulation

Changing the clocks to save carbon

29/10/2010 By Sam Leave a Comment

This weekend we change the clocks to make our mornings lighter and evenings a bit darker. This is especially good news for postal workers and milkmen, however it means less light for all in the evenings. But that might be about to change when the Lighter Later Bill is debated in parliament on 3rd December…

Lighter Later

Over the last year, a coalition of organisations have been supporting 10:10's Lighter Later campaign. Lighter Later is about shifting Britain’s clocks forward by one hour throughout the year. In other words, instead of setting our clocks to GMT in winter and GMT+1 in summer, we would set them to GMT+1 in winter and GMT+2 in summer. We would still put our clocks forward in spring and back in autumn, but the sun would rise and set one hour later throughout the year, which would mean that more people are up and around when there is daylight.

The benefits

The Lighter Later Campaign website lists 10 potential benefits of moving Britain’s clocks forward. These range from carbon savings, to jobs, safety, reduced fear or crime, to health and happiness.

The carbon savings

After studying activity patterns and energy consumption, evidence suggests that changing the clocks will save carbon. The most recent study was published in the journal Energy Policy. It was estimated that the carbon saving would be approximately equivalent to 450,000 tonnes CO₂. The authors considered their approach conservative and at the lower bounds on any true savings.

So, for a very rough estimate for Sutton, based on its population, we would be looking at carbon savings of approximately 1,500 tonnes CO₂. (click here to view the calculation for this).

Find out more

Lighter Later website

BBC Radio 4 programme Costing the Earth: had a special feature on Lighter Later

10:10 website (Lighter Later is a campaign from 10:10).

Energy Policy Paper: The impact on energy consumption of daylight saving clock changes (not free)

Chong, T., Garnsey, E., Hill, S., and Frederic Desobry: Daylight Saving, Electricity Demand and Emissions; Exploratory Studies from Great Britain. University of Cambridge.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Energy, Ideas, Parliament, Zero Carbon

Energy Saving Week

27/10/2010 By Sam 1 Comment

Want to take control of your rising energy bills?

This week is National Energy Saving week and it’s starting to get quite chilly. So now is the perfect time to do some of those energy efficiency activities.

There’s lots of great reasons for making your home as energy efficient as possible. The average household spends around £23 per week on fuel and power, around £1,200 per year. Having an energy efficient home can help you cut your fuel bill and also stay warm over the winter months. There are also lots of carbon benefits too, did you know that the average home emits almost twice as much CO2 as the average household car emits in a year every year?

So here are some top tips from our friends at the Energy Saving Trust. For more free advice, check out our page on Zero Carbon Homes and the Energy Saving Trust.

Brush up on energy saving. Eliminate draughts and wasted heat by installing a cheap, easy-to-fix brush or PVC seal on your exterior doors. Letterboxes and keyholes should be covered too.
Draught dodgers. Draughts also get in through gaps in floorboards and skirting boards, which also allow heat to escape in winter. Stop this waste by filling these gaps with newspaper, beading or sealant.
Use energy saving light bulbs. Switch to energy saving light bulbs. They last around 10 times longer than ordinary light bulbs, and each bulb you fit could save around £45 over its lifetime – or up to £70 if you are replacing a bright incandescent bulb, or one used for more than a few hours a day. They come in a whole range of styles.
Jazz up your tank with a jacket. Insulate your hot water tank with a jacket – they only cost a few pounds and, with all the heat they trap in, pay for themselves within months. Fit one that's at least 75mm (3") thick and you could save around £35 a year.
Lofty ambitions. Insulating your loft is one of the simplest ways to save energy – you can even install it yourself. Insulate an empty loft today, and in a year you could save around £145 or £40 if you're topping up.
Insulate wall cavities. Uninsulated walls are a big source of heat loss in the home. You could save around £110 on energy bills each year by insulating your wall cavities. It also creates an even temperature in your home.
Switch to high-efficiency boilers. If your boiler is over 15 years old it's probably time to replace it. By law, new gas boilers in England and Wales must now be of the high efficiency condensing type, which can help you save up to a quarter on your heating bills.
Look for the logo. When purchasing new appliances, always look for the Energy Saving Trust Recommended logo. Energy Saving Trust Recommended appliances are the most efficient in their category and could save you up to £38 a year.
Keep twice as warm with double glazing. Energy Saving Trust Recommended double glazing cuts heat loss through windows by 50% and could cut your heating bill by around £130 a year.
Take an online home energy check. Still not sure which are your home's weak spots? Why not complete the Energy Saving Trust online home energy check? Or call your local Energy Saving Trust advice centre on 0800 512 012 for free, impartial advice on saving energy in your home.

For more information about Energy Saving Week, head over to the Energy Saving Trust website.

I'm an energy saving blogger

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Energy, Tips

A low carbon retrofit for Sutton

10/12/2009 By Sam

In partnership with a range of organisations, including B&Q and BioRegional, Sutton Council have secured funding to trial two different approaches to energy retrofit in Sutton. Hackbridge has been declared one of 10 Low Carbon Zones in London and residents will be offered free basic energy efficiency measures (such as loft insulation, and energy saving lightbulbs) and training in how to save energy in their homes.

The other initiative, called Pay As You Save is borough-wide. Residents will be able to borrow £10,000 to spend on energy efficiency measures (including boiler upgrades and solid wall insulation) and renewable energy technologies (like solar panels to generate electricity of provide hot water). These measures will reduce the running cost of the house and the loan is paid back over a 10-25 year period in-line with the savings made, then once the loan has been paid back the ongoing savings will go straight into the occupier’s pocket!

If you’d like more information on either of these programmes please contact: philippa.ward@bioregional.com or katherine.Hudson@sutton.gov.uk

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Energy, Pay as you save, Retrofit