Love of electrical gadgets could see UK miss emission targets

The Energy Saving Trust has published a report, entitled 'You and your electrical elephant', looking into the UK's energy usage and as it says, "the reading ain't too pretty".

Most of the blame lays with our "obsession" with gadgets - in 2009, the average home contained 3 and a half times as many gadgets as it did in 1980.

The worst offenders are large plasma tv's, large fridge freezers which incorporate ice makers and tumble driers.

Despite hammering the message home about choosing energy efficient models  - a call the manufacturers have answered by developing newer, more efficient models, the UK is actually consuming more energy than it did 5 years ago.

The report cites progress has been made - banning patio heaters and incandescent lightbulbs but more could still be done.

For example, if every household replaced their old fridge freezer, washing machine and dishwasher with new energy efficient models, we could save a collective £585 million of our energy bills.

The next time one of your home appliances needs replacing, energy efficiency should be one of the key features you look for in its replacement.

Also, leaving devices and chargers on standby / plugged in when not in use still uses electricity. With the amount of 'gadgets' in the average home, switching them all of could make considerable savings - for you and the planet.

Read the Energy Saving Trust's full report here.

photo credit: jason meredith

Energy Saving at Home? There's an 'App' for that.

Energy Saving at Home? There's an 'App' for that.

With the Government promising a smart meter for every home in the UK by 2020, monitoring and therefore, being able to reduce our energy consumption, is going to become a key area in the fight against climate change.

Now whilst I think that monitoring the energy I use at home is a great idea, like you - I'm sure we're already doing everything possible? We don't leave lights on or TV's when no-one's in the room etc.

Just because my energy monitor tells me I'm using too much electricity, am I really going to turn the fridge off one hour in five etc?

The key to such initiatives is knowing what power you already consume - How much does leaving a computer on standby cost you in electricity over a year?

With Christmas literally around the corner, If you've already got (or are lucky enough to get) an iPhone or iTouch, there's a range of smart applications that will help you work out just that and more. Here's a short rundown of 3 we came across recently:

Kill-o-watts - Choose your electrical appliance from a list of over 120 everyday appliances or create your own appliance. Then enter the amount of hours that appliance is regularly used and this 'app' calculates how much energy that uses. You can even use it when buying new appliances as it will calculate which products consume less energy.

Greenmeter - This clever 'app' helps you reduce your fuel consumption as well as the impact your driving has on the environment. Using the iPhone's / iTouch's accelerator, data is analysed to calculate your car's fuel usage and consumption etc. It doesn't need GPS to function.

MeterRead - Monitor your energy consumption in the home by tracking your meter readings, this clever 'app' predicts the amount of energy you're likely to consume in the coming month, helping you cut your energy bills.

Remember to check compatibility with your device before purchase. All the above 'apps' can be purchased directly from the iTunes App Store.

photo credit: ollie crafoord