The Diary
of
Anne Ku

24 October 2000 Tuesday

Energy Saving Trust

Future Forests

From father 18 Jan 01:

To relieve the energy crisis, the US government and Americans should take strong measures to cut consumption of energy in many fields. You surely know world statistics show Americans consume world's energy and resources unproportionally in terms of population compared with other nations. In some cases, they consume lion's share. I can't accurately quote the statistics. Something like the American population numbers only less than 5 percent of the world's population, but because of their lifestyle, they have to use up a quarter of the earth's water, power, wood, etc, etc. so unless some new form of energy resources can be discovered or invented, energy crisis is here to stay.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY WEEK

Hard to believe this week (23 - 29 Oct) is Energy Efficiency Week in the UK. At least, that's what I discovered in the newspaper. No one else had mentioned it.

After learning about fuel poverty recently, I thought one solution would be double glazing the windows, better insulating the home, and using more energy efficient appliances. But these measures all require initial capital investment - which is hard to justify for those living on a tight budget.

Sure enough, my thinking was on the right track. Here are some fast tips:

1. Reduce your thermostat by 1 degree Celsius = 10% reduction in fuel bills.
2. Use the shower = 2/5 water for a bath.
3. Use 40 C washing machine cycle = 1/3 less electricity than 60 C.
4. Replace ordinary light bulbs with energy efficient ones = 1/4 of the electricity and last 10 times longer.
5. Boil a kettle half full instead of full four times a day = enough electricity to run TV set for four hours
6. Avoid leaving appliance on stand-by: 80% of energy used by VCR is when it's in stand-by mode. What about leaving the PC on all day? Does the screen saver save electricity? Or is it better to turn the PC off and reboot everytime you need it?

Yesterday

Tomorrow

FAST FACTS:

The amount of heat lost in homes annually, through roofs and walls, is enough to heat 5 million homes for a year.

Every household in the UK creates 6 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year - enough to fill six hot air balloons that are 10 meters in diameter!

A third of an average family's water used is flushed down the toilet.

I've already replaced all my single - glazed period sash windows with PVC double glazed modern looking new windows. It took me one year to deliberate over - and I've not regret it since. My home is now draught-free and sound proof.

I'm waiting for my old light bulbs to die before investing in the ugly-looking energy-efficient ones.

An aromatherapy bath is a woman's best friend. It's hard to give it up for a manly shower!