Sunday 20 June 2010

Free Energy Efficient Fridge Freezer

This is an amazing opportunity to get yourself a brand new energy effecient Fridge Freezer worth £400. nPower are giving away 900 of these but there is a small catch. You need to have broadband internet connection because the appliance will be using it to monitor your energy usage.

These trials, funded through npower’s Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) programme, will be the first of their kind to happen in Britain’s residential market.

The aim of the trial is to establish how effective Dynamic Demand technology can be when used in fridges deployed in residential properties. In order to carry this out, we need volunteers to use the Dynamic Demand fridges*, just as they would their current fridge.

Volunteer

Wednesday 16 June 2010

Water CO2 calculator for UK homes goes online


A website that helps people to work out how much CO2 is being emitted to heat water in their homes has gone online.

Produced by the Energy Saving Trust (EST), it also suggests ways that users can save water and energy, as well as cutting their carbon footprint.

The Trust says CO2 from energy used to heat water in UK homes accounts for 5% of the nation's total carbon emissions.

Yet, it adds, water use is the "forgotten energy saving opportunity" by homes, businesses and policymakers.

The EST produced the calculator as an interactive, "easy to understand" tool for people to make the link between water efficiency and energy efficiency, explained Andrew Tucker, EST's water strategy manager.

Energy used in the UK water sector accounts for about 6% of the nation's total CO2 emissions, 89% of which is a result of homes and businesses heating the water.

Figures from the Trust estimate that heating water accounts for about 30% of the average household's energy bills.

calculator

full article

Saturday 12 June 2010

Solar panels offered free of charge

Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) became available in Great Britain from of 1st April 2010. Under this scheme energy suppliers make regular payments to householders and communities who generate their own electricity from renewable or low carbon sources such as solar electricity (PV) panels or wind turbines.

The scheme guarantees a minimum payment for all electricity generated by the system, as well as a separate payment for the electricity exported to grid. These payments are in addition to the bill savings made by using the electricity generated on-site.

Once you have a microgeneration technology installed you should experience a monthly reduction in your electricity bill and then receive an income from your Feed-in tariff (clean energy cash back) provider. However, if you have taken out a loan to pay for the installation you will have to make monthly repayments to your loan company. Feed-in tariffs are designed so that the average monthly income from your installation will be significantly greater than your monthly loan repayment (with a 25 year loan). Use the cashback calculator to see how purchase price and loan can impact on payback times.

Cashback Calculator
video

Friday 4 June 2010

What is it like to live with an electric car?

The realities of living with an electric car are very different from what most people would expect, Mr Beesley explains.

"I never used to consider how far my journey would be," he says. "I now reckon my average journey is five to 10 miles. I guess people think they drive more miles than they actually do.

"Clearly, if you do 90 miles per day, then this is probably not the car for you, but how often do you drive more than 90 miles in one stretch? And how often do you have sub-zero temperatures in Britain?"
Continue reading the main story David Beesley with the electric charging cable

I come home, I get out of the car and I plug it straight in

David Beesley Electric car driver The North East eyes low carbon future

Mr Beesley is even taking issue with the supposed need to roll out public charging points to molify people's range anxiety.

On most journeys, there is no need to top up the batteries to get home, Mr Beesley insists.

"And if I go to see a client in High Wycombe or my auntie in Southampton, it is not a problem if I want to plug into their socket while I'm there. It's just a bit of fun."

BMW says it takes about three hours to charge the battery with a 30-amp fast-charger, which uses the same type of electric cable that electric cookers use, or eight hours when using an ordinary 13-amp socket.

But again, Mr Beesley insists that once you get used to electric motoring, even this seems irrelevant.

"I come home, I get out of the car and I plug it straight in. It takes about two or three seconds and it charges on low tariffs overnight," he says.

"All this stuff about range and charge time amounts to scepticism and objection.

"Why do you want to keep objecting about something that is fantastic?"

full article