UK l Energy Saving Day

[Primrose]

The UK’s first Energy Saving Day is being held from 6 p.m.on Wednesday 27 February to 6 p.m. on 28 February. (The spread over two days is to allow the National Grid to minimise the risks associated with large swings in electricity demand, while allowing time for significant energy savings to be achieved.) The minute-by-minute data available on the E-Day website will allow individuals to judge whether the country succeeds in reducing its demand for electricity over the course of 24 hours and also allow E-Day to highlight energy saving as a simple and painless way in which everyone can help to tackle climate change.

Energy Saving Day or E-Day is a massive effort to reduce unneeded energy use across the UK over 24 hours. Everyone in the UK is invited to save energy in their homes, schools and offices so children can get involved too. As people turn off unneeded energy-guzzling devices everywhere: from lights to stereos on stand-by to neglected kettles and heaters, E-Day organisers will demonstrate the reduced demand on the national electricity grid on www.e-day.org.uk. The results of falling demand will be updated minute by minute on the website. Put a reminder in your diary and switch off something !

[Colin Miles]

If I switch my computer, radio and TV off how will I know how well it is doing?

[alan refail]

It might be a good idea if we could all persuade our local councils to switch off half the excessive number of street lights - now that really would make a differece!

[Monika]

Hear, hear, Alan! And not just local councils, let businesses turn off their excessive flood lighting, too!
At this moment, a local developer is building 59 dwellings (mostly houses, some flats) in our village of about 2000 souls. They are in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, next to a nature reserve and a rather pretty area of woodland and millponds and, guess what, they are affixing TWO outside lights to each house, one at the front and one at the back, quite ridiculous. I am quite tempted to get out my catapult and shoot them out, one by one, but I don't suppose I would get away with it.
Yes, we'll certainly turn at least one thing off on E-Day!

[Geoff]

Having visited my wife in hospital 3 times this week I was encouraged that it wasn't as oppressively hot as I remember hospitals. Is this a general trend, has the NHS realized it spends a fortune on excess heating energy?

[goldilox]

The French electricity company EDF has a system here which you can opt for called the Tempo system. This is in place I think to take the pressure off the grid on the days when normally it would be the greatest, i.e. when it's cold.

Every day is allocated a colour code which comes up on a display in your house at 8 p.m. the night before. Blue days are the cheapest (half price) and there are 300 of those a year. Summer are always blue days, as are fete days and Sundays. There are 43 white days a year which are more or less the going rate, and there are 22 red days which are horrendously expensive (47 centimes a unit as opposed to 10.6 for white and 5.5 blue).
Red days are only allowed between the end of October and the end of March and are never on Sundays and fete days.

Sounds complicated but if you're careful on red days (i.e. go out!!) then it can work out a lot cheaper.

[Colin Miles]

Alan - they should switch off ALL streets between midnight and 5 am as is proposed in certain home counties. We used to live opposite a school and were able to keep an eye on it for any intruders - until a system of lights were installed! Then we couldn't see in at all - simply blinded. And of course, the light installed on the corner of our allotments was an open invitation for youngsters to congregate and cause problems.

[alan refail]

Colin

I couldn't agree more - I just thought half off might be a good start.
Round here everywhere there are a few houses the council will have stuck a lamp or two on them, but if anyone wants to walk further the country lanes are (mercifully) still pitch dark - so what's the purpose of the lights?
Another bit of waste - the council changes the bulbs in the lamps every few weeks, Whatever happened to waiting till someone phoned up to say a light was out?

[Johnboy]

Hi Colin,
No street lights hereabouts only clear Starlight.
A few lamps in the local village and I'm about a mile
and a half away behind a hill. Sometimes here the moonlight is bright enough to read a newspaper.
What I do fear is that in urban areas to put the lights out may lead to an increase in crime, especially burglary.
We get plenty of night prowlers here and it is amazing what goes missing. I have a shotgun handy, although under lock and key, with two cartridges out ready but in the gun cabinet. I go out back and discharge one barrel into the air and that generally does the trick 'cos they know the other barrel is still primed!
JB.

[Tigger]

Geoff - all hospitals and councils now have targets to reduce energy costs, hence the lower temperature in the wards.

The problem for many is they were built in the 70's when centralised systems were introduced for controlling heat/light/ventilation. In my office, the only way to turn off the lights during daytime hours is to take the bulbs out, which I do, but am considered very strange for doing so and have to complete a risk assessment form beforehand!

[Compo]

On the general theme of energy here are a couple of connundrums to figure out. Can anyone recommend a good battery charger, preferably one that recharges ordinary batteries of all sizes as well as recharging throwaway batteries (I am sure I have seen one in the sunday magazines but cannot remember where / when?) And what is the most environmentally friendly way of using batteries and disposing of them? I am guessing that rechargeable batteries are the best way of using batteries in principle as there is less manufacturing cost.

Compo

[PLUMPUDDING]

Compo, I've just seen one today, in one of those catalogues they start sending you when you reach 50 - along with the incontinence pads, things to stretch waistbands, and gadgets to pick things up without having to bend down.

It is the Solutions catalogue, order online at www.renwoods.com

Battery wizard for £24.95 and it recharges ordinary or rechargeable. I was thinking about getting one myself.

On the subject of energy saving I've put a timer on the pond pump so it is only on in the daytime. I can always change the time, or leave it on if the weather gets really hot, but it should save quite a bit of electricity as it is a powerful pump.

[richard p]

rechargables with a solar powered charger must be the way to go. try searching solar power on ebay for chargers and wilkinsons for the batteries

[Colin Miles]

Hi Johnboy,

Regarding lighting in urban areas, it could indeed lead to increases in certain kinds of crime. However, lack of lighting would probably deter gangs of youths from congregating and also people, especially women, would be far more careful about how they travelled, particularly when returning late at night - no bad thing I would suggest. And a lack of lighting might lead to more careful driving.

[peter]

Living on the Herts / Essex border I am following the debate in Essex closely. They have been one of the experimenters.

The funny thing is the detractors of the turn off keep banging on about people being unable to see their way home in the dark.

Now it may come as a shock to these folk, but many years ago a revolutionary invention was made, the electric torch.

Due to various developments we now have the hand wound LED torch, which with a minutes vigerous winding will light your way for about half an hour, whereupon you wind it again and so on.

The other problem apparently is the detrimental effect upon the "night time economy", which I believe is a euphemism for binge drinking........