How Much Energy Does GHD Hair Straighteners Use?

Its been a while since we added products to our how much energy does section, and the first product of 2009 is for the fashionista's out there. GHD hair straighteners, are an item many can not live without, where ever they are in the world. Not only are they an essential, its a serious emergency should your bags get lost. But is this little gadget drawing enough energy to cause climate change?

Well we tested standard GHD straighteners (model ghd3) over a five minutes, the typical hair straightening time frame for medium length hair.

Initially, for the first minute of use from cold, the straighteners reached 300W, then as they warmed to temperature, this reduced to 120W, for the remainder of their use during the trial period they drew between 55W and 106W, with an average of approximately 79W.

Over the five minute period that the straighteners were used, they drew an average of 123W. This would equate to 1.6p an hour, or 0.13p per use. This equates to 56.7g of CO2 per hour use and 4.72g of CO2 per use (of five minutes).

But don't forget to switch them off or not only will they burn a hole in your work surface, maybe your pocket and the environment too.

For information on the electricity consumption of other products check out "How Much Electricity Does a ... Use?"

Please Note the energy use figures are taken from an energy monitor and are not scientifically analysed, therefore the range and margin of error is greater. If you would like a specific product tested let us know and we will endeavour to check it out.

Commercial Operations Begin at Stetson Wind

First Wind, an independent North American wind power company, today celebrated the achievement of commercial operations for its Stetson Wind project. Situated in Washington County, Maine, Stetson Wind will have the capacity to generate clean, wind energy to power about 23,500 New England homes per year.

At an event hosted by First Wind outside the town of Danforth, Governor John E. Baldacci spoke about the project and the environmental and economic benefits of wind power to the State of Maine.


“The Stetson Wind project continues Maine’s aggressive leadership in pursuing energy independence. We are capitalizing on the clean, renewable sources of energy that exist in our State, like wind, solar and tidal. By harnessing these sources of energy locally, we keep money in our State and we create jobs in our State, all while improving our environment and our national security.”
Governor John E. Baldacci


Stetson Wind, a 57 megawatt (MW) wind project, will surpass First Wind’s Mars Hill facility as the largest wind energy project in operation in the State of Maine and in New England. The project consists of 38 General Electric 1.5 MW wind turbines, and will have the capacity to generate approximately 167 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of clean electricity every year. The project officially began generating power on a commercial basis and delivering it to the New England electrical grid today.

Construction on the project began in January 2008. The project created 350 development and construction jobs, and First Wind spent about $50 million with Maine-based businesses developing and building the project.

“Today, we are proud to mark the commencement of commercial operations of our Stetson Wind project. With nearly 100 MW of clean, wind energy being generated between Stetson Wind and our Mars Hill project, we’re making renewable wind power in Maine a reality and plan to continue our commitment to the state through a number of other projects already in development.”
Paul Gaynor, President and CEO of First Wind

First Wind plans to build additional projects in Maine, including a proposed 25.5 MW expansion at Stetson Wind, as well as the 60 MW Rollins Wind project near the town of Lincoln. First Wind has submitted permit applications with state agencies for both projects.


“This project represents another big step in Maine’s leadership in generating clean, renewable energy. Each wind power project built in Maine provides us with jobs and helps reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. In Maine, we’re not just talking about the need for clean energy, we’re doing it. The companies and subcontractors who have brought this project to completion are helping to create a new energy future not just for Maine, but for our nation."
Pete Didisheim, Advocacy Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine.

Stetson Wind will provide both environmental and economic benefits to the surrounding region. A project of this type can be considered a success for the following reasons:

• A traditional fossil fuel facility producing the same amount of electric energy that Stetson Wind will generate, would consume more than 331,000 barrels of oil per year or over 89,000 tons of coal per year.
• Wind energy emits no greenhouse gases. Based on data recently published by the U.S. EPA’s Emissions and Generation Resource Integrated Database (E-GRID), traditional New England generation sources producing an equivalent annual amount of electric energy as Stetson Wind would emit greenhouse gases (GHG) consisting of nearly 76,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2).
• To put this in perspective, the amount of CO2 avoided is the equivalent to the annual emissions of over 13,000 cars or over 9,000 SUVs.
• In addition, equivalent energy production from traditional sources would produce 190 tons of sulfur dioxide (SO2). Both SO2 and NOx cause acid rain.
• Through the development and construction of Stetson Wind, more than $50 million has been spent with Maine-based businesses and organizations.
• In total, $4 million in tax payments will be made to local communities over the next 20 years.
• First Wind hires local business services whenever possible, and employed more than 350 people during construction of Stetson Wind. In addition, 6 full time jobs have been created now that the project is in commercial operation.

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What Happens When We All Switch on the Kettle at The Same Time?

British Gas Price Cut

British Gas has said that more than seven million households will benefit when it cut its standard tariff gas prices by 10% on 19 February. The news will see a reduction of £84 from the average annual gas bill and comes after the "big six" energy companies were urged to pass on lower wholesale gas prices.

British Gas, which is part of the Centrica group and trades as Scottish Gas in Scotland, raised its gas prices by a record 35% in 2008, while other companies lifted prices by more than 20%.

"We are committed to providing the best possible prices for customers. This price cut will go some way to helping customers manage their budgets, and we will continue to do what we can, when we can."
Phil Bentley, Managing Director, British Gas

However, consumer watchdogs and Age Concern said that, unless there were further price cuts from all suppliers across all tariffs, "many of the poorest customers will continue struggle to pay their energy bills" and continue to remain in fuel poverty.

Energy price cuts are likely to be too little and too late to help consumers with this winter's fuel bills. More importantly, it is now looking highly unlikely that price cuts are going to wipe out last year's painful hike in household energy bills. One way to reduce your bills further is to reduce your consumption through energy efficient means.

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Downturn No Reason to Stop Climate Change Fight

World leaders must not let the economic downturn get in the way of the fight against climate change, Tony Blair told an energy conference. The former prime minister stressed the importance of acting now and said that a new global agreement was necessary.

"It is now, right now, at the instant when our thoughts are centred on the economic challenge that we must not set to one side the challenge of global warming, but instead resolve to meet it and put the world on a path to sustainable growth for the future."
Tony Blair, Former British Prime Minister

Mr Blair, who said the downturn should not be seen as an obstacle but an opportunity to combat climate change, also set out the terms of a new global agreement. He said interim targets were needed, obligations had to be shared fairly and that people should be ready to make practical simple steps instead of just technological advances.

Energy efficiency, he said could account for a quarter of the reductions necessary to avoid catastrophic climate change. The energy efficiency of existing houses has been highlighted by the Committee on Climate change as something that needs to be improved.

Insulation, double glazing, microgeneration and water saving are among the measures that can help homes become more energy efficient.

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Daily Mail Tw@t$

After a long gluttonous and unfortunately carbon intensive Christmas break I am back, and what did I see before me in the Daily Mail this week. None other than a beautiful front cover on the banning on the conventional inefficient light bulb. The government must have done something right to ensure that a "voluntary ban" with the catchy headline "Robbed of their right to buy traditional light bulbs" could out strip column inches from seriously newsworthy stories, like bloodshed in Gaza.

The editors at the the Daily Mail really pushed the boat out to desperate bulb hoarders who had been frantically searching stores for the bulbs to no avail with a 25 000 bulb giveaway, rationing this national supply to just five per reader.

But what is ridiculous is that people are hoarding bulbs in their hundreds or thousands, other than the potential ebayablity in the next few years, to other bulb hoarders wanting to boost their collection of bulbs into the tens of thousands this also shows the lack of real reasoning, that an average light bulb lasts 600hrs.

We have had a few comments on the actual price of the energy saving bulbs, which are "too expensive". I picked some energy saving bulbs up at Tesco for only 8p each, to be truthful, I picked up a few hundred, to give out to friends, family and whoever else wanted them. Not to mention the fact that they last 10 to 12 times longer than incandescent bulbs. Look and you shall find them for cheap or free. Plus you won't have to run to the shops in your car as often to buy them, saving time and fuel, and of course risking life to change the one on the landing.

People are concerned that they require more resources than conventional bulbs, and that must be more carbon intensive. However, a carbon footprint analysis by the Carbon Trust for Tesco own brand CFL bulbs showed that per hour of usage, the energy saving bulb was less carbon intensive in it's production.

Medical charities say they can trigger epileptic fits, migraines and skin rashes. To which I don't doubt that this is an extremely small minority, or as we all went to Tesco to pick up incandescent bulbs we would simply fall to the ground in a fit and burst out into a rash, not to mention the inability to function in life at all, as almost all publicly accessible buildings have CFLs.

How Much Energy Does a Sony PS3 Use?

It's a huge powerful machine, with a blue-ray disc player, but just how much of the national grid is this chunk of machine pulling.

Vampire Power: 2W
PS3 Menu: 107W
Scanning Disc: 107 - 119W
In Game;
Grand Theft Auto IV: 125 - 130W

Pretty shocking electricity consumption then, especially to the slimline energy consumption of the Wii, and almost four times the energy consumption of the PS2. But what worries me is that people when they are not using the Playstation 3 will leave the device on, on pause and turn the TV off.

Running your PS3 in paused mode, overnight, for say 10 hours will use 1.25kWh, about 15p, but more worryingly there will be those that leave it on 24/7, over a day using 3kWh (36p), and a year 1,095kWh (£131.40). This is also adding up in CO2 emissions, about 1.65kg of CO2/day and, 602kg of CO2/yr.

It appears the PS3 is the Hummer of the console market, and so much so, leaving it on all year would produce 100 times it's own weight in CO2. For those that already know, the PS2 was such a success it sold over 100m units worldwide. So our advice is to anyone using a Playstation 3, is to switch off, anytime your not using it, or else you will have a chunky electricity bill next time around, especially with the increased electricity costs over the last few months.

For information on the electricity consumption of other products check out "How Much Electricity Does a ... Use?"

Please Note the energy use figures are taken from an energy monitor and are not scientifically analysed, therefore the range and margin of error is greater. If you would like a specific product tested let us know and we will endeavour to check it out.

Northern Ireland's First Carbon Neutral Home

Northern Ireland’s first carbon neutral home, has been officially opened by Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie. The five bedroom, 2,500 sq ft property has been built by Sky Developments, a specialist development company working in the field of low carbon and passive status housing. The building was constructed using Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) and incorporates the latest state of the art technologies to assist energy efficiency.

“I have been most impressed by what I have seen. This building showcases to stunning effect the innovative, energy saving technologies now available. All involved are to be congratulated for bringing such a challenging project to fruition.”
Margaret Ritchie, Social Development Minister

The minister took the opportunity to highlight a number of initiatives already developed by her own department to further increase the sustainability and energy efficiency of social housing.

The New Housing Agenda gives a high priority to the provision of more energy efficient housing. From April this year, a new higher Code for Sustainable Homes has applied to all new social housing, meaning that in effect homes built now are 25% more energy efficient than ever before.

Stephen McCready and Alan Johnston, directors of Sky Developments, say the 2,300sq ft home is so energy efficient that Northern Ireland Electricity will owe the householder £200 at the end of the year because it will produce so much energy it will feed the surplus back into the grid. The house’s carbon-neutral status means it has been granted an A Energy Performance Certificate. The average home in Northern Ireland are rated E.

The “green house” uses four main methods to keep costs at less than zero:

• the roof has been constructed of photovoltaic panels designed to resemble black slate tiles that harness the sun’s rays for electricity;
  
  
• structural insulated panels (SIPS) make up the shell of the house, with their superior heat-retaining ability cutting down on the need for electricity;
  
  
• an air source heat pump uses wind energy to pump out water at 37 degrees;
  
  
• quadruple glazing in each window blocks out the cold.

Sky Developments are about to start building 40 energy-efficient affordable homes in Newtownards using SIPS and the zero-carbon prototype as inspiration.

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Green Electricity Suppliers

They’re all doing it, draping themselves in images of windmills and claiming green credentials – but how green are the UK’s electricity companies really?

How much of what you see is spin and how much is real? That’s a question we’ve asked ourselves often enough. And lately, with the ‘Big Six’ spending £millions on slick TV ads - this seems a more pressing question than ever. Is there a way to judge who's really green and who’s only saying they are? Actually it’s quite simple.

Just look at how much each electricity company spends building new sources of green electricity each year – New energy. The only green electricity that does anything to reduce CO2 emissions and our dependence on fossil fuels is the new green energy, the stuff that gets built today and tomorrow. If you’re not building you’re not actually achieving anything green at all. It’s just marketing and spin.

Ecotricity produced a measure for spending on New Energy called it ‘pounds per customer’ – it shows how much each electricity company actually spends, for each of it’s customers on the new green stuff. It’s a number that cuts through the fog of marketing and to the heart of the issue, irrespective of company size.

Some energy companies are bigger than others of course, so the total they spend on building new green electricity sources is useful to know, but is not the whole story. For example in 2004, npower spent £40m on new green energy, Ecotricity just £5m. But Ecotricity had just 5000 customers compared to npowers 5m customers.

To get meaningful comparisons you need to simply see how much is spent per customer. This shows you how much of your electricity bill actually gets spent each year, building new sources of green. And how much of a difference you make by being with your supplier. It's that simple - and called pounds per customer. It's the acid test of green commitment. It's simple enough maths too - Just take the total number of customers each supplier has and divide that by their total spend on new green electricity sources in any given year.

These are the figures for 2007. Prepare to be surprised.

Supplier	2007 spend per customer
Ecotricity	£555.36
Powergen	£17.28
Centrica	£7.12
npower	£3.89
EDF Energy	£3.55
Scottish Power	£2.63
Green Energy UK	£0.00
Good Energy	£0.00
Scottish & Southern Energy	£0.00

Ecotricity now offers two types of tariff, these are considered to be the greenest tariffs in the UK;

• New Energy
  
  All the Green energy in this tariff comes from Ecotricities own wind turbines, this year it’s just over 30% ­ and rising currently at almost 10% per year. The balance is ’Brown’ electricity bought in the market ­ and that reduces each year as the green increases. But the key part is this - for every £ customers spend through their electricity bills Ecotricity spend another £ building new sources of Green energy. And they price match each regional supplier so New Energy has no premium attached to it ­ - customers get ’Green for the price of Brown’.
  
  No wonder this is considered by people like the Soil Association, WWF and Oxfam to be the best green tariff in the UK, bar none.
  
  
• New Energy Plus
  
  For those that understand the need to build new sources to actually impact climate change ­ but who want a 100% tariff in the mean time. It’s New Energy (30% Green from Ecotricity turbines this year and rising fast), topped up with green electricity from existing renewable sources (instead of Brown) ­ making this a 100% Green tariff. You get the same total commitment to build, spend one £ on renewables for every one £ customers spend, ­ but it’s 100% green now. It’s a mixture of Old and New green energy in fact (New Energy Plus Old). It isn’t any better than New Energy, but some people just want 100%, so they offer it.
  
  The existing (Old) green energy they top up with is a scarce resource though, so there’s a small premium of 0.5p per unit, which works out at about £20 a year for a typical household - over and above the price of Brown electricity from each regional supplier.

For more information on Energy Suppliers by CO2 emissions and their "energy make up" visit our CO2/kWh table. The Ecologist magazine published an article on this same topic in June 2005 (pdf).


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CO2/kWh

Supplier	Coal	Natural Gas	Nuclear	Renewable	Other	CO2	Nuclear Waste	Disclosure Year
British Gas	18.0	56.0	20.0	4.0	2.0	0.382	0.0022	2007
Ecotricity	23.8	22.8	25.9	24.1	3.3	0.316	0.0029	2007
EDF Energy	47.0	29.0	17.0	5.0	2.0	0.540	0.0018	2007
Good Energy	0.0	0.0	0.0	100.0	0.0	0.000	0.0000	2007
Green Energy	0.0	68.0	0.0	32.0	0.0	0.136	0.0000	2007
npower/RWE	44.0	37.0	13.0	3.0	3.0	0.543	0.0015	2007
Powergen	42.0	36.7	14.2	3.6	3.5	0.530	0.0020	2007
Scottish & Southern Energy	30.6	57.8	0.8	10.2	0.6	0.489	0.0001	2007
ScottishPower	55.2	36.7	1.0	6.8	0.3	0.630	0.0001	2007
Utilita	33.0	39.0	21.0	4.0	3.0	0.460	0.0025	2006
UK average	35.8	38.8	18.6	4.7	2.1	0.461	0.0025	2007

CO2 in Kg/kWh

Energy Saving Week

"Before I put my heating on I check that all the windows in the house are closed. Heating a house while its windows are open is like lighting a fire with £5 notes!"

This week is energy saving week, and this year's theme is 'Green/Life Balance' - the fact is we are getting busier, working harder and have less time to do the things we want to do. An EST survey found that half of us say we would be greener if we had more time, and a third of us say our job is the main reason we don't have time to be green.

The aim of Energy Saving Week is simple: to help consumers learn how they can reduce their carbon footprint and show how significant savings can be made in money, energy and time by making a difference.

One of the ways in which you can join in the fun is with the new Energy Saving Trust blog / social network, "Britain Unplugged", where you can throw your ideas into the pot and find new ways to reduce energy, save money and save the planet, in the "What's green and takes 60 seconds? Challenge".

According to the EST, Digital Marketing Manager, Jasper Bell, who is the first editor of BU, the project is a slow burner which hopes to bring people together with a view to sharing ideas and promoting the benefits of reducing energy consumption. You should be seeing and hearing more of the project in the media in the future.

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Reducing Energy Costs The Green Way

In recent years householders have seen the cost of energy rise sharply and therefore more and more people have been turning to more energy efficient methods. One such noticeable area for improving home efficiency has been in home heating. Householders are looking to cut heating bills by installing more resistant and efficient wall and roofing insulation. The trend of rising home insulation use is plain to see these days as big companies such as Tesco have entered the market place. The government is also doing its bit by setting up a £3bn fund to help householders insulate their homes. This is part of their much wider green campaign which aims to reduce emissions by 2015.

Although there are many home insulation products on the market there are very few that actually make use of an environmentally friendly product. This is where a company like Sprayseal differentiates itself. Sprayseal is a specialist insulation company that uses a unique brand of spray foam insulation that is completely environmentally friendly. What’s more is that the Sprayseal formula contains no toxic fibres or materials and can be used in almost any environment.

Sprayseal itself feels that offering a green alternative is extremely important in today’s climate because environmental change is very much at the forefront of people’s agenda. Pushing people towards greener products can only be a good thing.

Sprayseal’s commitment to the environment has essentially changed with the times as the family run business started out in 1987 and originally made use of more traditional insulation methods. When the opportunity arose to using a new modern and more efficient product came along the directors jumped at the chance. The pair was initially impressed by the products ability to reduce heat loss by up to 80% but on further use they found it was ideal for installing insulation quickly and easily.

Sprayseal as a company has also been growing as a result of it’s environmentally ways and has recently launched a new website. The interest stemming from the product means that they now operate home insulation services across the country and have a growing workforce. In the future it will be interesting to see how insulation and other energy saving methods will evolve.

Sprayseal also is a unique product in that it can be adaptable to any situation, and must be the sure choice of industry, where large scale projects can be carried out with the minimum of disruption. Their previous clients include some prestigious companies, including Endemol, creators of, Big Brother, who had the house insulated, the Tate Gallery, and many local councils and health authorities.

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In Search of Clean Power

In this, the last of his Big Ideas programmes, James May (of Top Gear fame) tries to find smarter, brighter and bolder ways of powering the planet for future generations. So James sets off on a global search to find people who share his dream. It takes him from Guildford, where he takes a solar powered car to its limit at night, to the US where he joins some aerospace engineers who are trying to build an 'elevator' into space.

In Holland, he meets the first Dutchman in space who has put away his rockets and has swapped them for kites as he tries to harvest the power of the jet-stream. And finally, in the deserts of New Mexico, James seeks out some modern-day alchemists, who offer the promise of allowing him to drive his car on petrol conjured out of thin air.

There will be a few familiar sites in this episode with the Marine Current Turbine in Strangford Lough and the Solar Tower in Saville, which have previously been mentioned in this blog.

You can catch this program on the BBC iPlayer for a few days yet.

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Bulb Ban = Bulb Hoarders

It may seem irrational to us all that in times when energy costs are going up, some individuals would be wanting to keep their incandescents, but in the run up to the voluntary January 2009 bulb ban (which will see 150W and 100W bulbs removed from all major retailers with all incandescents removed by 2011).

There are good reasons why a ban on incandescents are a good thing, both environmentally and politically. Lighting accounts for anywhere from 8 - 19% of our total energy use, and it is expected that the ban will reduce our energy consumption annually by 5.5%, or 9200GWh, in the process reducing CO2 emissions by 5m tonnes, the equivalent of the expected CO2 saving of the Severn barrage. This also begs the question, why build a £10 billion super structure when in reality all you have to do is ban a bulb, costing a few million pounds, with the same positive outcome. Obviously the barrage can still come along later to reduce emissions even further, provide clean energy and help the government meet renewable energy targets.

Reducing the amount of electricity used in real terms through measures like this also reduce the demand on energy, and the materials used to provide that energy, which also reduces the end cost to the consumer across all major fuel sources. By reducing the total energy used nationwide, you also have a higher output in percentage terms from your renewable energy sources, without having to install further capacity.

But why did the government choose not to go for an all out ban, like Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and the US. This would have made it illegal to obtain the bulbs even from specialist retailers, however how could this be punished under law, it may make an interesting court case followed by the media, and the crime, threatening national energy security .. maybe. But by default with so many countries implementing a ban, manufactures stop production, importation of bulbs in quantity from Asia regions grind to a halt, introducing new smaller supply changes, thus increasing the cost of bulbs, it is likely however to increase the price of the standard bulb dramatically. Already both the 150W and 100W bulbs are a hard to find item at your local supermarket as supplies dry up.

Hence why some people have turned to stockpiling incandescent bulbs, concerns seem to be more aesthetic than safety-conscious.

"It's a bad idea. They're not only bad for the climate but mean a bigger electricity bill. Incandescent light bulbs were invented in the 1880s and use 80% more electricity than energy saving ones. The time has come to move into the 21st Century."
Ben Stewart, Greenpeace

On 16 & 17 April 2008, the Energy Saving Trust carried out a lightbulb ‘Pepsi’ challenge at Bluewater Shopping Centre to see if the public could tell the difference between traditional and Energy Saving Recommended lightbulbs.

For the experiment two identical booths were specially built each with a lounge – one lit with a traditional light bulb and one lit with an energy saving one.



Members of the public were then asked to enter each of the booths for ten seconds and say whether they could tell which one contained the energy saving lightbulb, and which one they preferred.

Out of 761 shoppers, 53 per cent either got it wrong or could not spot the difference, despite 70 per cent of shoppers being confident that they would be able to spot the energy efficient lightbulb before they did the test. The shoppers were not told whether they had guessed right, but 64 per cent of people claimed to prefer the light produced by the energy efficient light bulb.

"I think the results are extremely encouraging and go to show just how much the quality of light from energy efficient lightbulbs has improved since they were first introduced. Not only that, but there are now a far wider range of energy efficient bulbs available, including dimmers. The days of bulky, ugly looking energy efficient bulbs, which gave poor light quality are long gone. Clearly, the public have had their own ‘lightbulb’ moment too, with sales of energy efficient lightbulbs jumping from 10 million in 2006 to 21 million in 2007."
Philip Sellwood, Chief Executive, Energy Saving Trust

Maybe the solution is bulb amnesties in the streets of Britain where you can get rid of your old 100W bulbs in exchange for a free energy saving bulb, that way the county would be rid of those high wattage bulbs, from of course the people willing to give them up.


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What's the Best Way to Green With Your Green?

The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors have released a guide for consumers which offers impartial expert advice regarding the costs, potential energy savings, payback period and disruptiveness of green improvements to a property. The Greener Homes Price Guide was developed by RICS’ Building Cost Information Service to help consumers through the green jargon, and manufacture claims.

Homeowners rocked by the latest rises in energy bills are turning to green solutions to save money and reduce their carbon footprint.

By using the guide, homeowners will be able to target the areas in their homes where green upgrades would have the most impact.

This will enable them to make informed choices on how best to improve their homes, whether this is with a view to solely reduce their carbon footprint or reduce their energy bills.

Often caught between wanting to be more environmentally friendly and needing value for money many consumers are left confused over which green upgrades offer the best energy savings for the best price.

In addition to offering cost advice The Greener Homes Price Guide also includes practical advice on:

• what grants are available and how to apply for them
• when you need to apply for planning permission
• how to obtain builders or specialist contractors

“We all have a role to play in helping to reduce our carbon footprint, be it through changes to our behaviour or by choosing greener alternatives. The reality is, however, that most people struggle with the cost, time, and effort it takes to make these changes. The Greener Homes Price Guide gives consumers a comprehensive heads-up about the costs and effectiveness of green upgrades, whilst protecting them from being duped into changes that won’t save them money or do little to reduce their carbon footprint. Consumers need innovation and enhanced technology to help in the fight against climate change, not just a guilt trip about living in the world we have created. We encourage governments and companies not just here in the UK, but all over the world to continue to invest more in the research and development of green technologies.”
Joe Martin, BCIS, Executive Director

Unfortunately the RICS are out for their green too, and the guide is not available for free, the Greener Homes Price Guide: Organising and Budgeting for Energy Efficiency and Reducing Your Carbon Footprint, is priced £17.99 and can be ordered online or by calling T +44 (0)870 333 1600 (select option 2 for BCIS sales and quote item code 17012). Also available in all good bookshops. Publication date: August 2008. ISBN: 978 1 904829 67 6


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UK Searching For Energy Efficiency

Britons are increasingly concerned with making their homes more efficient, if their internet searching habits are anything to go by. According to internet traffic monitor Hitwise, there has been a significant increase in the amount of searches for terms such as 'loft insulation' and 'underfloor heating'.

The growing interest in methods for making a home more energy efficient reflects the fear of rising fuel and electricity gas prices.

According to Energy Saving Trust recommended supplier Anglian Home Improvements, the average energy bill is set to rise to £1,406. The drastic increase from £676 in 2005 is a major reason for the new interest, claimed Hitwise research director Robin Goad, who also noted people were looking to change their energy providers.

"Concern about energy prices has also led to more people visiting utilities websites, presumably to check prices and change suppliers. UK internet traffic to a custom category of electricity and gas suppliers has doubled over the last year."
Robin Goad, Research Director, Hitwise

The Full Blog Post by Robin Goad

As well as an increase in search terms on energy efficiency, the EST website has received a daily Alexa rank decrease to 60k from 80k, and this blog has had a decrease from 820k to 770k in the last week.

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New Energy Efficient Ad On TV Now

Ad Courtesy Of Act On CO2

A £6m TV ad campaign encouraging householders to make steps to make their homes more energy efficient was launched on Wednesday.

Following a rise in the number of people calling energy efficiency advice lines, the adverts, directed by This is England director Shane Meadows, are to air from tonight.

"Apart from the fact that I really liked this campaign because it's funny and well written, I was also interested in making some films that might make a difference to the way people behave. If these films can make a few more people aware of the problem and actually do something, then it's got to be a worthwhile project."
Shane Meadows

The advert shot by Meadows show a father trying to get his family to cut their energy consumption, reducing their gas and electricity bills and reducing their carbon emissions.

ACT ON CO2 advice line from the Energy Saving Trust has reported that the amount of calls it has received has quadrupled since the government announced a £910 million package to help householders become more efficient.

Taking steps such as ensuring all sockets are tuned off, installing insulation and using energy saving appliances are among the recommendations the advice line ACT ON CO2 has been handing out.

"I am encouraged that following last week's announcement, people are looking to take action to cut their fuel bills and save energy at the same time. We now need to build on that enthusiasm."
Hillary Benn, Environment Secretary

The government package aims to make sure all homes have proper insulation by 2020.

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Public Inquiry for Rose Energy Incinerator

Lisburn City Council have called on the Environment Minister to hold a public inquiry into the construction of the proposed agricultural biomass incinerator by Rose Energy, in Glenavy.

Representives from Rose Energy and Communities Against Lough Neagh Incinerator were at at the Lisburn City Council Planning Commitee meeting on Wednesday evening, held at the council offices headquarters at Lagan Valley Island.

The decision has now been deferred to the Department of the Environment, who should ensure the proposal is rigorously assessed.

Northern Ireland often exports its chicken litter to mainland Britain as a way to efficiently reduce waste and reuse the energy stored in the bedding as no facility exisits in the country. The 1.8m chickens produced each week, create 250 000t of chicken litter annually. Hence the decision by major chicken producers O'Kane Poultry, Glenfarm Holdings and Moy Park, who have been supplying poultry bedding for use as a biofuel to power stations in England and Scotland for a number of years, to join together as a consortium, known as Rose Energy, to propose the first energy plant which will convert agricultural biomass into electricity in Northern Ireland.

The proposed site in Glenavy, near Lisburn, is in an ideal location between the two major poultry processing areas in NI. It is also located next to Ulster Farm By-Products, which will be a major supplier to the plant of one of the fuel sources – meat and bone meal. Furthermore, the plant will serve to reinforce the electricity infrastructure in an area which is currently deficient.

The £100m power plant will have a capacity of 30MW, and could effectively power 25 000 homes, assisting up to a third of the Northern Ireland obligation to source 6.3% of its energy from renewable sources by 2012. The government intends to exceed this figure and achieve 12% and is providing a funding package for suitable green energy initiatives to help develop viable projects.

This development is a viable solution to address the disposal of agricultural biomass, which is now included under an EU directive, whilst also providing an additional source of renewable energy. It will also assist in reducing emissions produced from exporting chicken litter, via road and sea,to mainland Britain.

Northern Ireland Assembly Debate on Issue - 3rd June 2008
Options For Chicken Waste


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NIE Testing Smart Meters

Northern Ireland Electricity are to conduct a trial in to Smart Meters, and are looking for willing participants. The system will make use of accurate real time data, which can be viewed online, and tell you exactly how much electricity is being used in your home at any time.

Taking part is free and offers;

• Internet based monthly bills
• Real-time data on electricity consumption
• Accurate (not estimated) bills
• Paperless billing
• Remote readings of meter
• Email based customer support

The trial will last around twelve months. To participate you must be a NIE customer on a Home Energy or Eco Energy Tariff, paying their bills by direct debit, access to the internet, an email address, and individual meter and no arrears on their account. Numbers are limited.

For further information contact Kathryn on 028 9068 5028 or email smartmeter@nieenergy.co.uk

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