How Much Energy Does a Hotpoint Freezer Use?

Fridges and Freezers can account for over 30% of the electricity you use in your home, as they are constantly on, drawing electricity for cooling cycles over the day as and when required, therefore to gauge how much energy the freezer used in our test, we measured the electricity consumption over a 24hr period. You should be proud, I braved the garage at 1am, with spiders just to get the reading.

For this test we measured the Hotpoint RZA54G graphite tall freezer with an energy rating of A, from the product specifications it should use approximately 257kWh per year, this equates to about 0.7kWh/day, however this is the manufactures test using their optimum settings.

We measured the freezer using the mid-setting of (3) for 24hrs.

Total Electricity Consumed; 0.78kWh over 24 hrs (average of 32.5W)

Over a year this would equate to 284.7kW or £37.01 and 153kg of CO2

Consider if your fridge or freezer is 10 years old, it could be using twice as much, or over 15 years old, and you could be looking at four times this figure.

Energy Saving Tips for Fridges and Freezers;

• Keep to a minimum the number of times and length you keep the door open, this not only saves electricity but reduces wear
• Keep fridges and freezers away from heat sources and direct sunlight if possible
• Keeping your fridge and freezer full will reduce the energy required to keep the fridge cool
• Defrost frozen food in the fridge, this will reduce the energy the fridge requires to keep at a constant temperature and is safer than defrosting at room temperature
• Keep the condenser coils clean and dust-free, allow space for air to circulate, and do not block vents
• Defrost fridges and freezers regularly as this ensures that they are working more efficiently
• If your fridge or freezer is older than 10 years, a new energy efficient model could half your refrigeration costs
• Ensure the doors seals are tight and working by closing the door on a piece of paper, if it can easily be removed, consider replacing the seals
• Consider installing an eCube, which reduces the number of cooling cycles required as it measures food temperatures not air temperature

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.

Could You Live Without Plastic?

Well I don't think I could, but this is the aim of a challenge by the BBC's Christine Jeavans. Not an easy task on your own but with an 18 month-old baby, near impossible. Plus you could be amazed at just what contains plastic. Find out if she has been able to survive on the new Month Without Plastic Blog. The month is almost over, but you can still read the last 28 days trials and tribulations and get up-to-date, plus lots of information and statistics.

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Picture: Kilbraur Wind Farm

Photos By Ray Cranfield and Ronnie Mackay (More Pics Available Here)Kilbraur wind farm of 19 turbines, with maximum output of 47.5MW. Kilbraur Wind Energy Co-operative, have just released shares up to the value of £1.8 million for purchase to locals in the largest wind farm co-op in the United Kingdom. I'm tempted to buy a few shares, more on how to invest in wind power?

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How Much Electricity Does a Dell Dimension C521 PC Use?

Computers are part of our every day life, no matter what our occupation. Computers are alledgedly responsible for as much CO2 as the shipping and airline industries, whether it be huge servers needing cooled or your standalone PC at home they take power, some more than others. But just how much power?

We tested a Dell Dimension c521 Desktop PC, manufactured in April 2007. Yesterday we published details of the Dell LCD monitor that came with this PC.

Shut Down; 3W

Start-up; 70 to 105W (Average approximately 81W)

Start-up (Logging into Vista); 100 to 111W

In Vista; 56 - 101W (Average approximately 90W)

Energy Saving Ideas for your PC

• Turn off Bluetooth, Infared and Wifi when not required
• Remove programs from start-up that are not required
• Instead of a screensaver, set up your computer to auto-snooze
  
• Close programs not in use
• Shut down rather than allow the computer to snooze
• Shedule auto-shutdown if you want to finish downloading files
  

Leaving your PC on for a year would use 788kWh and emit 426kg of CO2 and cost about £102.44.

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.

Give Me an "F" For Failing Government Department

If you are the government department tasked with reducing public buildings' carbon emissions, you would want to make sure when you implemented Display Energy Certificates for all government buildings, that your building was, well efficient.

However, Eland House, the headquarters of the Communities and Local Government, who is tasked to do just that has been handed a quite poor 'F' rating, which was only the second worst rating it could have received.

Eland House was designed by EPR Architects and built by Mowlem for Land Securities, and completed in 1998. The steel and glass structure in London is 59 m (152 ft) high, with 11 floors providing 35,000 m² (376,250 sq ft) of office space housing 2,500 staff. It incorporates a number of environmental features including a cogeneration plant and active solar panels.

Energy assessors visited the building ahead of the October introduction of regulations requiring public buildings to display evidence of their energy performance. Buildings which are frequently visited by the public, whether wholly or only partly publicly owned, and are larger than 1,000 metres squared, must prominently display their energy rating.

"Our rating for Eland House tells us we must clearly do better to make a difference to our energy performance. We are now acting on recommendation from our advisory report to help us improve future ratings."
Communities and Local Government

Officials from the departments excuse was poor heating and ventilation and heating systems, as well as higher occupancy than expected affected the building's energy performance. It's a shame when an organisation that should be taking a lead in reducing its own carbon emissions, doesn't practice what they preach, certainly this will leave some senior civil servants red faced. Lets hope that their next rating will show considerable improvement.

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What Does a Display Energy Certificate Look Like?

Click on images for a more detailed view.



A This provides information about the building that the DEC applies to.

B Every DEC has a unique number. This number can be used to locate and get a copy of the certificate from the national register and to verify the validity of a DEC.

C The energy used by the building is converted into an amount of carbon dioxide (CO2). Different types of fuel emit different amounts of CO2. This shows how the energy use has changed over the last three years. The smaller the bar, the better the performance. This building has improved its performance over the last three years. Below the zero line show CO2 savings from Low and Zero Carbon energy sources. The benchmark is the average energy performance for a building of this type. A number below the line indicates the building is below average energy performance. A number above the line indicates the building is above average performance.

D This section of the DEC shows Operational Ratings from previous years. This building has improved its Operational Rating i.e. is using less energy and emitting less CO2 than in previous reports.

E This shows key information about how the certificate was prepared.

• Assessment software
  This shows which energy assessment method was used to produce the certificate.
• Property reference
  This is a unique reference number which identifies the building.
• Assessor Name and Number Accreditation scheme
  This identifies the assessor who produced the certificate with details of their accreditation scheme and their membership number.
• Issue and nominated date
  This shows the date of issues of the certificate and the date from which the DEC is valid (i.e. the nominated date).

F This provides technical information about energy use. Further details are available in a full technical table.

G This shows the relevant elements of technical information used to produce the certificate.

• Main Heating Fuel
  This indicates the main type of fuel used to heat the building.
• Building Environment
  This indicates how the internal environment of the building is conditioned.
• Total useful floor area
  This is the total area of all enclosed spaces measured to the internal face of the external walls (in accordance with the definition in the Building Regulations).
• Asset Rating: The asset rating of a building reflects the energy performance of that building in terms of the way it is built rather than the way it is used (standard use is assumed). It will appear here if the building has an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). Asset ratings are on a scale of 0-150, where 0 is the most energy efficient building and 150 is the least energy efficient building.

H This is the Operational Rating for this building. The rating shows the energy performance of the building as it is being used by the occupants. A building with performance equal to one typical of its type would therefore have an Operational Rating of 100. A building that resulted in zero CO2 emissions would have an OR of zero, and a building that resulted in twice the typical CO2 emissions would have an OR of 200. This rating indicates the building is being operated below average performance for a building of this type.



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Get EnviroWise About Water!

A scheme which proposes to help businesses save up to 30 per cent on their water and effluent bills is issuing a final call for participants to sign up.

The Rippleeffect, a water conservation project from Envirowise, offers businesses structured information and support to reduce the amount of water used.

Simple measures such as ensuring showers and taps do not leak, installing water efficient toilets and rainwater harvesting, could help firms make significant water savings even as the cost of water is set to rise by 22 per cent between 2010 and 2015.

"While cost-savings may be a key driver for water conservation, companies that do so demonstrate to customers that they are adopting best environmental practice. This in itself offers a competitive advantage."
Mary Leonard, Director, Envirowise

Saving water also helps save energy and emissions as the utilities use energy, often generated by fossil fuel burning to get water to residential and commercial taps.

Companies have until September 10th to sign up for the project.

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How Much Energy Does a Dell 19" LCD Monitor Use?

About 75% of us use LCD monitors, with the remainder using CRT monitors, but just how much energy does one use. We tested the Dell 19" Widescreen LCD SE198WFPf (image above is generic), manufactured in April 2007.

Standby: 1 to 2W

Brightness (75)

White Screen: 25W
Black Screen: 25W
General Screen: 25W

Brightness (100)

White Screen: 34W
Black Screen: 34W
General Screen: 34W

Brightness (00 ... You can still see everything but its very dull)

White Screen: 20W
Black Screen: 20W
General Screen: 20W

Leaving your LCD monitor on for a year would use 219kWh and emit 120kg of CO2 and cost about £28.47 at a brightness of 75

Ways to reduce your energy consumption;

• Switch Off when not in use
• Switch Off at mains on shut down
• Screensavers are pretty but environmentally unsound
• Lower the brightness of your monitor

Compare this to a CRT monitor, which typically use three times the energy of a LCD monitor, or about 75W (measurements vary for different colours).

CRTs may also contain toxic phosphors within the glass envelope. The glass envelopes of modern CRTs may be made from heavily leaded glass, which represent an environmental hazard. Indirectly heated vacuum tubes (including CRTs) use barium compounds and other reactive materials in the construction of the cathode and getter assemblies; normally this material will be converted into oxides upon exposure to the air, but care should be taken to avoid contact with the inside of all broken tubes.

In some jurisdictions, discarded CRTs are regarded as toxic waste. In October 2001, the United States Environmental Protection Agency created rules stating that CRTs must be brought to special recycling places. In November 2002, the EPA began fining companies that disposed of CRTs through landfills or incineration. Regulatory agencies, local and statewide, monitor the disposal of CRTs and other computer equipment.

In Europe, disposal of CRT televisions and monitors (as well as all electrical goods) is covered by the WEEE Directive.

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.

How Much Water Do You Consume?

Each UK resident consumes 4,645 litres of water a day, according to a new report.

The study by WWF takes into account embedded – or virtual – water, which is used in the production of food and textiles as well as visible water which is used to drink, wash, flush and water plants. On average, people in the UK use 150 litres a day on washing and drinking – but their food and clothes have about 30 times as much in embedded water. As a result, the UK is the world's sixth largest net importer of water, meaning it is reliant on water systems overseas for 62 per cent of its total water consumption.

The report highlights that it takes 140 litres of water to make one cup of coffee, and global coffee demand uses 120,000 billion litres. It also notes the difference in the water footprint between different diets. A diet based on meat and dairy uses 5,000 litres of water a day, compared to the 2,000 litres a vegetarian diet consumes.

"Only 38% of the UK's total water use comes from its own rivers, lakes and groundwater reserves. The rest is taken from water bodies in many countries across the world to irrigate and process food and fibre crops that people in Britain subsequently consume. What is particularly worrying is that huge amounts of these products are grown in drier areas of the world where water resources are either already stressed or very likely to become so in the near future"
Stuart Orr, Water Footprint Expert, WWF

At the World Water Week forum in Stockholm, where the report was presented, delegates have also heard that wastewater is used to irrigate fruit and vegetables on 20 million hectares around the globe.


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Want to Invest in Wind Power?

From today you can invest in a UK based wind farm of 19 turbines, with maximum output of 47.5MW. Shares in the Kilbraur Wind Energy Co-operative, up to the value of £1.8 million will be available for purchase to locals in the largest wind farm co-op in the UK.

Shares will cost £1 each and residents will have to buy a minimum of £250 up to £20,000 before October 24. Although anybody in the UK can buy shares, priority will be given to residents of Sutherland, then Caithness, Ross-shire and City of Inverness. Members of the 15 other co-operatives run by Energy4All will also get priority on buying shares.

Energy4All was formed in 2002 to expand the number of renewable energy co-operatives in the UK as an integral part of our transition to a low carbon economy.

Community-owned green energy is the corner stone of European renewable expertise and has worked successfully in the UK since 1996 through the award-winning Baywind Co-op.

Energy4All is uniquely owned by the co-operatives it assists; Baywind Energy Co-operative Ltd, Westmill Wind Farm Co-operative Ltd, Boyndie Wind Farm Co-operative Ltd, Fenland Green Power Co-operative Ltd, Isle of Skye Renewables Co-operative Ltd and Great Glen Energy Co-operative Ltd. As additional co-ops are established they too will take a share in this growing organisation.

Energy4All offers a highly successful combination of industry experience, community involvement, and business acumen providing a package of sector, admin, and financial services to Co-ops in return for an annual fee.

Energy4All was created due to daily enquiries received by Baywind Co-operative from people looking to replicate the success of Baywind, the UK's first community-owned wind farm. Baywind co-op has generated enough green electricity to power 1,300 homes a year whilst paying an attractive return to its 1,350 members (averaging 7% per annum), and supporting local initiatives, such as the Baywind Energy Conservation Trust. Owning a wind farm increases awareness of and involvement in renewable energy developments, maximises financial returns from local resources, and mobilises environmental concern.

"We're ethical, green and democratic - we have local people on the boards for each co-op. With Kilbraur we'd like our existing members to take an interest, and we'd particularly like people from the local town of Inverness to invest. If we can match our other projects and reach £1 million of investment, then we'll be very happy."
Paul Phare, Scotland development manager for Energy4All



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Formula Zero Championship 2008 Starts in Rotterdam

On Friday in the centre of Rotterdam, at the sound of the Vice-Mayor’s starting gun, the Formula Zero Championship commenced. Six internatonal teams spent two days competing for the title of this new zero emission race series.

The Formula Zero Championship consisted of two different challenges for the racing teams. On Friday from 17:30 there was sprint races in which teams competed for the fastest lap time with a ‘flying start’. On Saturday there will was the two-mile main races with ‘standing start’ (approx. 6 laps). The mobile race track, which can be put up anywhere, has a length of 535m and lies at the foot of the Willemsbridge.

Each team's entry was powered by a commercial fuel cell that produces electricity from hydrogen.

Founded by Dutch motorsport enthusiasts Godert van Hardenbroek and Eelco Rietveld, Formula Zero is already recognised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, the world's motorsport governing body.

Teams Competing in the event were;

• Greenchoice Forze: TU Delft, Delft, The Netherlands
• EUPLATECH2: EUPLA, Zaragoza, Spain
• Imperial Racing Green: Imperial College London, London, UK
• Element One: Lawrence Technological University, Detroit, USA
• HercUCLAs: University of California, Los Angeles, USA
• Unicord Solvay Zero Emission: RacingTeam Groep T, Leuven, Belgium

"In 10 years if the motorsport industry as a whole hasn't engaged in zero or low emission principles, it probably won't be around. Teams that embrace this new technology early on will succeed, and those that don't will fall by the wayside. With a combustion engine, you have to reach three or four thousand rev[olutions per minute] to get your peak power, with an electric vehicle, it's all there from standing, and they're more efficient."
Greg Offer, Imperial Racing Green, Imperial College London

It is expected that the class will grow to Formula Three standard and then full-size racing class as interest in green motoring escalates. The next event will be held in the US in March. In 2009 the Formula Zero championship will comprise four races.

Formula Zero’s goal is to generate enthusiasm for fuel cell cars and accelerate the introduction of this technology into commercial production. Formula Zero proves that sustainable mobility is already a reality. The racing world is the ideal environment for developing this technology so that we will eventually all drive zero emission cars. Whilst the event may not be zero emissions the cars are, and the benefit of engaging events like this is that it will encourage commericial production of fuel cell vehicles in the future.

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Recycling Rate in Lisburn Area Increases to 31%

Lisburn residents have achieved a 31% recycle rate for last year. By using green bins for recycling material such as paper, cans, cardboard and plastic bottles and brown bins for compostable garden waste, residents have achieved another year-on-year increase.

As well as the green and brown bins, the council also provides numerous recycling amenity sites across their remit, which accept materials such as glass bottles and jars, textiles, electronic goods and tetra pak drinks cartons. For information on your nearest amenity site or other questions regarding Lisburn City Council kerbside recycling, you can contact the council's recycling hotline on 0800 092 0246.

Lisburn City Council also offer keen gardeners and those wishing to recycle small amounts of food waste, a home compost bin for £5. This is only available to householders in the council catchment area, and can be ordered from the above telephone number.

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How Much Electricity Does an Energizer Battery Charger Use?

Batteries are said to consume fifty times the energy in production as the end product contains, so it makes environmental and economic sense to invest in a battery charger and rechargable batteries, if you use high energy consumption products such as digital cameras again its a real necessity, they can be reused again and again, sometimes up to 1000 times before they die. We tested the Energizer CH1HR-BS, which is a high-powered charger capable of charging 4 x 2500mAh AA batteries in an hour.

Charger attached to power supply, no batteries being charged (vampire power) - 3W

1 AA Battery - 9 to 11W
2 AA Batteries - 12 to 15W
3 AA Batteries - 16 to 19W
4 AA Batteries - 18 to 22W

So charging 4 batteries, is likely to cost you 0.022kWh, less than half of a penny, compared to several pounds for disposable batteries, it makes sense to choose rechargables.

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.

Picture: Paper Only

My friend saw this and thought of me during a recent trip to Edinburgh during the Fringe Festival. Clearly he knows that I am an eco geek. Its a paper only bin, more and more on street recycling facilities are appearing on streets up and down the country, to encourage us to recycle more. He commented "Edinburgh is beautifully clean".

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

We have previously discussed the role of the National Grid in ensuring that the "lights" remain on permanently in the UK, one error and we could be plunged into darkness. The popularity of a comparatively small number of channels, combined with the country’s legendary tea-drinking habits and a marked preference for the electric kettle rather than stove-top varieties make TV pick-ups a uniquely British phenomenon.

Surges of electricity are not uncommon for the National Grid, but a mass exodus of power consumption is. Surges often range from 300MW, 60 times the maximum output of the RePower 5MW wind turbine, to in excess of 3200MW. These are normally down to what are known as TV pick-ups. The National Grid faces a constant challenge. It must provide enough energy, and not too much, and it must keep the frequency at 50hz.

"The way to think about it is to imagine you are in your car and your challenge is to keep the car at exactly 50 miles an hour. You press on the accelerator as you go up the hill, and you ease off on the other side. A TV pick-up will give you anything between 200-400 [extra MW] if it's not a major storyline; for a main character being killed or a wedding with a lot of hype 700-800. If the analysts' predictions are more than 300MW out, the incident might be investigated. We can't store electricity in any great quantity, so we have to forecast second by second, minute by minute. You base that on what did it do yesterday, what did it do last week, can you identify a day with exactly the same weather. There is a demand-forecasting computer program that looks at the corresponding five weeks over the past five years. And better still there is an analyst who tackles the TV listings every day and tries to predict the spikes. There will be somebody now looking at this evening's television schedules and forecasting what the control room should expect."
Alan Smart, Operations Manager, National Grid

The biggest ever TV pick-up was reserved for a sporting event – the 1990 World Cup. It occurred on 4th July after England’s semi-final against West Germany. Following an edge-of-the-seat penalty shoot-out, demand soared by 2,800 megawatts - equivalent to more than a million kettles being switched on, providing enough hot water for 3 million cups of tea.

Who would have thought so much effort went into your cup of tea.

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The Man Who Cycled the World

The Man Who Cycled the World, was originally on our screens back in March, but the self-filmed documentary following the World record attempt of Mark Beaumont, to circumnavigate the globe on his trusty £2,500 bike was back on our screens this week spread across four nights in a row, don't worry if you missed it, you can watch it again on BBC iPlayer. It's a pretty amazing documentary about a pretty amazing challenge, and it makes me feel guilty about getting in a car for a 10 minute ride. Surely a bike ride to Asia for my next holidays has potential now if I have a three months. If you want to check his diary, visit Pedalling Around.

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Where Does Our Waste Go?

A unique look from above at where the waste we throw away each day ends up. 50 000 refuse collection vehicles pound our streets daily collecting 85 000 tonnes of waste so that we can live and work in a safe, healthy environment. Where does all that rubbish go and how does it get there?

Subway Reduce Their Carbon Footprint by Another Little Bit

Doctors Associates International, owners of Subway, they have over 29,546 franchised units in 87 countries and are keen to promote environmental issues, and through their current slogan "Subway, Eat Fresh, Live Green".

This campaign part of Subway's corporate social responsibility program that is currently under development. You can find some of the exceptionally impressive carbon reduction measures already implemented in our Fast Food with a Conscience.

One new measure implemented by Subway is an increase in content of napkins per case by 17%, without an increase in pack size, up to 5850 napkins from 5000. The idea is 17% less space in storage, trucks, containers, saving CO2 in transport, storage and packaging. Saving about 661 cubic inches per pack. Packs will start arriving to stores later this month. Subway napkins already save approximately 60,500,000 gallons of water and an additional 147,000 trees annually because they are made from 100% recycled fiber processed chlorine free.

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Is Climate Change The Reason for the Westlink / Broadway Flood?

At the weekend during "freak" weather conditions, parts of Northern Ireland received in excess of August's rainfall in under 12hrs, leading to extensive flooding across the province, which lead to 850 calls to emergency services, and over 8000 calls for assistance from public service providers such as the Department of the Environment (DoE), Road Service NI, and Northern Ireland Water. Since I had not posted since Saturday, I'm sure you may have even thought I was stuck somewhere.

However, one iconic part of the road network in Belfast was left submerged in 20ft of water, capturing in excess of 20 million gallons of water. The Westlink and M1 upgrade scheme began in February 2006 at a cost of around £104m in a bid to solve the problems of daily rush-hour bottlenecks. The underpass was opened to traffic six weeks ago — 13 months ahead of schedule — and was designed to improve the strategic links between the M1, the M2 and the M3 motorways.

The Broadway roundabout underpass has two live rivers that run beside it, the Clowney Water to the west, and the Blackstaff adjacent to the east. These rivers are underground and therefore have a fixed capacity. Despite the construction of a large overflow chamber under Broadway roundabout. The design shape of the Westlink is effectively a basin or bowl which would funnel any water to the centre, this water would then drain away, making use of the overflow chamber. In the days preceding the "extraordinary event", there had been continued rainfall, this saturated the area which was worst affected, leading to the ground being unable to absorb any further rainfall. Rain then lay, or in the cases where it fell on uneven ground ran to the lowest point. This increased substantially the amount of water in rivers, and water from previous days were still filtering downwards. At the Clowney Water and Blackstaff, where the capacity is fixed, water could only pass through at normal rates, or increased rates at increased flow, so to cope with twice as much water, the river would have to have passed at twice normal speed, it can to a certain degree cope until no more when the waters will back up an eventually force the rivers to burst their banks.

This month has been the wettest August on record, with 177.8mm of rainfall so far. The last wettest August was in a 1956 with 161mm of rainfall. So how could climate change or global warming be to blame?

Research from Newcastle University in 2006 suggested that rain intensity has doubled in the UK over the last 40 years due to climate change, this has an affect on current systems which may have been designed to cope with large amounts of water over long periods, however as rainfall becomes heavier and more intense, these systems have to cope with the same amount of water but in a shorter time frame, as on Saturday; existing systems simply could not cope.

"If the trend continues, which is likely, this suggests we will have an increase in flooding over the coming years which has major implications for flood risk management"
Dr Hayley Fowler, Newcastle University

This may not be the last time that the Broadway underpass becomes submerged, holding the equivalent water of 32 Olympic swimming pools as the area flooded previously in December 2007, and that was before the underpass had been dug out, it's now only a matter of time and alot of intense rain before it happens again. Floods can also be exacerbated by plastic bags. Bangladesh, imposed the ban after it was revealed they were a major contributor to the 1988 and 1998 floods which submerged two-thirds of the country.

There is a great deal of sympathy for those who have been affected by the recent events, its hard to contemplate that it may be months or even a year before homes will be returned to normal, and the loss of irreplaceable items.

For those disposing of destroyed white goods and electronics, you should contact the council for a free household amenities collection. When replacing white goods, consider purchasing the most energy efficient appliances.



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Photos
Belfast Telegraph (2-5)

How Much Energy Does an Apple iPhone Use?

The iPhone has been a success worldwide, with the recent launch of the iPhone 3G, but, just how much energy does it use.

iPhone 3G - 4 to 6W
iPhone 2G - 4 to 6W

This was from an Apple charger, whilst charging the battery, notably when we tested the Apple iBook G4, we connected the iPhone via USB, and this drew for a short term, extra power around 12W, but after applications which launched due to connection, this fell to approximately 4 to 6W.

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.

How Much Water is in the Beijing Olympic Swimming Pool?

I thought about this the other day as I watched the Olympics. According to the La Federatio Internationale de Natation (FINA) the world governing body of swimming, an Olympic Pool must be 25m wide with a depth of 2.0m (min) at all parts of the course and must be 50m in length - between touch panels if they are used. The 25m width is to allow for 8 lanes to be 2.5m wide minimum with 2 spaces of 2.5m wide outside lane 1 and 8.

The minimum volume is therefore 2.5m litres of water, the pool in Beijing is 3m deep, and therefore has a volume of 3.75m litres.

There was no real reasoning behind it other than pools take alot of water, obviously the water is changed on a very very occassional basis, but in perspective. Even a relatively small 3m x 2m x 2m pool, could require 12 000 litres of water, enough for 300 showers, or enough to drink for 6000 days, rainwater harvested pools are of course more environmentally friendly, and that would be a great idea for those that don't already make use of that resource.

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Video: Forest Love

Greenpeace have added this video to You Tube, taking inspiration from "EU Tube" (the channel on YouTube set up by the European Union) video "Film Lovers Will Love This!", which promotes the European Media and Film industry, a clip seen by over 7m people. However "Forest Love" asks for you to upload your forest love to the new offical website and Flickr page. Have a look at some forest love!

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How Many Trees Died For Our Telephone Directories?

Picture: Shut Down Kingsnorth

Protesters at the Climate Camp in Kingsnorth, Kent may have began leaving. About 1,500 people were stationed at the site, which is about two miles from the power plant on the Hoo peninsula, for the last week. 50 Activists were arrested on Saturday by police as they tried to breach the complex. The police operation on the site for one week is believed to have exceeded several million pounds.

The current Kingsnorth power station is due to close in 2015 and E.On wants to replace it with two new coal units, which it claims will be 20% cleaner, but still 80% dirty. Its proposals, which would see the first new coal-fired power plant being built in the UK for 24 years, have already been approved by Medway Council but the government will make the final decision about the project.

Activists have vowed to return to the power plant if the decision is approved.

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Five Green Terms that Have Entered the Dictionary in 2008

The Chambers Dictionary have added five new green terms to their version of the dictionary. You probably use them every day, if not, start splurting the latest ecobabbel;

Electrosmog
Electromagnetic fields emitted by computers and mobile phones

Eco-village
Small ecologically-sustainable communities

Carbon Footprint
Measure of the impact human activities on the environment

Green Tax
Tax on environmentally unfriendly or unstainable activities

Food Miles
Distance travelled in the distribution of food


The new terms are in the 11th edition, so you can't find them using their online version just yet, hence the definitions above are the provisional industry definitions. Their inclusion does show the interest and concerns in environmental issues across the world.

Build a Green House in a Day

A day might be a bit optimistic, but you can order these beautiful prefabricated homes and they are delivered complete. That would have been a real show stopper on Grand Designs. Yes, I did say prefab. The great thing about these homes are they are Green, they are made from recycled steel, and come complete, they can be configured to the site as required and can be built to take advantage of the climate. Decks provide shade and reduce solar heat gain, with wide doors for natural cross ventilation. Each unit is built to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Certification from the United States Green Building Council. Not to mention the Forest Stewardship Council certified EcoTimber flooring comes from responsibly managed sources. There is alot more to see, and too many other things to mention.



If you want one, you can snatch a cute little Rincon 5 series (1 bed / 1 bath) for $179 000, before installation. Or go to a Skyline 2.6 for just shy of $1m (including installation). Or if you want to be creative just get a custom home. If you are in love already, visit Marmol Radziner Prefab.



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Picture: Real Pedal Power

This picture has left me speechless, how can we make the UK like this? An almost empty car park and a full bicycle park on a park and ride scheme in China. Beautiful.

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How Much Electricity Does a Russell Hobb Toaster Use?

I thought I would measure my toaster, as well it's breakfast time ... almost. Toast is eaten alot for breakfast around the world, its quick and convenient. But how much energy is consumed in making your bread golden brown?

I tested the Russell Hobb Satin Classic 2 Slice Toaster (Model No. 14360), it matches my kettle, that I measured earlier. I measured on a medium setting, which toasted the bread for 177 seconds. The toaster used between 1155W and 1232W. Toasting two slices of bread used 0.06kWh (about 0.8 pence).

However most toasters have only an option for two slices, you can toast one slice but, it still requires the same amount of energy as each slot does not operate independently, I know that is a bit extreme to point out such a small issue, and I'm sure that the percentage of people toasting one slice is in percentage terms a small minority, but the energy saved could be huge if taken across the globe.

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.

How Much Electricity Does a Russell Hobbs Kettle Use?

Whilst I have a rough idea of how much a kettle uses, I thought I would test my own kettle at home to see how much it uses, and how much time and energy is wasted by boiling more water than you need. I have previously discussed how much energy we waste as a nation by boiling more water than we need in Energy Saving Tip - Boiling the Kettle.

I tested the Russell Hobbs Satin Montana Kettle (Model No. 14150), rated as a 3kW kettle, after approximately 6 seconds the kettle began to draw power and used between 2.81kW and 2.87kW.

However if you boiled a full kettle (1.75lt), the kettle took 212.8 seconds to boil. If you were using the kettle for a single cup of tea you could have saved 173.3 seconds, as boiling a single cup (allowing approximately 10% more for evaporation) took a mere 40.5 seconds.

Boiling a full kettle required 0.16kWh (about 2 pence) whereas a single cup, required only 0.03kWh (about 0.4 pence). If you are a mad tea drinker then boiling what you need as opposed to what you don't need could save you a bit over the year, not to mention alot of time.

So what can you do to reduce your impact;

• The Eco Kettle
  The innovative Eco Kettle has a unique double chamber that gets you to measure out exactly how much water you want to boil, saving electricity, water, money and time, making it better for the planet... and you still get to have a great cup of tea. That's smart thinking - making the eco kettle one of our favourite eco products, and an essential for any eco friendly kitchen or workplace. Using a kettle to boil more water than you need is the equivalent to powering 300 CFLs unnecessarily.
  
  
• Referring to the measure on the side can help you to accurately determine the amount of liquid necessary
  
  
• Measure how much water you require by filling the cup or saucepan you are planning to use and then pour this water into the kettle, remembering to add a little bit extra to compensate for evaporation
  

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.