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Chapter 4 Knowing what we use
4.1 The previous chapter looked at how we raise awareness of the benefits of reducing energy use and at the advice and support that is available to identify energy saving measures. But at home, at work and on our travels our energy use will change if we know how much energy we are using and if we have good information on the energy which different products consume.
Better information about our energy use
4.2 More accurate billing methods coupled to new technologies, such as real-time displays and smart meters, can provide more accurate information about energy use in buildings, whether homes, work places or parts of the public sector estate such as schools. They can help improve awareness of energy use and can lead to behavioural changes that will help to reduce energy consumption.
For example:
1) Improved billing - providing more frequent and accurate bills, and displaying more detailed information, such as comparing energy use in the current period to energy used over previous periods, could offer a better incentive to consider and monitor energy use.
2) Real-time displays can provide direct, instant information on electricity use and cost by transmitting information from the electricity meter to a portable display.
3) Smart meters can provide instant updates on energy use and allow remote reading, thereby ensuring accurate energy bills. Smart meters can also be used with variable tariff structures for electricity consumption, for example, to discourage electricity use during peak periods. Those with an "import- export" facility can also allow consumers with microgeneration installations to sell spare electricity to the grid.
4.3 The recent UK Energy Review 2006 concluded that improvements to billing, the provisions of energy efficiency advice and the use of smart meters could help to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from households by just over 300,000 tonnes of carbon by 2010, rising to 400,000 tonnes of carbon by 2020.
4.4 There are a number of trials of different approaches to billing and metering being carried out across the UK. These aim to compare different options, test some of the technical issues, ascertain their potential for financial and energy savings and demonstrate their cost effectiveness. A major pilot taking place across the whole of the UK, involving a partnership between DTI, Ofgem and the energy supply companies, is due to commence in 2007 and more details will be available from April. If this pilot raises any specific issues for Scotland, the Executive will carry out further work to ensure that Scottish circumstances are addressed.
Case Study - Smarter homes |
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Changing people's behaviour with respect to energy consumption is a key element in reducing the UK's carbon dioxide emissions, which is why the Government has launched the Energy Demand Reduction Pilot - a study on the use of smart energy meters and feedback devices. The £9.75 million pilot, managed by Ofgem, focuses primarily on the domestic sector, with the aim of influencing and sustaining behavioural change in relation to energy conservation. Not only will advanced types of smart meters be trialled, but energy efficient behaviour will be encouraged through additional information on bills (e.g. historical or comparative), visual display units that work off existing basic energy meters, as well as audits, advice, reward schemes, tariff changes, and promotional activities. The pilot will test out a number of different types of smart meters, including ones with in-house displays, ones that can be dialled remotely, and pre-payment meters. It aims to show that people will take a more active role in reducing their energy consumption when they can see in monetary terms just how much energy is consumed through appliances, lights, and heating. |
Next Steps
4.5 The public sector can suffer from significant energy waste from buildings, for example, through equipment being left on during unoccupied evening and weekend periods. This can add substantially to the energy costs of the site and cause unnecessary carbon dioxide emissions. Scotland's local authorities have a combined electricity, gas and water expenditure of around £150 million per annum. As billing is often estimated, local authorities can find it difficult to pin-point where that energy is being wasted. Accessing real time data will allow local authorities to quickly identify energy waste and enable them to take prompt action to reduce energy consumption. Research has shown that the introduction of smart meters could bring about savings of up to 30% - a potential saving of over £40 million per year, with the further benefit of a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of up to 22,000 tonnes of carbon per annum.
4.6 The Executive has therefore launched a pilot programme with the public sector (including a number of Local Authorities and Scottish Water) in Scotland to test the potential of metering technologies. The pilot commenced in February 2007 and will test a range of technologies to monitor electricity, gas and water usage, and will focus on sites such as schools, community centres and other councils properties. This will also ensure the participating organisations act as a group in procuring the goods and services for the pilot, thus increasing their purchasing power and enabling them to achieve value for money.
4.7 The Executive will use the results from these pilots in the domestic and public sectors, and learn from best practice from the other UK pilots to consider rolling out more advanced displays and smart metering more widely to all homes and across the wider public sector in Scotland.
More efficient appliances
4.8 Making the energy-using products in our homes and businesses more efficient and using them more efficiently, will help to reduce energy consumption and fuel bills, and therefore cut carbon dioxide emissions. Much of the energy used at home and at work goes to power appliances, and if nothing is done, electricity consumption is predicted to rise by 20% between now and 2020. It is estimated that in 2004, 8% of all domestic electricity was used to power appliances on stand-by. The potential for carbon savings is high - if the standards for all the priority products sold in the UK are raised, emissions of around 1.3M tonnes of carbon could be avoided by 2010 and up to 4.7M tonnes of carbon by 2020.
4.9 The Executive wants to see more people using more efficient appliances and to be using those appliances in an energy conscious way. We therefore support education and awareness raising programmes, such as the Energy Saving Trusts Energy Saving Recommended campaign.
Case Study - Energy Saving Recommended |
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The energy saving recommended logo was developed in 2000 as a way of signposting consumers to the most energy efficient products in the marketplace. The logo guarantees a product will save energy, cost less to run, and help the environment - it's currently used on over 1,700 products across more than 106 manufacturers and 36 retailers. Approximately 90% of all washing machines sold across the UK are now A-rated, which shows us that attitudes are changing, as more consumers are opting for the environmentally-friendly choice. Dishwashers, tumble dryers, washing machines, and other 'energy saving recommended' appliances are not necessarily more expensive than their inefficient counterparts - in actual fact, their prices are quite comparable and they undoubtedly save money in the long run. An energy efficient 'A-rated' fridge freezer will save about £35 a year on energy bills - even more if it's received an A+ or A++ rating. An energy efficient washing machine uses a third of the energy of an old, inefficient model, and cuts water consumption considerably. Using a 40°C wash cycle rather than 60°C will reduce energy consumption by a further third. Considering that 9 out of 10 homes in the UK own a washing machine, and on average use it 274 times a year, the concept of reducing energy consumption in as many ways as possible is becoming progressively more important. |
4.11 Buying goods and services have environmental consequences, not just in terms of the energy and other natural resources they consume or their day to day use, but also in their production, transportation and eventual disposal. We need to build the public's growing awareness of social and environmental concerns, and the influence they have as citizens and consumers. The Executive is working with partners to raise awareness and encourage informed public debate about the environmental and social consequences of the goods and services consumers buy. One approach used for learning how to make more sustainable choices is the 'ecological footprint' tool. The Executive is supporting the work of the World Wildlife Fund and partner organisations to roll this approach out in local authorities and schools across Scotland.
4.10 The Executive also supports the work being done to improve the energy efficiency standards of new products and to remove the least energy efficient products from the market, which is generally done at a UK and European level. Several groups of products from the domestic and business sector have been identified as a priority for action:
- Domestic lighting;
- Consumer electronics such as set top boxes, television sets and chargers;
- White goods such as fridges, freezers and washing machines;
- Static electric motors and drives used in machinery such as pumps and fans (as used, for example, in air conditioning systems); and
- Office equipment such as computers, printers and photocopiers.
4.12 The Executive has a leading role to play in setting an example to the rest of the public sector. Sustainability and 'whole life cycle' costs are a key feature for all of the goods and services it procures. This includes the procurement of energy efficient office equipment - the Executive currently requires that all office IT equipment must conform to the Energy Star or equivalent. The Energy Star is a voluntary labelling scheme for office equipment which sets aims to identify and promote appliances that meet high energy efficiency standards.
Conclusion |
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Better information and better products will lay a basis for improvements in energy efficiency. The Executive will support a number of activities to help us gain better access to information on energy use: - Introducing more accurate billing and metering methods.
- Awareness raising campaigns on energy efficient products and the ecological footprint of goods and services.
- Improving the energy efficiency of a wide range of products.
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