Case study – Carbon Cops Plus! One family’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions from their home

Why would one family bother to reduce their carbon emissions? Because it makes us feel better – more empowered We can help others do the same, by example It’s not hard to do, and It’s fun! But more importantly......

Because the way the CPRS is going, the big polluters (ie coal fired power stations)will not have to reduce their emissions significantly, and it will be up to businesses and householders to bear the brunt of reducing emissions.

Of course, we should all be writing and speaking with our State and Federal politicians to protest about their lack of action on reducing Australia’s emissions, and using our vote to bring about action. But in truth, it appears to be ‘business as usual’, so many individuals feel frustrated and want to take personal action. This will speak very loudly to our political representatives, and send a clear message that we are ready to embrace change – in fact we have already started!

The house Built 1951 Brick veneer Two storey 4 bedrooms Insulated ceilings

Electricity useage Kw solar system April 2009

Gas useage – Solar hot water May 2003

How have these reductions been made? The tools: low energy globes, draught stoppers etc review of electricity and gas bills easy to use switches the central heating or air conditioner thermostat an extra layer of clothing the best personal saver of all – the electric throw rug! solar hot water solar electricity system 1.5kW

Know your electricity and gas bills A record of useage is wonderful to have – it gives positive feedback and great encouragement for continual improvement It is easy to set up in an Excel file, with automatically generated graphs, but could just as easily be completed by hand on a sheet of graph paper

Set up easy to use switches Appliances on ‘standby’ can use considerable power, and ideally such items should be turned off at the power point. But power points are located in corners and in accessible, hidden places, with bending down required! A batten with switches on a bench, right in front of you, encourages you to switch off rather than leave on standby.

A switched batten within easy reach allows us to switch off the microwave when it’s not in use – the clock pulls 5W when it is lit, and switching it off helps reduce standby power for ~23.5 hours per day

Switched batten for stereo, lamp, throw rug and modem

A cosy jacket or jumper can keep you naturally warm, and generates far fewer CO 2 emissions than using a room heater.

....and in the summer? Try cooling to a higher temperature Instead of setting your air conditioner thermostat to 22°C, set it to 28°C. If it’s 35°C or more outside, it’s surprisingly easy to feel comfortable at 28°C. Or better still, use a fan. In the evening, when the air starts to cool a little, open windows in different rooms. Point the fan out of one window, so that it draws warm air out of the house, and cool air is drawn in through the other open window. VOILA! Cool breezes without huge emissions!

The electric throw rug is this century’s best invention! When studying, watching TV, reading, use one of these rugs for instant, very low wattage personal comfort. Allows you to keep the heating turned down low – say 16°C instead of 22°C Made by Sunbeam, and around $90 at places like Harvey Norman.

You can dial up the heat for instant warmth, or dial it down for cosy comfort

Solar electric (photovoltaic) system – great, but not a necessity for low-power living. Our system: 1.5 kW, designed to deliver, on average each year, 6.5 kWh per day The average Australian household uses 17 kWh per day. With changes to habits, we have brought this down to 6.5 – 7 kWh per day, which is an excellent match for the system. On sunny days in September, our system delivers over 10 kWh, so we have exported to the grid.

Tracking electricity useage 1.5Kw solar system April 2009 Nana dies Kids studying, then both leave home by start of 2006 Efforts to reduce begin

Gas useage – Solar hot water May 2003

Gas (central heating, hot water, cooking) Solar hot water May 2003 Kids studying, leave home start 2006 Efforts to reduce begin Nana dies 1993 – central heating turned down quite a few degrees after this

How have these reductions been made? Turning down the central heating from twenties to teens (and wearing the cosy jackets) Installation of solar hot water as an add-on to a ‘solar-ready’ Aquamax gas hot water service Turning off even the pilot light of the Aquamax November to April (although it needs to be relit over some cool, cloudy spells)

The house is a relatively ‘heat leaky’ structure, and is not special in any way. It’s just our expectations and habits which determine our CO 2 emissions through gas and electricity useage. And expectations and habits can be changed! Try it – it’s fun!