1. 20 June 2015
K
ettle on, TV blaring, kids
on the Xbox, washing
machine on the go
and the dishwasher
blitzing pots and pans.
Meanwhile, the central heating is
warming the room and heating the
bath water, while outside daylight
fades and on go the lights. Phone,
laptop, tablet on charge, and from
the digital clock in the bedroom and
the electric toothbrush to the fridge
and microwave, we’re powering up.
It’s only when we stop and think
of how many appliances and gadgets
we might be running at any one
time that the scale of our energy
addiction becomes worryingly clear.
Every year, Scotland’s households
spend around £1.48 billion on
electricity, while the weather means
Scots use up more gas than any
other part of the UK.
But it’s not just the financial
costs that are an issue. Every home
is responsible for masses of CO2
every year – the equivalent weight
of a large family car – just for the
electricity it consumes.
Now a major new Scottish
Government campaign is underway,
aimed at encouraging us all to think
about how much energy we use.
At its heart is a series of short films
featuring comedian Phil Kay, who
points out the “Stupidly Simple” tiny
tweaks every household could make
to help Scotland reduce greenhouse
gas emissions by 42 per cent by 2020
and 80 per cent by 2050.
It’s hoped that if we all play our
part across five key areas – home
energy, food waste, travel, reducing
and reusing what we have and
recycling what we don’t need – we’ll
make Scotland greener.
New figures show Scotland has
missed its annual climate change
targets for the fourth year in a row.
Although greenhouse gas emissions
fell by 3.6 per cent between 2012
and 2013, we are still responsible for
53 million tonnes of carbon dioxide
every year.
Power
down
According to Mike Thornton,
UK group director, Government
Programmes, Energy Saving Trust,
it’s in all our interests to act.
“It’s now generally accepted that
our climate is changing and we’ll
see more extreme weather events
in Scotland in the future,” he says.
“Longer term, these changes are
likely to affect health, infrastructure,
agriculture, air and water quality
and more. However, we can all
play our part in slowing down
and minimising these changes by
cutting our carbon emissions, using
energy more efficiently, switching to
renewable energy sources, avoiding
food waste and recycling.”
Scottish households and
individuals are responsible for 77
per cent of Scotland’s consumption
emissions. Yet cutting down doesn’t
have to mean dramatic changes in
lifestyle – if we all simply tweaked
the central heating thermostat
by one degree we would save £85
million a year and enough CO2 to fill
168 Murrayfield stadiums.
With fuel bills rising and climate change
on the horizon, Sandra Dick looks at
how households can help by making
small, easy changes that will reduce
Scotland’s consumption of energy
Make Scotland
Greener
Tips of the week
Don’tleavegadgetslike
phonesandtabletscharging
overnightanddon’tleave
appliancesonstandby.
Ifyourpropertyhasahigh
ceiling,putashelfabovethe
radiatortodeflectheattothe
middleoftheroominsteadof
lettingitdrifttotheceiling.
Boiling more
water in your
kettle than you
need costs up
to £20 a year.
UK-wide, that’s
enough power to
run more than
seven million
televisions a
year
£20
PHotograph:NeilHanna
L
eeanne Walker, 30, lives in
a council flat in Edinburgh,
with daughters Teigan, 11
and Kiara, eight and their pet pug,
Prince. With two lively girls to look
after, household bills to juggle and
all the stresses of being a working
single mum, Leeanne already has
her work cut out before she starts
looking at how to be more “green”.
But with one eye on the rising costs
of electricity and gas and the other
on her pay packet as a care assistant,
she is already living by a “waste
not, want not” motto without even
realising.
“I do try to watch what we
go through,” she explains. “It’s
common sense, mostly.”
She recently moved into her
rented council flat in Muirhouse,
Edinburgh, and is still getting to
grips with the new estimated bills
system from her energy supplier – a
change from the “pay as you go”
method she was used to.
Faced with an estimated £530
annual bill for gas and electricity,
she’s keen to not go over it – and
hopes to find herself with a refund at
the end of the year.
“We’re lucky because we’re on the
Case study Weekfour
Make Scotland Greener is
a partnership between The
Scotsman and the Scottish
Government which provides
practical ways for families to be
more environmentally friendly
56
Mike adds: “Since 2004, the
average bill in Scotland for people
paying by direct debit has gone up
117 per cent for gas and 46 per cent
for electricity. Being more aware of
how much energy we use at home
and reducing our energy use where
we can will help us save money.”
Drew Murphy, of Changeworks,
which works with organisations
across Scotland on solutions to
waste issues, says: “Around 60 per
cent of energy used in the home
goes on heating. Making it as
efficient as it can be – from major
stuff like insulating it and fitting
double, even triple, glazing, to
keeping doors closed and draught
proofing – adds up. Many people
bung on the heating, turn the
thermostat up to maximum, wait
until it’s hot, turn it off and open
the windows. Using the thermostat
properly, setting it at between 18C
and 20C and finding the sweet spot,
is much better.”
Putting up thick curtains, sealing
gaps around floorboards, fitting
a warm carpet and switching off
appliances when not in use, all help.
For more energy saving information,
go to www.changeworks.org.uk,
www.greenerscotland.org and
www.energysavingtrust.org.uk
2. 20 June 2015
39.1%
If we all washed
clothes at 30C,
we would save
56,000 tonnes
of CO2 per year
– equivalent to
taking 20,000
cars off the road
56,000
Leeanne Walker
at home with her
daughters Teigan,
right, Kiara, and
their pug, Prince
their shoes. If something like the
washing machine broke, then I’d try
to get it repaired rather than buy a
new one.
“But if the kids need something to
wear, I’ll buy new instead of second
hand or from a charity shop.”
While she tries to recycle most of
the packaging that comes into the
house, it can feel overwhelming.
“Everything seems to be wrapped
up at least twice,” she says. “I wash
out plastic bottles and reuse them
a couple of times, but I’ve noticed
people who don’t bother using their
recycling bins.
“The bins are there, you might
as well use them. There is a lot of
clutter on the pavements with them,
though, and if the lids blow off
you end up with litter all over the
street.”
In the kitchen, she admits she can
be tempted by multibuy deals which
can lead to leftovers and waste.
“I normally throw leftovers away,
especially vegetables, which aren’t
very appealing the next day.
“I don’t look at where the food
comes from or how many miles
it’s travelled to get to the shop. I’d
choose something because it’s the
right price and it looks nice.”
Leeanne relies on her Astra 1.6
for getting to work, shopping and
the school run, arguing that her
shift work means it’s hard to rely on
public transport.
“I cover about 100 miles a week
in the car. If I took a bus to work,
I’d have to get a bus and then get
off and walk for ages. I work shifts,
sometimes I start at 7:30am, I leave
the house at 6:15 to drop off the
kids with relatives so they can get
to school. Other times I don’t finish
until 10pm and I don’t want to be
hanging about waiting for a bus to
get home.
“I’ve never been on the tram. It
doesn’t go anywhere that I want to
be. It was a lot of money that could
have been better spent.”
top floor with two floors beneath us,
so we should get the heat rising up.
But it’s quite hard to tell whether I’m
going to have to pay more or less.”
She hopes double glazing and loft
insulation will help keep the heat in
and stop waste.
Changing to energy-saving
lightbulbs could help, but
while Leeanne knows most of
the lightbulbs in her home are
traditional style, changing them isn’t
a top priority.
“The girls are good at switching
things off but they have all the usual
gadgets – phones, computers, things
like that, which need to be charged
up. And I do charge my phone
up overnight, which I probably
shouldn’t do.
“The washing machine is
on regularly but usually just a
30-minute cycle. I don’t think you
can really tell the difference.”
With a tight budget to stick to,
Leeanne makes the most of what
she has, and is careful to recycle and
reuse what she can.
”When the girls are finished with
their clothes I give them away to
family and friends rather than chuck
them out. I don’t bother repairing
ripped clothes because you can buy
replacements fairly cheap. There’s
not much you can do if they outgrow
Laura McGadie (inset) is Head of Home Energy
Scotland at Energy Saving Trust.
“Leeanne has moved in recently and doesn’t know
what her fuel bills are likely to be. She hasn’t got a
key meter so can’t track them as she is used to doing.
“For a better idea of her likely costs, she can call the
local Home Energy Scotland advice centre on 0808
808 2282 and an adviser will help her
work out what her bill is likely to be
and how to track her expenditure.
She could check whether she
qualifies for a £140 Warm Home
Discount from her energy supplier
– Home Energy Scotland can help
with this. Shop around for an energy
supplier – there are now more energy suppliers than
ever to choose from. Many households could save
about £200 or more. Leeanne can find out more at
www.goenergyshopping.co.uk/en-gb
“Leeanne should use her heating controls to make
sure she is using just the energy she needs – the
videos at www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/domestic/
content/thermostats-and-controls explain how to get
the most from your gas central heating system. If her
home is warmer than it needs to be, turning a central
heating thermostat down by 1C could save £85 to
£90 every year. She should make sure she is using
her gas system for heating water and not the electric
immersion heater, which will be more expensive.”
Home Energy Scotland’s advisors offer free, expert
and impartial advice about energy savings and the
support and funding available. Call 0808 808 2282 or
visit www.homeenergyscotland.org
Ylva Haglund (inset) is an expert in consumer
behaviour, marketing and environmental policy
with Zero Waste Scotland.
“Leeanne is really switched on about repairs to large
household items often being a better option, and
making sure clothes are reused, not simply ditched.
“Secondhand clothes are losing the stigma they
perhaps once had – if she wouldn’t consider it for the
kids, Leanne could consider sites like
eBay and Gumtree to buy her own
clothes and household items, as
well as selling them. You can get
all kinds of brands, and unusual
items you wouldn’t get on the
high street. The same goes for
charity shops which have more choice
than ever – they might surprise you. And repairing
clothes can be fun – involving the girls in doing repairs
is a great way to pass on skills to the next generation.
“Instead of throwing veg away the next day,
Leeanne could make something totally new with
it, like a stir fry, which will make it much more
appealing. Visit www.lovefoodhatewaste.com for
loads of simple recipe ideas.
“You can freeze most things, so why not split
packets or portions and freeze one for another day, if
you don’t fancy the same two days running. Always
try to put any unavoidable food waste in the food
waste caddy, rather than the bin, as it’s better for the
environment.”
Zero Waste Scotland’s work includes promoting
recycling, re-use and repair, and helping people
to live greener lives by cutting food waste.
Visit www.zerowastescotland.org.uk
Make Scotland Greener
Experts’ view Week four
The Scottish Government has
produced a series of short films
aimed at encouraging us to rethink
our habits. Go to www.scotsman.
com/gogreener to watch the videos
and for ideas, tips and advice
57
I try to
watch what
we use, it’s
common
sense
mostly Fuel poverty
– where a
household
spends more
than ten per cent
of its income
on maintaining
a warm
environment
– affects 39.1
per cent of all
households
