The Big Switch Off
Why Switch Off?
Whether you are motivated for environmental or financial reasons switching off standby makes sense.
If each householder in the county switched off standby every year we could save on average £13,684,450!
This is equal to 21,315 tonnes of carbon, which could fill 461,130 double decker buses!
Below you can see how much each district could save in pounds and tonnes of carbon, per year.
| Area | No. of households | Average cost savings per year, £ | Average tonnes of carbon saved per year | No of Double Decker Buses the carbon would fill |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blaby District Council | 35,908 | £1,328,596 | 2,148 | 44,770 |
| Charnwood Borough Council | 60,472 | £2,237,464 | 3,617 | 75,397 |
| Harborough District | 30,849 | £1,141,413 | 1,845 | 38,463 |
| Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council | 41,085 | £1,520,145 | 2,457 | 51,225 |
| Melton Borough Council | 19,615 | £725,755 | 1,173 | 24,456 |
| N.W. Leicestershire District Council | 35,394 | £1,309,578 | 2,117 | 44,129 |
| Oadby and Wigston Borough Council | 21,922 | £811,114 | 1,311 | 27,332 |
| Leicester City Council | 111,148 | £4,112,476 | 6,648 | 138,580 |
| Rutland County Council | 13,457 | £497,909 |
805 |
16,778 |
| TOTAL Savings |
369,850 |
£13,684,450 |
22,121 |
461,130 |
Amount an average household saves per year by switching off standby = £37
Assumptions:
Number of households taken from Community Profiles 2005, 04.08.08 @ 15.45
Average household savings in pounds, tonnes of carbon and equivalent taken from taken from the Energy Saving Trust. For Double Decker calculations unit price of electricity = 7.12p.
Another area to consider is external lighting. Many people have some kind of lighting outside their homes. These can be very useful but sometimes inappropriate bulbs or positioning can waste energy. For example:
- Floodlights are expensive to run due to their usual high wattage. While 500W may be suitable for a sports field, it is 10-20 times that required in a typical domestic setting. Try a lower wattage bulb so save energy and your pocket!
- Floodlights are very inefficient, sending light over a wide area rather than just where it is required. If they are pointed outwards instead of downwards their glare can hide criminal activity instead of preventing it.
- If floodlighting is unavoidable, ensure that the light shines downwards, only where the light is required.
- According to the UK Government Crime-prevention website, the popularity of floodlighting is “…unfortunate, as in many locations it is inappropriately installed and other forms of lighting could make for a better choice."
If you would like more information about outdoor lighting visit the Dark Skies Website at www.britastro.org/dark-skies
Page Last Updated: 20 October 2010
