Home is where the heat is!

NEW!: Read the advice of Ashton Hayes resident Richard Holland's on power monitoring at home. Click here.

NEW SECTION: ENERGY RATINGS FOR VARIOUS APPLIANCES. Click on link below to get the energy rating for the appliance...

Washing machines
Refrigerators
Tumble dryers
Upright freezers
Chest freezers
Fridge-freezers
Dishwashers

A quarter of our emissions arise from domestic properties - more than are caused by driving most cars each year.

Cut your bills - change a light bulb! (Photos in this section courtesy FreeFoto.com)

So taking action at home has a big effect and saves you money in the long run. You can also be careful when buying appliances to make sure that you purchase the most efficient. For guidance on this go the the EST or visit the Powergen information page.

Chester County Council has also just issued a new brochure on sustainable contstruction click here (1MB)>>>>

Simple Actions at Home (Courtesy of Chester City Council)

In addition to the Council’s actions we are encouraging staff and residents to implement one or more of the following simple actions at home.

Re use items like plastic bags and recycle as much as you can through 3 Cheers.
Don’t leave the tap running while you clean your teeth.
Switch off light when you leave a room empty.
Turn down your central heating thermostat by one degree.
Only boil as much water as you need in the kettle.
Return unused medicine to the chemist.
Buy environmentally friendly products when improving your home.
Compost your garden and /or kitchen waste.
Fill unused space in your freezer with bread or crumpled up newspaper.
Replace old light bulbs with energy saving ones.
Shop local where possible - such as Cheshire farmers' markets.
Use a hot water bottle instead of an electric blanket.
Buy refills for products like washing powder.
Fit draught proofing to windows and doors.
Use your own shopping bag or re-use supermarket carrier bags.
Service your car regularly.
Try to use your car less, walk, cycle or use public transport such as rail and bus services.
Don’t overstock your fridge, it makes it work inefficiently.
Grow plants in your garden that will attract wildlife.
Buy locally produced products where possible.

CRed also informs us about cooking and appliances

Cooking:

Cover your pans when you cook. This can reduce the energy needed by up to 90%!
Boil only the amount of water you need. Every cup you boil represents 25 cups of CO2 released.
Use the right size pan for the food and cooker ring (the base should just cover the cooking ring) if you can see the heat (either the electric ring or the gas flame up the side of the pan) it's too big and is costing you money.
Choose locally grown food that is in season. Support our farmers and choose produce with the Union Jack. Does it really make sense to buy ‘fresh’ green beans that have been grown and flown in from Kenya in summer?

Appliances:

Televisions, videos, DVD’s, stereos, cordless phones, mobile phone chargers and computers all waste energy if you leave them plugged in when you are not using them. A staggering amount of the Nation's electricity bills is spent on stand by and appliances left plugged in when not used, in excess of £230 million! By switching off at the plug when not required you could save up to 8% off your electricity bill.
A TV if left on standby will be responsible for 30 kg C02 over the year.
A mobile phone charger if left plugged in when not charging will be responsible for between 35 to 70kg C02 over the year. Always unplug the mobile phone charger when not in use. Feel it, the warmth is caused by the constant consumption of electricity.

Get the message: just unplugging things when you are not using them can help us reach the CRed 60% challenge!

Avoid using a dishwasher. This could save you up to £35 over the year. If you have to always make sure it’s full and uses a low temperature programme. Every time you use you a dishwasher you use enough electricity to release nearly 1kg of C02. If you use it just once less a week that’s a saving of 52kg of C02 and a saving on your electricity bill of £4 over the year.
Use the lowest temperature setting appropriate on your washing machine and always wash a full load. Wasting space = wasted energy and pointless C02 emissions.
On a nice day hang your washing outside instead of using a tumble dryer. Every time you use a tumble dryer you use enough electricity to emit over 1.5kg C02. A tumble dryer if used for every wash will be responsible for emitting about 140kg of C02 and costs you £16 on your electricity bill.
Fridges and freezers: Make sure all food is cooled down before it goes in the fridge or freezer. Defrost your freezer regularly to keep it running efficiently and cheaply. Put your fridge in the coolest place you can and if it has to go near any warm appliances (such as cookers or boilers) leave a good gap between them.

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