Questions about how I can save energy:
Q: Isn’t it better for me to leave the heating on while I am out, so that it takes less time to heat up when I return home?
A: No. Leaving the heating on for any longer than you need to means that the boiler will be working continuously when the heating is not needed, and all the energy it produces will be wasted.
Q: Is it true that you use more energy to turn lights on and off than to leave them running?
A: No, switching on an energy saving bulb only uses the same amount of power as leaving it on for a minute or two. Turning the bulb on and off repeatedly may shorten its life, but normal household use won’t cause any problems. In fact, Energy Saving Recommended bulbs are tested through 1,000s of cycles of switching. And if you’re still using traditional bulbs, remember to switch them off every time you leave a room unoccupied. In the UK alone we waste an incredible £170 million a year by leaving lights on unnecessarily.
Q: I've heard that leaving electrical appliances such as TVs, CD players, monitors etc on standby uses very little energy and means the warm up time is reduced - is this true?
A: No. In general appliances such as TVs and CD players use more electricity in standby mode than their owners realise. A TV's standby generally uses 3-7W compared with around 140W when switched on, but over the course of the year this can really add up. Most modern appliances do not need a warm up time; the exception to this is 'complex' digital set-top boxes which need to be left in standby to keep their settings. Nearly all other appliances can be turned off fully with no problems.
Q: How can I use the washing machines most efficiently?
A: Wash at 30 degrees C as often as you can. Most modern detergents work well at 30ºC or 40ºC.Washing clothes at 30ºC rather than higher temperatures uses around 40% less energy. Try not to use half-load settings, but wait for a full load instead, and hang dry clothes as often as possible. If you must tumble dry, adding an extra spin cycle on the washing machine will mean you need to tumble dry for less time - the extra spin uses less energy than running the tumble dryer for the extra time.
Q: How do I work out the running cost of an appliance?
A: The wattage (power consumption) of an appliance should be shown on a plate fixed to it. This is the maximum power drawn from the product - electronic products such as toasters, kettles, televisions and light bulbs tend to operate mostly at their maximum wattage. If it is shown in watts, divide by 1,000 to get Kilowatts e.g. 250 watts equals 0.25 kilowatts. Multiply kilowatts by the length of time the appliance is used in hours a day, times 365 days in a year. This will give you the number of kilowatt-hours (kWh) or 'units' it uses in a year. If you only want to know the running cost per hour, only multiply by one to give the kilowatt-hours. One kilowatt-hour equals one Unit. Multiply by the unit cost of your electricity to give the running cost. EU energy labels also give energy consumption information, in kilowatt-hours per year for refrigeration and kilowatt-hours per cycle for washers.
Q: Are microwave ovens more efficient than standard ovens?
A: A couple of UK studies have found that microwaves can save energy compared to a standard cooker or hob for certain foods; but as you might expect the amount of energy you save varies depending on what you are cooking. Cooking things like potatoes, other vegetables and ready-prepared foods, and heating drinks e.g. hot milk, use less energy in the microwave than on an electric hob, but if you're cooking a meal with many different parts then cooking them all in a microwave becomes less efficient and less practical.
Q: How can I cook more efficiently?
A: Use a hob ring that matches the diameter of the pan. Place lids on saucepans. Set the oven to the required temperature and no higher (a higher setting will not warm the oven up more quickly). Turn the temperature down to a simmer once a pan is boiling. Do not open oven door during cooking. Replace damaged seals. Only heat as much water as is required and cover pans. Use a microwave rather than your oven whenever possible. A fan assisted oven will cost less to run.
Q: How can I save energy when using a kettle?
A: You should only boil as much water as you need. Make sure, however, there is enough water to cover the kettle’s electrical element. In London the water is “hard” which means it has a lot of calcium in it which then deposits on the inside of your kettle as lime scale. Regularly descaling your kettle will keep it working efficiently. Citric acid is available in most supermarkets. It’s a good natural product which will descale a kettle in 15-20 minutes. Kettles will also boil small quantities of water more efficiently than a pan on the hob. Buying an eco-kettle (which lets you choose exactly how many cups of water you would like to boil) will also help you to save energy - see our Energy Saving Recommended webpages for more details.
Q: How much energy can be saved by using efficient electronic equipment and switching things off standby?
A: Households in the UK now spend up to 8% of their electricity bill on standby power. Across the UK this is equivalent to the annual output of about two and a half 700MW power stations.
Q: Does a shower really use less water than a bath?
A: It depends on how long you spend showering and how quickly the water flows out of your shower. For a typical mixer shower, which uses around 9 litres a minute, if you shower for more than ten minutes, you might be at risk of using more water than a bath. Try and keep your shower time down to 5 minutes whenever possible.
Q: Is it better to keep using my old appliances until it breaks, or replace it now?
A: If your appliance is old – 10 years or more – then it will save carbon dioxide emissions and running costs to replace it now with an energy efficient model. Look for the Energy Saving Recommended logo and you know it will be one of the most efficient available.
Q: Where can I find more information on energy saving techniques?
A: In our experience, a quick Google search can often yield excellent results. Some websites that we have found particularly helpful include:
http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/
Q: Relatively speaking, how much energy will I save by implementing the various suggestions included in the pledges?
A: This question is currently being researched. Of course we hope that these pledges will result in a 10% saving over a year and more importantly will become common practice for everyone in the future. More information will be posted as it becomes available.
Questions about what the College is doing:
Q: What is the College’s attitude toward 10:10?
A: The 10:10 campaign is a mixed member/staff initiative and is being undertaken with the full endorsement and ground level support from the upper-level College administration. Staff are also signing up to a more appropriate set of pledges – after all we don’t often see staff cooking meals in the Buttery. The whole College including the Club is signed up to 10:10. At present the Burn is not part of the scheme.
College staff have played an integral part in getting the 10:10 campaign running and investigating energy saving schemes. Sustainability is an integral part of the refurbishment. Willy G will have a green roof and photovoltaic cells. In addition the new fit of both buildings will include energy management schemes such as low flush toilets, aerated shower heads and possibility energy information meters in each room. Materials used will be from sustainable sources. Detailed planning on the Willy G extension and refurbishment will start in the autumn and the College will be looking for member input.
Q. Can the lag times for lights on motion sensors be reduced and why are not all lights on sensors?
A. There is a lot of conflicting information on the effect of Lag times on energy saving when using florescent bulbs. In the lead up to the Goodenough College 10:10 launch, the lag times on all 40 motion sensors in London House have been reduced by half, to 5 minutes .This should we believe help to reduce the energy used on the lights with sensors. To ensure this is the case we will be using the data available from our energy consultants to measure any effect this has on our consumption and will take further action from these results.
Q: Why aren’t all lights in the College on motion sensors?
A: It is not always practical to put motion sensors in certain areas for example kitchens, offices and libraries however these areas will be reviewed as part of this campaign and as part of the longer term refurbishment plans for the College.
Q: Are energy saving light bulbs available in College?
A: An EU law, which came in to force at the end of 2009, is phasing out the production of the older style, less-efficient light bulbs. Therefore all new light bulbs which College buys from now on will be of the energy efficient type. However, since we still have a stock of the older style bulbs, these will be used up first before the energy efficient bulbs are given out
Q: Will better recycling facilities be available soon?
A: A new contractor, Biffa, will be taking over waste management at College from June. Once they have begun there are plans for recycling bins to be placed on every floor in every house and in many common areas to make recycling easier for all members. Remember however, that there currently are recycling facilities available in each house at the moment - on the Doughty Street side of London House and in JCC Quad in William Goodenough House.
Q: Will you be able to monitor electricity and water usage on an individual room basis after the refurbishment?
A: This is something that will be looked in to once detailed refurbishment plans are drawn up. At the moment electricity usage can only be monitored individually in flats in William Goodenough House.
Q: Could the temperature of the hot water be turned down?
A: This has been investigated and due to health and safety requirements relating to the prevention of Legionnaires disease the temperature of the water can not be reduced any further.
Q: Why can’t we control our heating?
A: As part of the current campaign, we have been gathering information about radiator valves throughout the College. If you have not yet responded to the survey, please e-mail us at goodenoughcollege1010@googlemail.com to tell us your room number, if your radiator(s) has a valve, and if the valve works (i.e. can you turn the heat on and off?). The list of broken/missing valves will be passed to facilities for repair. We are hoping this will go allow members to regulate the heat in their room/flat, even if the only options are on/off.
Questions about the Goodenough College 10:10 campaign
Q: Why is plane travel for members not being included in 10:10?
A: The Goodenough College commitment to 10:10 only relates to energy usage within or directly related to the College. It would be very difficult for us to keep an accurate record of all flights taken by all members throughout the year, and even more difficult to collate a baseline of this for last year. We can however easily collect this information for flights taken on College business. Even though members’ flights are not being counted we would hope that members would consider other options other than flying when planning trips and holidays.
Q: Why is road transport, which is one of the key carbon emission areas of 10:10, not being monitored at College?
A: Although College used to have its own minibus which was used by members this was sold last year. Carbon emissions for road transport this year would therefore automatically be zero this year which would provide us with a misleading significant reduction in carbon emissions.
Q: Which buildings are being monitored for 10:10?
A: London House (including kitchen facilities), William Goodenough House (including Heathcote), and the Club are all included in the campaign. The Burn is excluded from consideration for reasons of practicality.
Q: Will we get a discount on our rent if we save the College 10% on fuel?
A: The point of the 10:10 campaign is to reduce our collective carbon footprint and do something good for the earth – we hope that a financial incentive won’t be necessary to enlist your co-operation. Besides, any money that the College saves just means that more cash will be available to invest in College refurbishments, student groups and other aspects of College life to benefit all members.
Q: Are staff part of this campaign?
A: Yes. Staff are highly encouraged to sign up to their own version of Goodenough 10:10 pledges, and their energy usage will be fully included in the final assessment.
Q: I have an idea, who do I tell?
A: We’d love to hear your ideas, feedback, gripes, statements of support and anything you’d like to hurl our way. The best way to get in touch is to e-mail us at goodenoughcollege1010@gmail.com. An online suggestion box should also be available on the square in the near future.
Q: I don’t agree with all of the pledges / I don’t think I can commit to everything on the list. What should I do?
A: If there’s something you disagree with, by all means, let us know. Otherwise, even if you don’t think you can commit to everything all the time, we’d still encourage you to sign up and do the best you can. These pledges are meant as guidelines, not unbreakable rules. If you sprain your ankle, please, take the lift. If it’s a real hardship to cook in groups, then we won’t stop you from cooking alone. The point of the pledges is to highlight easy ways of saving energy, and while we’d love for everyone to abide by them all the time, we understand that exceptions will be made.
Q: Doesn’t cooking in groups or eating in halls encourage people to abdicate responsibility for the food they eat, where it comes from, how it was grown, etc?
A: The fact remains that cooking alone is an energy-inefficient way to prepare food. We hope that people will also take responsibility for other aspects of the products they consume, but this is something which can be done in conjunction with such efforts to save energy. Chartwells (parent company Compass) already have a commitment to using local growers where possible. Much of the food served in the Great Hall was grown and produced within a 50 mile radius of the College.
Q: Why doesn’t this campaign address issues like recycling / waste reduction, water consumption, sustainable eating and other aspects of environmentalism?
A: The official 10:10 campaign is centered on carbon emissions in easily measured activities (i.e. flights taken, vehicle fuel use, electric bill and gas bill). The environment club encourages members to be conscious of how their activities will affect the world in other ways, but these are not included directly in the 10:10 campaign. We hope to launch complementary campaigns throughout the year to address other important issues like recycling and sustainability.
Q: How can I get more involved?
A: You could join the Environment Club or the 10:10 group. The launch of 10:10 is just the beginning and there will be more events, information and monitoring to carry out during the year that the campaign runs.
Q; Could you install on/off switches on all showers instead of timers so that members can have shorter showers and thus save on hot water?
A: We are currently investigating if this would be possible.
Q: Could the urinals be switched off to save water?
A: We are currently investigating if this would be possible.