September 17, 2003 6:58 PM GMT (Datamonitor) – According to the latest research from the Energy Saving Trust, British households are responsible for over a quarter of the country’s carbon dioxide emissions, much of that through inefficient energy usage. However, it is in the large industrial sector where real efficiency savings can be made.
The Energy Saving Trust (EST) estimates that households produce 26% of the UK’s carbon dioxide emissions, much of that unnecessarily. Keeping domestic appliances switched on when they are not needed and using inefficient technologies is wasting GBP96 million worth of energy each week, equivalent to GBP5 billion per annum. This equates to over GBP80 a year for every man, woman and child in the country.
However, what is one man’s waste is another man’s convenience. EST cites examples such as people leaving their video equipment on standby and setting their thermostats too high. It could be argued that a few extra pounds a year is a small price to pay for not wearing out the TV’s on/off button and for not having to wear thermals around the house. From this point of view, much of EST’s GBP96 million a week figure is really the price of comfort and convenience rather than ‘waste’ in the strict sense.
Undoubtedly, there are ways of cutting energy usage in the home, such as buying more energy efficient appliances. Unfortunately, these tend to cost significantly more than standard electric appliances, fridges being a prime example. Domestic micro-CHP systems recently introduced by Powergen [PWG.L] are also a case in point. The micro-CHP engine consumes natural gas to provide a combination of both heat and electrical power for use within the home. However, while they are more energy efficient than conventional boilers, the payback period runs into many years.
Unlike the domestic sector, large industrial users have access to a range of energy management products and services, many of which have a payback period of less than two years. Energy wastage averages 12% in this sector, translating into millions of tonnes of additional carbon dioxide emissions and billions of pounds in extra costs. Heavy industry rather than households may therefore be the prime candidate for emissions reductions in the UK.
