| Welcome to The Good Shopping Guide to Renewable Energy.
We hope you find the following information useful
for choosing the best green electricity supplier.
Although any green supply is better than dirty
old brown, you will see that some suppliers are
better and greener than others. You will also
find a section on general energy saving tips that
will help too - even if you haven’t yet
switched to green electricity. Go on, switch today
and become part of the solution.
INTRODUCTION
The biggest source of carbon dioxide emissions
is power stations, accounting for around one third
of the total. Coal power stations are the least
efficient and although the increased popularity
of natural gas burning has reduced our potential
CO2 emissions slightly, benefits are offset by
the continued increase in overall energy usage.
Our increasing electricity consumption requires
more and more electricity generation, and although
consumers’ energy efficiency can help reduce
this, the only real alternative is to source electricity
from renewable resources.
The domestic energy market is confusing enough
– a few years ago customers knew that one
gas company supplied their gas and nothing else,
and another did the same with their electricity.
Since 1999 all customers have been able to change
their gas or electricity supplier and over 19
million customers have swapped in search of a
better deal. Now homeowners have a dazzling array
of tariffs and service providers, before even
attempting to take the environment into account.
Most of the main energy companies provide some
kind of green tariff for electricity – the
price and coverage depends on the area in which
you live but it is generally accepted that green
electricity tariffs cost the consumer either about
the same or just a few pounds per bill more than
conventional tariffs.
Green energy supply has been available in this
country to some customers from as far back as
1997. However, it did not truly become an option
for the average consumer until the energy market
was completely opened up to competition in May
1999. Since then the offerings that are available
to us have come a long way. The green energy revolution
has gained significant support at a commercial
level. Large energy users and corporations have
taken to green energy supply in a big way. It
is not only the case that large ‘green’-centric
companies such as The Body Shop have a green power
supply, but also large institutions such as Oxford
University who have 100% of their energy needs
provided for by green supply.
Any company, small or large, that claims ‘corporate
social responsibility’ that has not yet
switched to a renewable energy supply should think
again! With fourteen green energy tariffs available
now in the UK, there is a lot of choice available
to the consumer. However, it is not the case that
these tariffs all offer the same product.
The most important issue to those on a budget
may be the issue of cost. For an average household,
as you might expect due to economies of scale,
the cost of receiving a green energy supply is
fractionally more expensive, the supplement over
and above a “regular” tariff is normally
in the order of £20 or £30 a year.
And changing your methods of payment to either
Direct Debit or paying one annual fee can, in
most cases, offset the entire extra cost, so there
is no reason not to change your supply today.
WHY SWITCH TO RENEWABLE ENERGY?
When we read our newspapers and watch the news
on TV everyday and see the environmental disasters
and freak weather conditions that are attributed
to Global Warming, we can see for ourselves the
effects of the by-products of our traditional
energy production. Electricity production is the
single biggest contributor to the emissions that
cause climate change. The prime gas responsible
for Global Warming or ‘The Greenhouse Effect’
is Carbon Dioxide or CO2. The burning of Oil,
Coal and Gas, otherwise known as Fossil Fuels,
in traditional power stations produces a considerable
amount of this gas. The UK, with 1% of the world’s
population, emits 2.3% of the world’s total
amount of CO2. Not only do these Fossil Fuels
contributed to the degradation of the environment,
but also they are finite in nature and increasingly
have to be imported in to the UK, sometimes from
politically unstable areas of the world. And it
is only a matter of time before the planet’s
supply of these fuels runs out. One alternative
power source to traditional fuel burning stations
is Nuclear Power. This is far from being a solution
to global pollution though. Although British Nuclear
Fuels Limited (BNFL) has been pushing Nuclear
Power as the non-polluting solution to climate
change, this is certainly not the case. During
its lifetime (around 30-40 years) a nuclear reactor
can produce radioactive waste that has a ‘lifespan’
of thousands of years. The waste needs to be disposed
of safely, as it is highly dangerous. Although
no CO2 is produced there are definitely by-products
to the nuclear process that potentially could
do serious harm to the environment. In contrast
to these more traditional forms of energy supply,
is renewable energy or ‘Renewable’
Energy. Not only does green energy not directly
result in any by-products that may be harmful
to our environment, it comes from renewable and
everlasting sources such as wind and water. In
fact most forms of renewable energy produce no
or very little amounts of waste, and therefore
have very little impact on the world around us.
When you switch to a renewable energy supply,
you are also supporting the future of the renewable
energy industry. By showing the government and
mainstream energy suppliers that you wholeheartedly
support renewable energy you can help convince
them to increase the support they offer to the
industry as a whole.
HOW DO YOU SWITCH?
The great thing about switching to a green energy
tariff is that it’s incredibly EASY to do.
There is no need to get electricians in, or have
anything changed physically with your electricity
supply. This is down to the nature of the types
of green energy tariff available to the consumer,
the Energy-based tariff and the Fund-based tariff
and tariffs that offer a combination of the two.
Of the choices available, the Energy-based tariff
is the option that actually offers you renewable
energy in return for your money. Whilst there
is no change in the actual electricity coming
down the wires into your home when you subscribe
to an Energy-based tariff, a proportion of what
you pay will be matched by the equivalent amount
of energy being fed into the national grid from
renewable sources. Tariffs such as the one from
Good Energy Ltd, (switch at www.good-energy.co.uk),
promise to match 100% of the units of electricity
you buy from them with an equal amount from renewable
sources, at the end of the year. With Fund-based
energy tariffs a proportion of money you pay the
supplier is donated into a fund that supports
new renewable capacity, green causes or other
related initiatives. An independent body, established
either by the supplier or a registered charity,
normally administers these funds. In some cases
the donation made from the consumer is matched
in equal amounts by a donation made by the tariff
supplier. A Combination tariff is usually some
mixture of both Fund-based and Energy-based supply.
It is extremely easy to switch to a green energy
tariff. All you need to do is register your interest
with a supplier and they can sign you up over
the phone or send you forms to fill out by post.
It’s also possible to switch your supplier
with very little hassle online, at www.uswitch.com
where you can arrange to pay by Direct Debit,
which will also save you money.
CHOOSING THE BEST SUPPLIER
Since April 1st 2004 Energy suppliers have had
to make sure that at least 4.9% of all energy
they provide comes from renewable energy sources.
For each unit of renewable energy that they buy
they receive a certificate. If companies fail
to match their required 4.9% they may buy certificates
from those companies that exceed their minimum.
In order to reach their minimum requirement, large
energy suppliers offer a green tariff to customers.
In many cases this does not exceed or match the
minimum 4.9% renewable energy that the supplier
is required to provide, as demand from traditional
tariffs is still considerably greater. These suppliers
then have to buy in certificates from smaller
niche companies who only offer a green tariff,
or their green tariff makes up more than 4.9%
of their total energy supply. If, however, the
niche company sells all its certificates other
than the 4.9% it retains to meet its own government
targets, it results in a net status quo in the
energy market. No extra demand for renewable energy
supply is generated, as total demand for renewable
energy is matched across the board. Trading of
certificates at this level will mean that the
net average of renewable energy supply will remain
at 4.9% nationwide. However if those suppliers
that produce more than the minimum requirement
set aside a further percentage of its certificates,
above and beyond the required minimum, refusing
to sell them on, additional demand for renewable
energy sources is generated. At the moment only
Good Energy does this. When trying to evaluate
which tariff is ‘better,’ it’s
best to look at what green tariffs are trying
to achieve. Ultimately the aim is to increase
the amount of renewable energy supply there is
in the country. By increasing the influence of
renewable energy sources, it is possible to lessen
the influence of the environmentally degrading
sources, Fossil Fuels and Nuclear Power. It’s
for this reason that purely Energy-based tariffs
are the most positive choice.
Some Green Tariffs on Offer
Good
Energy
This tariff has achieved the highest
rating with Friends of the Earth for the
past three years. Good Energy is available
to homes and businesses in England, Wales
and Scotland. It only supplies energy
from renewable sources – wind power,
small-scale hydroelectric and solar power.
For every unit of electricity used by
a Good Energy customer, it promises to
buy a unit of electricity from renewable
power sources. And Good Energy is the
first electricity company to publish an
independent audit of its green claims.
Good Energy is owned by an independent
PLC, the Monkton Group, that specialises
in investing in renewable energy and owns
the UK’s first-ever wind farm at
Delabole in Cornwall. Over 1000 of the
Good Energy customers are investors in
Monkton Group. Good Energy has recently
launched The Home Generation scheme, which
pays people for the renewable electricity
they generate from small renewable generators
including solar panels and wind turbines.
The main reason why Good Energy continues
to be recommended by FOE is that in addition
to meeting government targets they set
aside extra renewable energy certificates.
This helps to generate extra demand for
renewable energy sources and therefore
creates greater environmental benefit.
Apply now at www.good-energy.co.uk. |
Green
Energy 100
For every unit of electricity you buy,
Green Energy 100 buys one unit of green
electricity. Green Energy 100 invest 50%
of profits in green electricity generation
and hold on to 6.89% of the certificates
of proof from these projects. Subscribers
also become shareholders. |
Ecotricity
Ecotricity is an independent energy supplier
that invests in large wind-turbines. It
has multiple wind-power generators already
operational around the country. At Swaffham
in Norfolk it built the country’s
first multi-megawatt wind-turbine, which
alone provides enough energy for 3,000
people. The renewable energy certificates
earned by Ecotricity are sold on to help
other energy suppliers meet their government
targets. The profits earned from the tariff
and sale of certificates are then used
to build further wind farms and turbines.
Ecotricity have been particularly pro-active
in building new power sources of renewable
energy – this helps grow the amount
of renewable energy available to the UK
market. |
Friends of the Earth guide to green
electricity tariffs
It is also very interesting to look at how Friends
of the Earth ranks the different green electricity
tariffs. The results are broadly in line with
our own corporate-level analysis. It does however
differ slightly as it concentrates more on the
electricity tariff than the other activities that
the ultimate holding company may be involved in.
Friends of the Earth recommend tariffs offered
by companies if they:
- Only sell green electricity or
- Produce green electricity in a large percentage
of the power stations they own.
- Buy or generate one unit of green electricity
for every unit you buy, and
- Hold onto at least some of the proof that they
have done this.
Friends of the Earth penalise tariffs from companies
that own carbon dinosaurs – ancient and
inefficent fossil fuel based power stations –
or if it isn't clear how their tariff would benefit
the environment.
Friends of the Earth – recommended
(listed in alphabetical order):
Eco
Energy
(Ireland Electricity)
For every unit of electricity you buy,
it supplies a unit of green electricity.
No certificates necessary because in Northern
Ireland, there are no laws regarding minimum
amounts of green electricity so this tariff
increases demand.
Green power ownership: N/A |
Ecotricity
Old EnergyTariff
(Ecotricity)
For every unit of electricity you buy,
it supplies one unit of green electricity.
Hold onto 11% of the certificates of proof.
Green power ownership: 100%
|
Good Energy
(Good Energy Ltd)
For every unit of electricity you buy,
it buys one unit of green electricity
– and hold onto 7% of the proof.
Good Energy was previously known as unit[e].
Green power ownership: 100%
|
Green energy 100
(Green energy UK)
For every unit of electricity you buy,
it buys one unit of green electricity.
Invest 50% of profits in green electricity
generation and hold onto 6.8% of the certificates
of proof from these projects. Subscribers
also become shareholders.
Green power ownership: N/A
|
RSPB Energy
(Scottish and Southern Energy plc)
A good mixed tariff. For every unit of
electricity you buy, it supplies one unit
of green electricity - and hold onto 10%
of the proof. For each customer, £30
in the first year and thereafter £5/year
is spent on environmental schemes.
Green power ownership: 26.50%
|
Friends of the Earth others – not recommended
(listed in alphabetical order):
Ecotricity
New Energy
(Ecotricity)
For every unit of electricity you buy,
it only supplies 0.1 unit of green electricity
– increasing by 10%/year. Every
new customer helps them invest in wind
farms.
Green power ownership: 100%
|
Green
energy 10
(Green energy UK)
For every unit of electricity you buy,
it buys only 0.1 units of green electricity.
Invest 50% of profits in green electricity
schemes and subscribers become shareholders.
Green power ownership: N/A
|
Green Energy Fund
(Scottish Power)
Doesn't buy any green electricity. Invest
up to £15.75/year/customer in environmental
and green electricity schemes. This is
matched £ for £ by Scottish
Power.
Green power ownership: 5.80%
|
Green Energy H20
(Scottish Power)
For every unit of electricity you buy,
it supplies one unit of green electricity
from existing hydroelectric dams. The
Government doesn't regard this as new
green electricity.
Green power ownership: 5.80%
|
Green Plan
(Powergen)
For every unit of electricity you buy,
it supplies one unit of green electricity.
Invest £9/year/customer in green
electricity schemes – and hold onto
the proof from these schemes. This is
matched £ for £ by Powergen.
Only their carbon dinosaurs prevent us
from recommending this tariff.
Green power ownership: 1.35%
|
Green Tariff
(London Energy/SWEB)
For every unit of electricity you buy,
it supplies one unit of green electricity.
Invest £13.50/year/customer in green
electricity schemes. Matched £ for
£ by London Energy.
Green power ownership: 0.09%
|
Juice
(RWE / Innogy)
For every unit of electricity you buy,
it supplies one unit of green electricity.
£10/year/customer spent on research
and development into wave and tidal technologies.
Green power ownership: 1.36%
|
This league table was compiled and produced
by Friends of the Earth in Spring 2002. It has
not yet been matched in terms of complete analysis.
For full explanations go to www.foe.co.uk and
contact suppliers for latest updates.
To assess the greenness of each of the products
FoE have ranked products according to criteria
which FoE based on OFGEM’s guidelines for
green electricity tariffs. See www.foe.co.uk for
a full indepth guide
FINAL THOUGHTS
Despite the differences in green tariffs available,
and the ranking of one above another, switching
to any green supply is a positive step to take.
It is a win-win situation both for the environment
and your peace of mind. Whether or not you choose
a Fund-based tariff or an Energy-based tariff,
what you are doing when you switch is registering
your support for more environmental awareness
from the energy suppliers. This will help encourage
those suppliers who currently do not offer a green
tariff to start one, which is clearly a good thing.
Your vote for cleaner energy supply also has an
impact on the future of government policy. For
example, in 2005 all energy suppliers will have
to disclose the exact sources of their electricity
and how much comes from renewables. Green energy
supplier, Good Energy, have decided to spearhead
this disclosure and have shown the market the
way forward by making their sources publicly available
already. So by supporting green energy suppliers
you can also show your support for government
reform. It has never been easier to switch your
energy supplier than it is now.
Click here to view all the suppliers contact details
Good Energy
Ltd
Monkton Park Offices
Chippenham
Wiltshire
SN15 1ER
Phone: 0845 456 1640
www.good-energy.co.uk |
Green Energy
UK
Green Energy 10/100
190 Strand
London
WC2 8JN
Phone: 0845 566 9550
www.greenenergy.uk.com |
Ecotricity
Axiom House
Station Road
Gloucester
GL5 3AP
Phone: 01453 756 111
www.ecotricity.co.uk
|
Northern Ireland
Electricity
Eco Energy
120 Malone Road
Belfast
BT9 5HT
Phone: 08457 455 455
www.nieenergy.co.uk |
London Energy
Green Tariff
40 Grosvenor Place,
Victoria,
London.
SW1X 7EN
Phone: 0800 096 5060
www.london-energy.com
|
RWE
Juice
NPower Centre
Oak House
Bridgewater Road
Warnden
Worcester
WR4 9FP
Phone: 0800 316 2610
www.npower.com |
Scottish Power
Green Energy Offer
1 Atlantic Quay
Glasgow
G2 8SP
Phone: 0845 270 6543
www.scottishpower.co.uk
|
Scottish and
Southern Energy plc
RSPB Energy
Southern Electric
PO Box 6009
Basingstoke
R G21 8ZD
Phone: 0845 7444 555
www.southern-electric.co.uk |
Seeboard energy
Green Fund Tariff
Phone: 0800 096 9696
www.seeboardenergy.com
|
|
| Hide
Contact Details |
OUR GUIDE TO ENERGY EFFICIENCY
A standard three bedroom detached house, without
any forms of insulation, can cost up to £500
a year to heat. With proper energy efficiency measure
taken it is entirely possible to halve this cost.
It’s not only through heating that your
energy efficiency in the home can be improved.
Changes to your lighting and household appliances
can also help reduce the amount of energy you
consume.
HEATING
During the cold winter months we all rely on
our heating to keep us warm and cosy. However,
having an energy inefficient heating system can
result in you spending more than you need to on
your heating costs. Here are some tips on how
you can improve your heating efficiency. Make
sure you have an effective method of heating control.
Boilers are unable to tell when you want heat
or hot water without a form of heating control.
If some form of heating control is installed you
can regulate when and where you need heat. Controlling
heat efficiently around the house can save you
up to 17% on your heating costs. If your boiler
is more the 15 years old you should think about
replacing it. New energy efficient Condensing
Boilers could save you up to 32% on your fuel
bills. Even without upgrading to a Condensing
Boiler, modern, more efficient boilers can still
save you up to 20%. In addition to this your local
Council may be able to provide a grant to help
you out. If you live in a small property, you
could also consider using energy efficient convection
heaters or gas heaters to heat your property rather
than relying on central heating.
LIGHTING
In the average home you can expect your lighting
costs to account for 10-15% of your electricity
bill. With lighting accountable for such a sizeable
percentage of your costs, it seems only sensible
to invest in ways in which you can improve efficiency
around the house. With energy saving lightbulbs
now readily available, here’s some further
information:
Ordinary Bulbs
25W
40W
60W
100W |
Energy Saving Bulbs 6W
8-11W
13-18W
20-25W |
Energy saving lightbulbs only use a quarter
of the energy that standard bulbs do. For this
reason they are available in much lower wattages
(see table). However the light from an energy
saving bulb is often radiated differently to a
conventional one,so you may need to choose an
equivalent higher wattage bulb than you are used
to achieve the same lighting effect. At the moment
energy saving lightbulbs tend to be more expensive
to buy than conventional ones, at around £5
for a 20W bulb. However the cost benefit makes
up for this extra initial outlay. For every conventional
bulb you replace with an energy saving one it
could save you up to £10 a year on your
electricity bill, making back the £5 spent
on the bulb and leaving you with an extra £5
in your pocket. To complement energy saving bulbs,
you could consider having energy saving fittings
in which to place them. These are little transformers
that fit into the base of the bulb which regulate
the amount of energy that is fed into it. For
the few milliseconds it takes for a bulb to light
the transformer provides a surge of energy. Once
a bulb is lit it requires far less power to stay
alight, so the fitting maintains the electricity
flow into the bulb at a very low level.
HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES
No matter how well you feel your household appliances
are running and how few problems they have given
you, they could still be extremely energy hungry
and inefficient. As a general rule, the older
your appliance the more it is going to cost to
run. For this reason, where possible it is best
to buy your fridges, cookers, dishwashers and
washing machines brand new as they will be the
most energy efficient. The saving you make on
a second- hand purchase will soon be outweighed
by the extra cost it takes to run the appliance.
When buying new appliances look out for the Energy
Efficiency Recommended logo. To find out more
about which appliances currently available are
listed as Energy Efficient, go to www.saveenergy.co.uk
and browse the extensive database of Energy Efficient
household appliances.
INSULATION
Bad insulation in the home can result in a considerable
heat loss. Most heat is lost through the walls
and the loft space. Fully insulating these spaces
can help reduce the amount of heat lost in the
home by more than 50%. The walls alone can be
responsible for up to 35% of the total heat wastage
in the home. Badly insulated walls can be one
of the major sources of heat loss in the home.
They could be costing you anywhere up to £200
extra per year. For this reason insulating the
walls of your home is one of the most efficient
ways to make a saving on your heating bills. If
you want to find out what you can do about adding
insulation to your walls, the first step is to
identify what kind of walls you have in your home.
Most houses built after 1930 have cavity walls.
To identify whether you have cavity walls you
can check by measuring their thickness at a door
or window. They are normally around 30cm thick,
this is comprised of an inner and outer layer,
and in-between them is a small air gap. To fill
your wall with insulation, small holes are drilled
into the outer or inner layer and insulation material
is injected into the air gap. This work has to
be carried out by a professional, and will be
guaranteed for 25 years by the CIGA or Cavity
Insulation Guarantee Agency. The cost of the work
should be recovered within five years in the savings
you make on your heating costs. There are also
grants and offers available to help cover the
cost of the work.
As air gets hotter it becomes less dense, and
as a result of this rises above cold air, which
is denser. This is the reason why it is key to
make sure any heat lost through the roof is minimised.
Most houses have some space under the roof, normally
the loft. Insulating the loft properly can save
around 25% on your heating costs. You can insulate
your loft easily yourself, and requires no professional
work to be done. By simply adding a 250mm (10-inch)
thick layer of insulation the job is done. The
material that you need to insulate the roof can
easily be picked up at a local DIY store or builder’s
merchants.
Drafts coming through the edge of the skirting
board or up through the cracks in the floor can
make a room feel cold and unwelcoming. Sealing
up these cracks with a regular tube sealant can
save you up to £10 in your heating bills.
To make your floors warmer and to stop the chilly
drafts coming up through them you could invest
in some under floor insulation, which can help
save a further £25. Remember, if you fit
the insulation yourself, not to block any air
bricks on the outside wall. These help maintain
adequate ventilation under the floor, and without
this it’s likely that the floorboards will
start to rot.
Heat that escapes through the space under your
doors or windows also accounts for a considerable
amount of heat lost in the home, as much as 20%.
Draft excluders come in many different materials,
from brushes to rubber strips. Without double-glazing
these can be a cheap and easy way to prevent heat
escaping from your home. Do remember that in some
rooms ventilation is very important, especially
if they have solid fuel burners, gas fires or
boilers within. Badly insulated hot water pipes
and water tanks can result in 75% more energy
use than those that are fully insulated. British
Standard water tank “jackets” can
be found at all good DIY stores and are easy to
fit. The saving you make on your water heating
bills means the cost can be recouped within a
year. If you already have insulation on your water
tank check that its at least 75mm (3 inches) thick.
If it isn’t it could be a good idea to replace
it with a new one to make yours as energy efficient
as it can be. For further information on improving
insulation you can get in touch with your local
Energy Efficiency Advice Centre. If you don’t
know where this is you can phone 0845 727 7200
or search on the Energy Savings Trust website
at www.saveenergy.co.uk.
GLAZING
Double-glazing your windows is an ideal way to
reduce heat loss in the home by up to 20%. Whilst
it is an expensive option, it should definitely
be considered if you are planning on renovating
your window frames. Not only does double (or even
triple-) glazing help prevent heat loss but can
also stop condensation and reduce noise levels
of sounds from outside. If you are on a tight
budget you can always fit secondary glazing, which
is less expensive than fitting brand new double-glazing
and can still result in annual savings of around
£30.
QUICK ENERGY SAVING TIPS TO PUT INTO
ACTION TODAY!
- If you are too warm at home, turn down your
thermostat by 1°C. This could save you up
to 10% on your heating bill. If you are planning
to go away over the winter for any extended
period of time, turn the thermostat down to
a low level. You can turn it down as far as
you want, but be sure to leave it high enough
so the house doesn’t freeze. Your total
saving could be as much as £30 a year.
- There is no need to have the hot water come
out of your taps at scalding temperatures. For
most people a setting of 60°C/140°F
on their cylinder thermostat will be more than
enough for taking baths and washing-up. Doing
this can save you as much as £10 a year.
- Never leave the taps running and the plughole
unblocked. If you are washing up or using hot
water, try not to do it with the plughole open.
The cost for hot water can soon mount up and
leaving the plughole open can flush money away
with the wastewater.
- Always close your curtains in the evening.
Your curtains are a valuable form of insulation.
If you close your curtains you can stop extra
heat escaping out through the window into the
cold night air.
- Try not to use electric lights when there
is a good source of natural light available.
Open your curtains or blinds fully rather than
switch on an electric light. If you do use an
electric light make sure you remember to switch
it off when you leave the room.
- Electrical devices such as Television and
Computers consume almost as much electricity
in their standby mode as when switched on. Try
to switch off all devices of this nature if
you can. Obviously if this will have an effect
on the appliance’s memory settings then
leaving it on standby can be unavoidable’
so check the appliance’s manual before
you switch it off.
- Defrosting your fridge and freezer can help
it run more efficiently; try to do this as often
as possible. Also try not to leave the fridge
or freezer door open for more than a few seconds
as the cold air will escape, meaning the appliance
will have to work harder to cool the air inside
down again when you do close the door.
- It’s important to try to make sure you
run a full load in your washing machine and
tumble dryer. If this is impossible, use the
economy wash settings or run at a low heat.
Modern washing powders will work just as effectively
at 40°C as at 60°C. These rules can
apply to dishwashers too; try to run a full
load every time and use the lowest temperature
setting available.
- When cooking try to use the best pot or pan
available for the job, and match this with the
right cooking ring. Ideally the base of the
pot should just cover the edges of the ring.
If you are using a gas hob the flames should
only heat the bottom of the pot, any flames
that rise up the sides of the pot will be wasted
heat.
- When boiling water in a kettle, there is no
need to fill it all the way to the top if you
are not going to use all the water. Fill the
kettle with enough water to cover the element,
but not more than you plan to use.
- A tap left dripping for a day can waste as
much water as it would take to run a good sized
bath. This is needless waste, especially if
the water is hot. Make sure you firmly close
all taps when you have finished with them.
- If you are used to taking baths, consider
switching to a shower. An ordinary shower uses
less than a half of the water that a bath does.
You can easily buy devices that convert your
bath taps into a shower.
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