ENERGY SAVING CHALLENGE
PART 1 - discovery
What can I do to reduce my energy usage and find better alternatives?
For lent I decided to set myself as challenge rather than giving something up. I mentioned in an Instagram post earlier this week, energy is a big topic of conversation at the moment, whether it is the source of our energy, our rising energy costs or our current unsustainable energy usage. I’ll be looking at my own life, exploring where I use the most energy and what I can possibly do as an alternative which still allows me to do what I want or need to do that day.
I’m going to use Part 1 - Discovery to document my own usage and findings, and us Part 2 - Conclusions to share my research and alternatives, hopefully encouraging and helping you to make a few changes and think about your own day to day usage.
Day 1 - Wednesday 2nd March
Today has been the first day of investigating and exploring what I do everyday that requires energy in one way or another, and our requirement for energy is in almost everything we do.
Like many others, I work from home most days, which can mean more lighting, heating and charging laptops every day. Not too long before I began this challenge I’d already made a choice to only turn my lights on when there isn’t enough natural light to work without straining my eyes. I also decided to dismiss the temptation to turn the heating on during the day, so I’ve been wrapping up in my thick socks, warm jumpers and, of course, have a blanket on standby. It’s actually been super cosy, plus it costs me and the planet nothing to do it.
It is however impossible for me to do my job without my laptop. I grant you, I don’t charge my laptop all the time, however today I noticed when I wasn’t charging it I didn’t remove the plug from the socket nor did I turn the socket off, so my charger was still using some energy and for no reason. The other thing I realised is at times I’d charge my laptop while using it, which I can almost guarantee will use more energy than charging it when it’s not being used.
Another need for energy today was my washer dryer and then dehumidifier. It’s been a real habit of mine to wash everything at 30 degrees. It’s ingrained in me that washing at 30 degrees was the most environmentally friendly thing to do. It wasn’t until I looked at our machine properly that I realised there was a super eco setting that washes on cold and for 45 minutes as opposed to 3.5 hours. A typical example of doing what you know and not looking or seeking a better solution. I’m unsure if that’s the best solution yet, but it’s certainly going to be better than what I’ve been doing.
The use of our washer-dryer then leads me to our dehumidifier. We unfortunately get mould in our flat sometimes, so when the washer-dryer goes on so does the dehumidifier, especially when some clothes are hanging too dry. So I’m going to learn when I 100% need to use it and when it can be switched off.
Something else that’s got me thinking is how much people scroll on their phones looking at endless amounts of online content, including myself sometimes. All we’re doing is using up our battery, meaning more energy is required to charge it up again.
My biggest usage today however was my car because I had to drive to my parents so I can support my Mum post-operation. On the journey it got me thinking, as I’m unable to use public transport on this occasion, what is the most environmentally friendly thing to do when driving my car? Unfortunately, I’m not in a position yet to be able to buy an electric car, therefore it’s important I learn to look after and drive my car in the most environmentally and economical way possible. If I’m honest I’ve never taken the effort to learn about cars, they’ve never been high on my list of things to learn about, but when it comes to energy saving, I’m all ears.
I’m truly finding it quite fascinating deep diving into this subject, looking at how we live our lives and the things we rely on to go about our daily business.
Day 2 - Thursday 3rd March
As expected, I’m discovering so many touch points right now, and it’s from the very minute we wake up to the moment we go to sleep. I’m becoming acutely aware of the things I do every day and that I want to do better.
Last night was the first time in a while I didn’t charge my phone overnight, something that has been part of my routine for some time. When I think about it though, how much time does it actually take to charge my phone, roughly 45 minutes, but yet I’ve had it plugged in all night unnecessarily passing energy to my phone. So I’m creating a new routine, charging my phone before I go to bed and turning the plug off at the wall until I need it again.
My first energy source this morning was my shower, straight away I reduced the length of my shower and lowered the heat, plus rather than picking up my hairdryer, I decided to towel / air dry my hair. I also made a few small changes at breakfast too, rather than my normal decaf coffee and boiled eggs, I swapped them out for a glass of water and a bowl of granola.
After a few hours of work, I had to go and collect my Mum from the hospital, which was an hour away, so again on this occasion there was no alternative but to use my car, however I was super conscious of my speed and I gave myself plenty of time to get there, which hopefully meant less carbon emissions released, less energy wasted and an increased period of time before I have to visit the petrol station.
Once we got back, Mum definitely deserved a cup of tea and I fancied one too. It’s well known that your kettle can use a lot of energy to boil water, however in this instance, I’m grateful that my parents have purchased a kettle that gives you the option of boiling water to either 85 or 100 degrees, which, at 85 degrees gives you a much more drinkable tea, I obviously selected 85 degrees. Quick kettle tip, only fill your kettle with the amount of water you need, also have you ever thought about turning the kettle off before it reaches boiling point?
Day 5 - Sunday 6th March
It’s safe to say reducing your energy usage certainly gives you that extra boost to be outside enjoying the fresh air. I’ve been lucky that it’s been such a nice weekend, so I’ve been able to go out on dog walks, cycling, catching up with friends and have been turning to my bike to get me locally from A to B, which I’m really enjoying.
Had the weather had taken a turn for the worst, it also wouldn’t have mattered too much as I’d invited my niece round and we played board and card games in the kitchen for hours. It was such a special time and we had so much fun together. I also told her about my energy-saving challenge and with her being the animal and outdoors lover that she is, she was fully on board. We both happily kept the lights off and adjusted to the natural light in the kitchen.
Something I’ve noticed generally on lighting is how many lights can get left on either by yourself or those that you live with. If they aren’t being used, switch them off. Look out for it and you’ll see what I mean.
There were a few things today that couldn’t avoid the use of energy usage. I really wanted to cook a loaf of banana bread, as I had some old bananas that I didn’t want to see go to waste, so they went into a lovely banana bread, which I did cook on low heat, so that’s a bonus. I was then in charge of dinner and made a 1 pot leek, potato and mincemeat traybake, again, no avoiding the oven.
I’ll have a think about low energy meal ideas and see what I can come up with…
Day 13 - Monday 14th March
Last week I was back in Somerset supporting my Mum post-operation. It was interesting to compare life with them in the countryside vs my own life in a town by the sea and how hard or easy it was to be energy efficient.
When living in a small village in the countryside, it's safe to say, everything is further away and the easiest option is to jump in your car to get yourself from A to B. I however pre-planned my trip and took my bike down with me. I knew I had a number of local meetings for work, as well as a few evenings planned with friends where I knew I’d be able to jump on my bike as opposed to taking my car. Granted it took me slightly longer to get there, but the feeling it gave me cycling to and from was really energising and uplifting.
Of course, there was the odd time when I couldn’t avoid using my car, however I had a think about what else I could do during that journey that meant I didn’t have to do multiple journeys another time in the week. So I visited a charity shop to donate some old clothes and ran a few errands for my parents.
There was the odd occasion where I chose to walk as opposed to cycle or take my car, for example collecting my nephew from school, as well as getting to my hockey match. What I found was really lovely was the extra time I got to spend with my nephew, I also found my personal time management to be better because walking was going to take me longer.
Another thing I’ve done, which is something I do tend to do anyway, is to ensure I take anything out of the freezer that needs defrosting before my evening meal, as opposed to using defrost on the microwave.
I’m really enjoying the extra things I’m discovering during this challenge. There are 100% things that will stick as part of my normal day to day life.
Sometimes to be eco-friendly things just take a little bit of extra thought and planning, which we are all 100% capable of doing.
Day 39 - Saturday 9th April
It took me the first couple of weeks to really discover my main energy usage areas, and I’ve found over the past month how easy it's been to break any previously un-environmentally friendly habits. I was a light switcher on-er when it wasn’t necessary, but not anymore. I’m so much more aware of when I turn lights on, I’m naturally turning switches off at the wall, I’m replacing my car for my bike or legs even more than I used to. I’m even seeing great results from using the super eco setting on my washer-dryer, even on mine and my partner’s grubby sports kits. It’s simple changes like this that after time I believe can and will make a big difference, especially if I’m not the only one making them.
There have of course been times over the past month when I haven’t been able to avoid using my car and I’ve been super conscious of it. I looked into public transport as an alternative option, but the costs have been astronomical or public transport has just made the journey really complicated. Ever since I began this challenge I’ve been trying to drive as economically as I can, but unfortunately I don’t feel the fuel efficiency in my car has been as good as it should be. I bought the car originally for its fuel efficiency, so I’ve set my partner the task of discovering what we can do to improve it, I’ll keep you posted and share as part of my Part 2 - Conclusions.
Otherways I’ve been able to keep my usage down has been through lots of outdoor exercise. I’ve been on numerous dog walks with my new dog Tilly, plus out running or doing workouts outside in the park as opposed to in my flat or going to the local gym, which requires a lot of energy to run every day.
There are so many things we take for granted that require an enormous amount of energy, it’s unavoidable, however if you’re reading this you’re the same as me and you’re conscious, so I say to you, have a look at your own day to day and see what you discover.