Working at community level to reduce household emissions

Written by Dominic Neate Tuesday, 09 March 2010

The world is changing with the reality of climate change and the inception of governmental incentives for householders to reduce their carbon emissions.

They are not enough but they are a start, benefitting those with finances to spare due to the significant cost of purchasing renewable energy equipment.

High income earners (>£50k per year) are responsible for producing 18 to 19 tonnes (t) of carbon emissions per year compared to the average of 12t, and the 4t generated by low income earners.

Our expenditure spread is 29% on food, 17% on leisure, 13% on clothing, and 5% on flights. The latter is higher for the 18/19t culprits and one of the main reasons for their higher emissions.

We are facing an uphill battle with only 1 to 2% of the population who make substantial efforts to improve their emissions, and 37% who do nothing about it.

With the new incentives there are fewer excuses for complacency. Households can work out their emissions from website calculators like Economic Environmentalist and seek out grants or at least advice on how to reduce energy losses from houses.

The spread of loss is: roof – 25%; walls – 35%; draught – 15%; floors – 15%; windows – 10%.

The technology is there but the expense for many is inhibitive.

Multi-pane windows which use the highly insulating gases krypton and xenon between the panes are very costly.

They are used to reduce heat loss due to convection between the panes; and in light bulbs, where their high molecular weight slows evaporation of the hot tungsten filament, leading to a longer useful operating life.

It is arguable that bigger incentives are needed to bump-start the green revolution.

Currently, useful communities for reducing carbon emissions are: CERT – The Carbon Emissions Reduction Target which has put an obligation on the big six energy suppliers to promote things which improve energy efficiency in homes, (see the Energy Saving Trust for grants and offers), and increase the amount of energy generated from renewable technologies such as wind turbines, solar panels and ground source heat pumps.

Most energy suppliers provide loft and cavity wall insulation for free to those aged over 70 or those in receipt of certain benefits. You can find out more by calling 0800 512 012;

There are also new feed-in tariffs from the Department of Energy and Climate Change where householders, communities and businesses will be incentivised to generate low carbon renewable electricity, to work alongside the Renewable Obligation, the main mechanism to incentivise large-scale renewable electricity generation.

The renewable heat incentive is being introduced in 2011 and will offer annual cash at all scales; you could receive a 4-5% return, but only if it is a new installation, and only if you can afford it.

The carbon emissions from food production are another human practice wreaking havoc on our planet.

Of the total emissions, food cultivation accounts for 42% including methane (500 million tonnes, the majority from man-made sources include the mining and burning of fossil fuels, digestive processes in ruminant animals such as cattle, rice paddies and the burying of waste in landfills), and the nitrous oxide used in agricultural fertilizer, nylon production and the burning of organic waste (15 million tonnes).

13% comes from from food production, 14% from cooking, 16% from retail/catering, 13% from the food industry and 1% from fertilizer production.

Clearly, if we can cut down on dairy foods, on meat production, on air-freighted and shipped foods, from food grown in greenhouses, and try to stick to organic we could make a massive difference.

To give you an idea, a 300kg calf involves 3,500 kg of grass, 15kg of milk substitute and 1,100 kg of cereal: rounded up, that’s 15 units in for one edible unit out!