The appliance of science and switching off

As we emerge out of winter and the days get longer and warmer, heating bills should reduce but some things will stay the same. Our appliances for instance continue to be used at a similar rate throughout the year.

Europe is one of the biggest sources of the world's climate pollution - and experts say that half of Europe's emissions come from boilers, fridges, TVs and other energy-using products in homes and other buildings.

We have the science to reduce these levels- it just needs the appliance.

The recent campaign for more stringent European legislation on new appliances has partially succeeded. Products are to be much more energy efficient- but not as good as campaigners had hoped for. For information on the most energy efficient appliances check out Sust-It - an informative site providing energy usage data on the most efficient appliances in the market.

But getting a new appliance is not an option for everyone – so in the meantime what can we do with what we have?

It is simple – switch it off when not is use! Often we are unwittingly using up electricity as this information on phantom loads reveals:

What is a phantom load?

Phantom loads are appliances that use power all the time, even if they are turned off. These loads are most often found in electronics, and anything that has automatic-start, etc. Common culprits are anything with a clock in it, such as a VCR, alarm clock, TV, microwave, etc. But it is not limited to that. Computers, business machines like fax machines, copiers, scanners, printers, all draw constant power. Watch out for the gadgets like mobile phones that have a wall cube transformer. Touch the black box, and they generally are warm. That warmth is wasted electricity. Some power cubes use the same amount of power even if they are not plugged into the appliance, but still plugged into the wall!

Switching things off at the wall is the easiest and carbon free approach but what if you have a computer like mine that resets itself in an unhelpful way if I try this approach or you have plug points in awkward places that involve performing gymnastics to get there . There is another solution:

Intelligent plugs that powerdown your equipment.....

Intelligent plugs recommended by the Energy Savings Trust can be remotely operated for some appliances thus getting round the issue of arkward plug points. The cost of buying them should be paid back from the energy saved.

I'm off to try one out.