Good for the pocket, good for the planet

The nights are drawing in and across the country boilers and stoves are getting lit for the winter, so it’s not surprising that October 1st was Central Heating day. It’s not surprising either that this is the time of year when energy bills start to stack up.

Reducing heating costs is not only good for the pocket, it’s good for the planet, and there are lots of things you can do to keep warm without spending a fortune on fuel through the winter.

According to the Energy Savings Trust turning down the thermostat by one degree Celsius can shave eight per cent off heating costs.

If you are not brave enough to turn down the heating down a full degree or two in one go, try reducing the heat a small amount every day, you probably won’t notice the difference – at least until the utility bills come in. And if you have a timer, try setting it to come on half an hour later than last year.

Of course everyday energy efficiency is not just about central heating. Green Footsteps have a load of handy hints on how to keep your home cosy without impacting on your energy usage. For example, making use of thick curtains and soft furnishings for insulation, and some great ways to keep your kitchen nice and warm.

Counting the carbon

We hear a lot of talk about carbon footprints. But what does it all mean in practice?

The community of Sleat on Skye have investigated what this means for them and come up with some interesting information:

Logo designed by school children from Sleat

They produce an average of 17 tonnes per person - more than the average Scottish carbon footprint of 12 tonnes ( largely due to being a rural community living on an island).

Material and waste is the highest contributor at 37%, closely followed by energy(30%) and transport (28%). Waste gets taken off the island to be processed and recycled - making a major contribution to the carbon footrpint. Food comes in at a relatively low 5% but is a way that people in communities can start to get involved and motivated to do something around their carbon footprint.

So what are Sleat doing about their carbon footprint?

They plan to reduce their footprint by 33% over the next few years. Some of their initiatives include:

• encouraging recycling of materials where possible - lobbying for 'green' disposal of waste on the island
• taking ten Sleat households in fuel poverty and turning them into centres of excellence in energy efficiency and insulation
• purchasing a Thermal Imaging Camera to aid the free house energy surveys
• encouraging car sharing and safe hitch hiking spots
• encouraging local growing of food and livestock
• lobbying for an abbattoir based on Skye ( livestock currently go to Dingwall)
• purchasing a rotovator for free hire to help with growing fruit and veg
  
  All initiatives that many communities would welcome.
  
  The Galson Trust - one of the the John Muir Trust partners - recently were also awarded Climate Challenge Fund monies as part of the Community Powerdown project jointly supported by Community Energy Scotland and the Development Trusts Association Scotland. This will include supporting local crofters markets. We look forward to hearing more as this project develops.