Every year the average UK citizen produces about 10 tonnes of carbon dioxide —
enough to fill two Olympic swimming pools.
If we do nothing, global average temperatures are forecast to rise by as much
as 6.4 degrees C (11.5F) by 2100. The last time we had a 5-degree
temperature swing (downwards) the world was locked into the Ice Age.
As the world heats up, rising sea levels and stronger storms will swamp
coastlines and extinguish species and could trigger the worst global
depression since the 1930s.
You can make a difference and it will save you money. Carbon dieting is not
that hard. Acting now to stabilise atmospheric C02 would only cost around 1
per cent of global GDP.
For every pound spent now, say government economists, we would save a fiver in
the future.
Individual dietary choices really add up. For example, transporting a single
punnet (225g) of New Zealand strawberries to your fridge generates as much
CO2 as 11 school runs. Leaving a 100W lightbulb on for a mere half-hour
would fill a party balloon. Burning one gallon of petrol releases up to 10kg
of the stuff. But walking or cycling is carbon-free.
There is only one solution to our CO2 weight problem: a low carbon diet. And
the blueprint is right here in your hands.
Download and print-out this pdf. of your
carbon weight calculator
KITCHEN
Refresh the fridge and freezer
Defrost and keep coils dust free. Dirt increases energy use by up to 30 per
cent. Cool and cover foods before storing. Replace damaged door seals — they
let the heat in.
Fridge on its last legs? Replace with an A+ or A++ rated appliance.
C = carbon saved per year
£ = money saved per year
C 180kg, £ £45 a year if you replace old fridge-freezer
with A+ or A++ rated
Rest the tumble dryer
C 156kg, £ £37 a year if you run the drying half as often
C 311kg, £ £74 a year if you mothball it
Bin the old boiler
If your boiler is more than 15 years old, bin it. By law you must replace it
with an A or B rated appliance, which means a high-efficiency condensing
boiler. This little dynamo will reduce heating-related CO2 emissions by
15-20 per cent. Even if your boiler’s still young, consider trading it in.
You’ll shell out upfront, but long term you’ll save.
C 1 tonne (1,000kg) a year
£ £100 a year off your gas bill after paying back the purchase
cost
FYI: If every UK home had a condensing boiler, CO2 emissions would fall
by 17.5 million tonnes a year and household energy bills by £1.3 billion.
Bypass the bin
Imagine not being able to chuck anything out for a week and watching the food
and packaging waste piling up on your nice kitchen floor. Now hold that
thought, start recycling all glass, paper, cardboard, cans and plastic and
avoid buying overpackaged food that needs a bodybuilder to wrestle it open.
If you have a garden, try composting all that food waste.
C 420kg a year for recycling paper, plastics cardboard, glass and cans
C 280kg a year for composting food/garden waste
SITTING ROOM
Train yourself to turn off those little lights twinkling on your hibernating
TV, DVD player, computer or hi-fi. Make yourself some SWITCH ME OFF stickers
to label different appliances as a reminder.
C 153kg £ £37 a year
FYI: 7 in 10: the number of Britons who admitted to leaving electrical
devices on standby in an Energy Savings Trust Poll.
BEDROOMS
Pile extra blankets on the bed, get out those PJs and turn the heating off at
night. During the day, turn your thermostat down by 1 degree C and shed some
serious carbon weight.
C 300kg £ £50 a year
Curtains
Yet another hi-tech solution. Open them in the morning to allow sunlight to
warm the room and close again when it gets dark to keep heat.
BATHROOM
Lose less from the loo
Loos are the biggest single water guzzler in the house. Fitting a Save-a-flush
(a bag of harmless crystals) in your cistern costs only £1.20 and saves up
to 1 litre a flush or nearly 2,000 litres per person a year (www.save-a-flush.co.uk).
If yours is an old-fashioned inefficient loo, use a bigger Hippo (cost £1.32)
and save up to 5,000 litres a year (www.hippo-the-watersave.co.uk).
C 0.58kg for every 2000 litres saved; 1.45kg for every 5000 litres
saved
£ 3 per cent off your water bill with Save-a-flush; 9 per cent off
with a Hippo
Choose the shower
An average bath uses 80 litres (16 buckets) of water, a five-minute shower
only 35 litres. It’s also easier to share a shower.
C 200kg if you fit a low-flow shower head (family of four)
ATTIC
It may be dirty and dusty up there, but insulating your leaky attic is a huge
carbon calorie saver. Plus, it’s cheap and easy enough to do yourself.
The more insulation you put in, the less heat is lost. Building regulations
for new homes require a minimum of 250mm (10 inches). Leave gaps around the
eaves to avoid causing condensation.
C 1.5 tonnes (1500kg) a year £ £180-£220 a year
BASEMENT, HALL OR LANDING
Coddle your hot water tank
Find out where it is and treat it to a nice, thick insulating jacket. While
you’re there, check the water temperature setting — it should be no higher
than 60C.
C 150kg a year when you fit a jacket on the tank; 145 kg a year when
you turn the hot water tank down to 60 degrees C
£ £20 a year in reduced bills if you fit an insulating jacket
IN EVERY ROOM
Seeing the light
Replace your conventional bulbs with energy-saving compact fluorescent lamps.
Start in the entrance hall or landing — wherever lights are left on for a
long time. They cost more than conventional bulbs (about £6 each) but use 75
per cent less electricity and last eight times longer.
C 40kg a year if you replace just one bulb £ £7 a year per
bulb replaced (savings on electricity bill minus the cost of bulb)
KEEPING THE HEAT IN
Draughts
Carry a lit stick of incense or a cigarette slowly around your house. Wherever
smoke blows horizontally you’ve spotted a draught. Fireplaces are the most
likely sources, as well as window and door frames, letterboxes and cat
flaps.
Next, draught-proof your home by plugging up cold air sources with compression
and wiper seals from a DIY store. Leave kitchen and bathroom windows alone
to minimise condensation.
C 140kg a year £ £20 a year (less cost of seals in the
first year)
Radiators
Slide aluminium foil behind any radiators fitted to outside walls to keep heat
in the room. Ordinary foil will do, or you can buy specially designed
panels. Consider fitting thermostatic radiator valves (around £6 each) which
control the heat level on individual radiators. Do you really want them on
in unoccupied rooms, pumping out CO2?
C 51kg £ £7 a year for foil
C 110kg £ £15 a year for valves (after initial investment)
Windows
If you don’t have double-glazing, think about it. Start with the rooms that
cost most to heat. Choose new windows with the “energy saving recommended”
logo. A budget alternative is to fit secondary glazing.
C 680kg £ £90 a year (after initial investment)
Floors
Fill those whistling gaps between old floorboards or the floor and the
skirting board with commercial sealant. Or try papier mâché. It could bring
out the artist in you.
C 120kg £ £10-20 a year.
SET A WEIGHT LOSS TARGET
To keep yourself on track, you may want to set a monthly or annual slimming
target. Take your pick:
UK average CO2 total in 2005: 10.4 tonnes*
UK government target for 2010: 8.32 tonnes*
UK government target for 2050: 4.16 tonnes*
World average CO2 consumption: 3.8 tonnes*
* per capita
TIPS FOR CALCULATING YOUR CARBON WEIGHT
- For gas and electricity bills you need the total annual consumption figure
in kWh — don’t worry about different pricing bands
- If your car is more than three years old, your two most recent annual MOT
certificates will state the total number of miles you’ve driven in the car.
To work out your annual mileage, take the figure in your most recent MOT
certificate and deduct the mileage total on the previous certificate.
- Calculate door-to-door distances in the UK on the Driving Directions page of www.viamichelin.com
The Low Carbon Diet (Short Books), published on May 3, is
available at £11.69 (RRP £12.99) from Times BooksFirst on 0870 1608080. timesonline.co.uk/booksfirstbuy
