My energy scheme up, up and away

Balloons, kindly donated by Airobics of Ledbury, ensured today’s launch (May 1) of the year-long campaign, got up, up and away to a colourful start.

Sixty balloons were used to symbolize the amount of energy wasted every day by leaving PCs and monitors on overnight in the council’s Plough Lane offices alone.

Each computer left on overnight wastes £65 of energy every year and every PC and monitor switched off but left plugged in uses enough energy to power a low energy lightbulb for more than 20 hours.

Working with registered charity Severn Wye Energy Agency (SWEA), the Manage Your Energy (MY Energy) project will run for one year and aims to achieve a 10 per cent saving on electricity costs as part of the council’s Good Environmental Management (GEM) system.

The project allows council staff to make a vital difference towards limiting climate change as well as making financial savings. Another aim is to highlight the benefits of energy efficiency in the home.

Sadie Reade, sustainability manager, who is leading the project said: “It was wonderful so many Energy Champions took time out from their busy working day to be at the launch and helped highlight the campaign to our staff.

“If all council staff left their monitors on overnight it would waste enough energy to heat water for 21,600 cups of tea or coffee so this campaign can make a real difference not only to our energy bills but also in helping the environment.

“In the UK as a whole, equipment left on standby wastes £740m of energy and the CO2 produced is equivalent to 1.4 million long haul flights so we hope other organizations in the county will follow our lead,” she added.

Energy Champions have volunteered to work in the council’s buildings at Plough Lane, Garrick House, Brockington, Bath Street, Blackfriars Education and Conference Centre, Unit 10 Blackfriars, Blueschool House, Leominster Library, Grange Court in Leominster, Whitecross Road, Moor House, Thorn, Queenswood, Hereford Town Hall, Hereford library, art gallery and museum, The Old Priory at Leominster and Herefordshire Jarvis Services at Unit 3 of Thorn.

These champions will be encouraging staff to take simple energy saving measures such as switching off lights, computers and monitors when not in use especially during meetings, lunch hours and overnight.

Throughout the year, quarterly themes and events will be held to provide information on cost savings that can be achieved through simple actions. The next quarter focuses on heating and air conditioning, then lighting in the third quarter and the final quarter looks at office equipment.