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Greener Leicester


What Will Your Pledge Acheive?

1. Save money – Save heat

Heating the average home emits 4.7 tonnes carbon dioxide or roughly 2 tonnes per person.

Before planning how to reduce your heating costs, it’s worth assessing how it is performing at present. To do this you could use the Energy Savings Trust’s web-based questionnaire. Alternatively, if you are just interested in knowing how much Carbon dioxide your heating causes, then you can work this out from your utility bills. Simply multiply your energy used, as defined on your bill in units of kWh (kilo watt per hour) by 0.194 if you have gas heating or 0.422 for electrical heating, to convert to kilograms of carbon dioxide.

Here are our top tips for saving on energy costs. Visit the  Energy Savings Trust website for further information on all of these issues

http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/In-your-home

You Could Insulate Your loft

We estimate that more than half of Leicester homes now have sufficient depth of loft insulation but that still leaves the other half losing as much as a quarter of their heat through the roof. Did you know that the recommended depth for mineral wool loft insulation is now 270mm and those who insulated their lofts some years back are likely to find that they would benefit from a top up.

Or how about installing cavity wall insulation
In Leicester, if your home was built after about 1950, the chances are that its external walls are made of two layers with a gap or cavity between them. Cavity wall insulation fills that gap, keeping the warmth in to save energy. It can also help reduce condensation inside the house if this is a problem on your external walls. For more information and to help identify whether you have a cavity wall, visit  the Energy Savings Trust website. 

Have you considered draft proofing your doors and windows
Heat loss from draughts probably accounts for 15% of heat loss in the average home. Draught-proofing is often overlooked - but it’s one of the cheapest and most efficient ways to save energy - and money - in any type of building. Draughts are a bit like ventilation – both let fresh air into your home. Good ventilation helps reduce condensation and damp. But draughts are uncontrolled: they let in too much cold air and waste too much heat.

Insulating under your floor boards
The Energy Savings Trust estimates that insulating under the floorboards on your ground floor will save you around £60 a year, and you can seal the gaps between floors and skirting boards to reduce draughts too. Visit their website for more information.

You could lag your hot water tank
Insulating your hot water cylinder is one of the easiest ways to save energy and therefore money. If you already have a jacket fitted, check that it's at least 75mm thick. The Energy Savings Trust calculate that fitting a British Standard jacket around your cylinder will cut heat loss by over 75% and save you around £40 a year - more than the cost of the jacket!


Use your heating timer better
According to the Energy Savings Trust, making proper use of your heating controls can reduce energy use by 15%. A good set of heating controls includes a timer to ensure the heating only operates when you are up and about in the house , a thermostat which measures the temperature in the key areas of the house and only fires the boiler when necessary, and thermostatic valves on individual radiators to maintain rooms at different temperatures.

Reduce your thermostat temperature by 1 degree
According to the Energy Trust, reducing your room temperature by 1°C could cut your heating bills by up to 10 % and typically saves around £60 per year. If you have a programmer, set your heating and hot water to come on only when required rather than all the time.

You could also fix thermostatic radiator valves
Thermostatic radiator valves sense the air temperature around them and regulate the flow of water through the radiator they are fitted to. They do not control the boiler. Set them to the level you want for the room: a lower setting uses less energy and so will save you money.

Where to get help on energy matters in Leicester

There are various schemes that will help you to undertake measures to improve the energy efficiency of your home and reduce your CO2 too!

Health through warmth
The Health Through Warmth scheme aims to improve of warmth and comfort in homes where someone has an illness related to the cold or damp. It can provide cavity wall and loft insulation, repair and replace boilers and help people access grants and other energy efficiency funds.

To find out if you are eligible, or for further information about the scheme, please visit healththroughwarmth.com  or call the home energy office (see below).

Warm Front
Warm Front is a government-funded scheme that provides grants to make your home warmer and more energy efficient. You may be eligible if you own or privately rent your home and receive certain means tested benefits. To find out more about Warm Front in the city, contact the home energy office.

Help at home
Making sure that your home is well insulated will help to keep valuable heat inside. The council’s home safety scheme provides support for disabled adults, people aged over 65 and single parents with children under five who receive certain means tested benefits. Home energy measures that can be provided include letterbox covers, low energy light bulbs, insulation jackets for hot water tanks and draught proofing to external doors. Contact the council’s renewal and grants service (see contact information below).

For advice and further information in Leicester:

Home Energy office
0116 221 1170
leicester.gov.uk/homeenergyoffice

Welfare rights service
0116 225 4888
leicester.gov.uk/welfarerights

Renewal and grants service
0116 221 1303
leicester.gov.uk/renewal

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2. Cut your electricity cost

Electricity use in the house accounts for about a tonne of carbon dioxide per person. According to the Energy Savings Trust, one third of your household's energy bills, and well over a quarter of your household's carbon dioxide emissions, come from electrical appliances. Entertainment equipment and kitchen appliances are the most power-hungry appliances, with computer equipment taking up an increasingly larger amount of an average household’s electricity consumption.

Why not borrow an energy monitor from your local library to see how much power your appliances use?
The first step to reducing your electricity cost is to understand how much energy is being used by different equipment in your house. Research undertaken by Defra suggests that feedback from using these monitors can reduce your electricity consumption between 5 and 15%.

There are two types of energy monitor on the market. The firsts monitors the whole house’s electricity use and takes about 5 minutes to install. This type of monitor, known as the Owl Monitor, is available on free loan from Leicester libraries. The other type of monitor is the plug-in electricity meter that sits between the plug and the socket. This typeis useful to find out the energy consumption of a particular piece of equipment, but won’t work for appliances that don’t plug in such as lights.

Switch off at the plug and don’t leave things on standby
According to the Energy Savings Trust, on average UK households spend £35 a year each powering appliances left in standby mode. This is the energy used by certain appliances when they are not in use and not switched off at the plug. Visit the Energy Trust website for their recommendations to help cut down your standby electricity consumption, such as standby savers that allow you to easily turn all of your appliances off from standby without having to reach for the plug.

When upgrading your equipment try to buy the most energy efficient
The amount of electricity used by appliances is reduced by buying the most energy efficient model. The EU energy labelling system rates the most energy efficient appliances with an A to A++ rating. The Energy Savings Trust website provides an alternative source of information.

Don’t forget that smaller sized products generally use less energy than the bigger one! Energy ratings labels on appliances are generally given to products based on size categories. This means two differently sized appliances with the same energy rating may use quite different amounts of electricity. According to the Energy Savings Trust, an A rated 180-litre fridge freezer could cost only £36 a year to run whereas a larger 525-litre fridge freezer with a better A+ rating would cost £49 a year to run.

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3. Get yourself transport fit for 2012!

Transport accounts for just over 20% of greenhouse gas emissions across the UK . For individuals it can be both the very regular journeys and the long - but not always so frequent - journeys which are responsible for a lot of their emissions.  So these are the  journeys to look at first if you want to reduce your carbon footprint.

Here is some information about options to help with your transport pledges.

Walking
Leicester is generally well suited to walking; being a fairly compact city with arguably a good spread of facilities in its neighbourhoods and the city centre.  From a climate change perspective every car journey you can make on foot will be reducing your carbon footprint.  It has the added benefit of helping cut traffic congestion at peak times (a source of extra carbon emissions in its own right ) and could be part of your weekly fitness schedule.

  • To help you plan your walking route, try www.walkit.com/Leicester .  This is a route finding website and also shows you how long the journey will take, how many calories you’ll burn off and how much carbon you’ll save.
  • Information is also available at www.leicester.gov.uk/walking

Cycling
Cycling produces minimal carbon emissions:  just the carbon footprint of the extra cereal you might need in the morning!  Like walking, it brings fitness benefits and cuts congestion too.  So every car journey you can swap to your bike will make a real difference.

Leicester offers a growing network of cycle ways and safer routes, as well as parking stands, secure parking, training and guided rides. 

  • Leicester Cycle Map – maps for both Leicester and Leicestershire are available to download or order in hard copy.  Go to www.leicester.gov.uk/cycle-city and click on Bike Maps.
  • The Bike Park – provides secure parking in the city centre.  For location, opening times and other details go to www.leicester.gov.uk/cycle-city and click on The Bike Park.
  • Bikeability Cycle Training – go to www.leicester.gov.uk/cycletraining for details of training available for schools, adults and community groups.

Buses
Buses typically offer an 8-9% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to an average car for every mile you travel  - assuming you are not sharing the car.  They can also help to reduce congestion and the added carbon emissions it brings.  Leicester has an extensive network of bus services, including several Park and Ride services.

  • Local bus services – a Leicester Bus Map and links to bus company websites with timetable and fares information is available at www.leicester.gov.uk/buses
  • Park and Ride – visit www.quicksilverbus.co.uk for routes, timetables and fares.
  • Planning your route – interactive route planning for bus, train, bike and walking journeys in the East Midlands is available at www.travelineeastmidlands.co.uk  while www.transportdirect.info  also covers journeys further afield.

Trains
Train travel offers nearly a 75% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions for each mile travelled3 compared to the average car - assuming you’re not car sharing.  So for journeys into or out of Leicester, particularly long ones, the train can help you make noticeable cuts to your carbon footprint.

For longer journeys where you might travel by plane, train travel also offers a much lower carbon alternative, with savings of about 66% for domestic journeys and 85% for those to mainland Europe3.   

Leicester is very well served in terms of rail routes north, south, east and west, including the Ivanhoe Line and a very regular London service. 

  • Route Planning - To find out how train services could give you an alternative to your car, try the Transport Direct or Travel Line East Midlands route planners mentioned in the section on Buses above.
  • Trips abroad – try www.seat61.com for help with planning combined train/ferry journeys, as an alternative to air travel to mainland Europe.
 

Car Sharing
For many of us, it simply isn’t practical to do without a car for at least some of our journeys.  This is where car sharing can cut your carbon emissions dramatically.  Sharing a regular journey with one friend or colleague will halve your combined emissions; find another sharer and the combined emissions will be cut by two-thirds and so on.

Another car sharing option if you only need your car occasionally is to sell it and join a car club.
 
  • Leicestershare.com – is a free online service that puts people who want to car share in and around Leicestershire in touch with each other.  Visit www.leicester.gov.uk/leicestershare for details.
  • Car Clubs – In Leicester we have the Rusty Vehicle Sharing Group (http://rustyvsg.wordpress.com/) and Woodgate Carshare (http://sites.google.com/site/woodgatecarshare/home).

Greener, Safer Driving
Even for those essential car journeys, there are things you can do to keep the carbon emissions to a minimum.  These relate to the way you drive the car and how well you keep it maintained.  Many of them make a direct impact on your safety too. 

For example, peak fuel efficiency is around 55 mph for most cars.  A study found that the driver of the average car travelling 10,000 motorway miles at 80mph would spend £518 more on fuel than if they had driven the same distance at 60mph.

Council drivers completing Greener, Safer Driver Training since October 2010 have reduced their rate of fuel consumption by an average of just over 12% by the end of the course.  Schemes in other organisations have found similar levels of benefit.

In town, motorists can cut fuel bills by pulling away slowly and smoothly, changing up early and anticipating road conditions to maintain a steady speed.

  • Fuel saving tips – try the Energy Saving Trust website:  http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Transport/Consumer/Fuel-efficient-driving#Book

Working at Home – a note of caution
Working at home is sometimes suggested as a way of cutting carbon emissions by avoiding the daily commute.  In some situations, home working can cut emissions, but a recent study in Leicester suggests that for many people it won’t .  In fact it might do the opposite.  This is because the emissions caused by the extra heating and electricity you’ll need at home could be more than those you’ll save from your reduced travel.
If you have a very long commute, or your house will be heated all day anyway – for example because another member of your household needs to be at home, then home working could be a wise move.  There is no rule of thumb about the length of commute needed before home working becomes sensible to cut emissions – as it will depend how much heating and power you’d use at home.

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4. Waste not, want not!

Government data suggests that the average household throws away  around a tonne of material each year. To this could be added a further 2.5 tonnes of sewage. These waste products are a climate change issue because energy is needed to dispose of waste, waste like food gives off methane in landfill sites and sewage treatment works, and plastics give rise to carbon dioxide when if  burnt in incinerators. According to the Office of National Statistics, such waste equates to about a quarter of tonne of carbon dioxide per person per year.

Recycle everything you possibly can
Leicester City Council’s  new orange bags give you the opportunity to recycle a far greater range of materials including cardboard, plastic packaging, tetra pak, tins and cans and aerosols. The new service will help the city increase its recycling rate and so reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. Please visit the council’s webpage under recycling rubbish and waste
http://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council-services/cl/waste-and-cleansing/

You could borrow and share items wherever possible
Encourage re-use of things you no longer need by giving them to charity shops or using sites like Freecycle, CD and games exchanges will also swap goods. Borrow books, CDs and DVDs from libraries and friends.  Leicester City Council’s  webpage under recycling rubbish and waste contains links to useful local sites.
http://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council-services/cl/waste-and-cleansing/links/

How about getting a home composting bin? It saves buying compost.
Did you know that over a third of your household waste could be composted at home?

Composting at home is a great way to reduce the amount of waste which goes in to your black bin and you do not need a big garden or even a lot of garden waste! You will be amazed at what other organic waste you can compost from fruit and vegetable peelings, tea bags, cardboard and shredded paper to even your old woolly socks! Leicester City Council is encouraging residents to give home composting a go, and offering low cost compost bins.

 To order a compost bin please visit getcomposting.comwebsite.
or call 0844 571 4444

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5. Sustainable eating = Healthy eating!

According to the Office of National Statistics ‘eating’ gives rise to 18% of total UK greenhouse gas emissions, per person this is 2.25 tonnes of CO2e. 

You could try to eat less meat and dairy products
One way of reducing the carbon emissions from what we eat is by trying to reduce the amount of meat and dairy in your diet.  On average greenhouse gas emissions from vegetable-based products are 0.9 tonnes of CO2e whereas animal-based products on average come in at a little over ten times more at 10 tonnes CO2e. 

You could begin by trying to have one day a week which is meat free or try and reduce the portion size of the meat you eat, adding extra veg to your plate instead to reduce your overall consumption of meat.  You could also try to eat more fish (ensure it is sustainable, see below) instead of meat, as fish has a lower carbon footprint than most meat.  Or consider replacing beef with chicken as chicken has a lower carbon impact than beef.   

When choosing fish ensure that it is from a sustainable source, you can ensure this by buying MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) certified fish and avoid buying at risk species.  More information on buying sustainable fish can be found here: http://www.fishonline.org/  

Try to buy foods that are grown locally and are in season
Food transport accounts for 14% of the greenhouse gas emissions associated with eating so by reducing the distance food has to travel we can reduce the carbon impact of the food we eat.  You can buy locally grown and produced food at many farmers markets, local shops and some local farms and greengrocers even offer veg boxes delivered to your house.  When you are buying food is it’s not labelled ask where the food has come from and try and select those that have come from Leicestershire or the UK.  To find out where you can buy local food visit the Leicestershire Food Links directory:  http://www.leicestershirefoodlinks.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=245&Itemid=88

Food that has come from a long way doesn’t necessarily have a bigger carbon footprint than local produce.  If it has been transported by boat (like bananas) it may have a smaller footprint than something grown in the UK if that item grown in the UK used a heated greenhouse or needed to be frozen or refrigerated for a long time.  That is why as well as buying locally you should try and buy seasonally. 

When selecting what to eat try and pick fruit and vegetables that are in season which generally means they will not have needed any artificial lighting or heat to grow so they will have a lower carbon footprint.  To find out more about what is in season visit when: http://eatseasonably.co.uk/

And remember when you are buying food make sure to only buy what you need and what you can use.  If we all stop wasting food that could have been eaten, the CO2 impact would be the equivalent of taking 1 in 5 cars off the road.

Better still you could grow your own food
If you fancy having a go at trying to grow your own food you could rent one of Leicester’s allotment plots.  As well as giving you the opportunity to grow your own food it can help improve your fitness levels.  If you’re interested in renting an allotment in the city you can find more information at: http://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council-services/lc/parks-green-spaces/allotments-4-all/

If you don’t want to take on an allotment there are plenty of things you can grow at home even if you have a small garden or even if you only have a windowsill!  A good way to get started is to try growing some veg in containers.  Some good things to start with are herbs and salad leaves which will grow easily on any windowsill or in a pot on your patio.  Some useful advice about getting started and container growing can be found here: http://www.onepotpledge.org/getgrowing.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/

If you can't buy something locally, like bananas, make sure it's Fairtrade.  Growers in the developing world will be some of the first communities to experience directly the effects of climate change.
Fairtrade is concerned with better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world.  The Fairtrade Foundation has licensed over 3,000 Fairtrade certified products for sale in the UK.  This mammoth list includes tea, coffee, chocolate, sugar, bananas, pineapples, mangoes, apples, citrus fruits, juices, biscuits, cakes, honey, jam, rice, herbs & spices, wines, yoghurt, ice cream, flowers, sports balls and cotton products to name just a few!!!

Climate change is set to further disadvantage farmers, their communities and national economies in the developing world and small island states.  Small-scale farmers in developing countries require financial and technical support to address the effects of climate change.  The Fairtrade system includes environmental standards as part of producer certification.

By purchasing Fairtrade products, you are ensuring that producer organisations receive a Fairtrade premium for investment in economic, social and environmental products of their own choice. These premiums can enable farmers to implement a range of environmental protection programmes. To give two examples, tea workers in India have invested some of their Fairtrade premium into replacing the traditional wood-burning heating with a solar-panelled system. Coffee farmers in Costa Rica have used the premium to replant trees to prevent soil erosion and have invested in environmentally friendly ovens, fuelled by recycled coffee hulls and the dried shells of macadamia nuts. This means that they no longer need to cut forest trees and so can preserve the rainforest and the oxygen they produce.

To find out more about Fairtrade activities taking place in Leicester visit:  http://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council-services/ep/the-environment/leicester-fairtrade-city/
And to find out more about Fairtrade, the range of products and how Fairtrade helps disadvantaged producers you can visit: http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/