Why? Because we don’t need to roast or freeze indoors
How many of us have slouched around the house in t-shirts in the cold mid-winter? Or curled ourselves under blankets in a chilly air-conditioned bedroom?
Almost all of us at some point! With the stakes now so high, we need to be turning the dial the other way.
Get this - turning the thermostat down by just 1°C (or up if it’s air-con), saves 3% of energy. Doesn’t sound like much, right? But now let’s make that 3°C and suddenly we’re at 10%. Then let’s multiply that by the privileged population lucky enough to have it, and...
Ultimately cooling and heating hugely contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and therefore also present huge opportunities to minimize them. With pledges under the Paris Agreement taking the world only one third of the way towards what’s needed to limit climate change to even to 2°C, we have to seize them.
Ok got it. So how do I take action?
Basically it’s about dialing back the excess. Not so that we’re living like the Flintstones huddled up with our teeth chattering or dripping in sweat, but so we’re using just what we need.
Cold outside?
> As a baseline, reduce your thermostat by 2°C from whatever you have it set at currently.
> Ideally we should be setting thermostats no higher than 19°C and the water temperature in heating systems no higher than 55°C.
> Use the 30-minute rule. Set your heating to come on 30 minutes before you wake up and go off 30 minutes before you leave for work. Ditto the evening but the other way around.
If you work from home, like we do sometimes, workout in the middle of the day!
Hot outside?
> If you use air-con turn it up 2°C from it’s current setting.
> The recommended optimum temperature is no less than 24°C as a baseline. In fact 24°C - 26°C is the manufacturing default requirement in India, with Japan’s threshold at 28°C.
> Don’t use it you don’t have to. Two thumbs up for just a fan.
And ask your workplace to do the same.
But will it cost me more money?
Are you noticing too that most of these little changes cost us less? Turning down the thermostat by 3 degrees could cut 10% off a typical UK gas bill, that’s over a month’s usage!
We…
Aimee: I’ve reduced the auto settings on my thermostat and turned down the radiator valves in the spare room that isn’t often used. Such a quick win and noticed no difference!
Sonia: I spent many hours bashing my thermostat controls in vain so I had to haul in a friend to help. Now (I think) it’s at all sorted at 18 degrees. And I have a jumper on!
“Baby, it’s cool inside
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Photo by Moja Msanii on Unsplash