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2,000-Watt Society
The idea behind the “2,000-Watt Society” is the vision of a sustainable and fair energy supply. The initiative from Switzerland has calculated that every person in the world could live on an average primary energy usage rate of 2,000 watts per hour without harming the environment. That sounds a lot, but the number pertains to more than just the electricity and heat energy in our homes.
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Every bit of energy we use counts, whether it’s expended for transporting our food or manufacturing our clothes. Today, the average international energy consumption is about 2,500 watts per hour per person, but in the industrialised countries, especially, this figure is significantly higher. In Germany, every person uses about three times as much energy. The “world formula” of 2,000 watts can only be achieved through technical solutions and a change in our consumer behaviour.
Projects and examples
The world formula explained
The figure of 2,000 watts doesn’t necessarily mean something to everyone. In physics, the “watt” is the unit of power and stands for the quantity of energy transferred in a unit of time. If we switch on a lamp for a short time, 15 watts are expended during the period it’s on. A hair dryer needs about 2,000 watts to dry someone’s hair. The amount of energy we’re allowed to use per year – in keeping with the “world formula” – is therefore equal to a hair dryer running around the clock for 365 days. The amount of energy consumed in this case adds up to 17,520 kilowatt hours. Our actual consumption in Germany currently averages 50,000 kilowatt hours per year.
Kick-off of the "Wir leben 2000 Watt" initiative, Feldkirch 2013.
Photo: Wir leben 2000 Watt / Die Städte Bregenz, Feldkirch, Gossau, Konstanz, Lindau, Radolfzell, Singen, St. Gallen, Winterthur
Saving energy at home with the 25-point checklist
When it comes to saving energy at home, we don’t need to reinvent the wheel. We’re well aware of most tips and tricks and still many of us don’t apply them. How about you?
1. When filling a kettle, pay attention to the amount of water you’re using.
2. Cook without preheating the oven and use the residual heat after cooking.
3. Use a lid when cooking!
4. Buy a more energy-efficient refrigerator (but not a bigger one!).
5. Defrost the freezer compartment.
6. Don’t leave the refrigerator door open.
7. Get rid of your freezer or don’t buy one in the first place.
8. Wash clothes at 30 degrees (the eco programme is best).
9. Hang your clothes to dry on a clothes horse (goodbye, tumble dryer!).
10. Use a water-saving shower head.
11. Lower the maximum temperature for hot water.
12. Buy appliances according to need (for instance, a small refrigerator for a single-person household).
13. Use a laptop instead of a PC!
14. Exhaust the battery charge of smartphones, laptops and the like.
15. Get rid of air conditioning.
16. Switch off the standby mode.
17. Use LED lamps.
18. Fully load the dishwasher and use the economy programme.
19. Go for impact ventilation instead of putting windows on tilt.
20. Use a motion detector for lighting control.
21. Use plants to improve the indoor climate.
22. Use shutters and curtains for cold and heat protection.
23. Avoid heat accumulation on heaters.
24. Install thermostats on heaters.
25. Have heating systems checked regularly.
Where and how can energy be saved in the home?
Photo: fizkes / Fotolia
Energy counselling
Sometimes we’re unable on our own to track down the energy guzzlers in our households. The consumer advice centres of the “Verbraucherzentrale” offer energy counselling for ordinary citizens. Independent experts are available to give advice on the spot in the consumer centres or to pay home visits to private households. The experts from the association assess, among other things, electrical appliances or heating systems, but also entire building complexes or solar systems.
The "consumer centres" offer advice on energy consumption in flats and houses.
Photo: Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband e.V.
CO2 Marathon and other projects
At times it can be hard to motivate ourselves to keep our energy consumption in check. Together it’s easier – as shown by events like the CO2 Marathon, organised by the city of Wiesbaden, or “Cologne saves CO2”. The idea is to get ordinary citizens interested in doing their best for climate protection! They are asked questions like: who has the smartest idea for a city project to save energy? And who over the course of a month has reduced their carbon footprint the most? Once the topic has made its way onto the agenda, it’s easier to stick to it.
Rewarding power saving
Use more, pay less: that’s how electricity consumption is currently being charged in Germany. In order to create incentives for companies and private customers to use resources more sparingly, the logic would need to be the other way around. Basic-level consumption would have to be reasonably priced for everyone. Then for those who needed more energy, prices would have to rise – moderately at first, then more sharply.
In future, those who use very little electricity could be rewarded in their bills.
Photo: mpix-foto / Fotolia