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Energy saving tips - transport

Many household and business are emitting excessive carbon and incurring unnecessary energy costs by failing to recognise opportunities to improve energy efficiency.

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Tips for Transport

  1. Walk, cycle, use car sharing or use public transport
  2. Work from home - use tele-working (Internet etc)
  3. Ease off the accelerator or drive a fuel efficient vehicle
  4. Reduce your air travel

For extensive free impartial advice for householders take a look at the Energy Saving Trust website – www.est.org.uk


Walk, cycle, use car sharing or use public transport

Car sharing in the UK is not as well developed as in the US. You should be careful that your insurance isn't invalidated by using your vehicle for 'hire or reward'. Informal cost sharing is usually fine, but formal business type arrangements are perhaps unwise.

Mass transportation is inevitably more CO2 emission efficient than individual arrangements. Motor vehicles are responsible for 25% of the UK's CO2 emissions, and an estimated 32,000 people die early as a result of poor air quality caused by vehicle exhausts.

  1980 2000 2015 (predicted)
UK Motor Vehicle CO2 emissions are rising steeply; 21.2m 31.7m 36.5m
As are vehicle kilometres 215bn 377bn 494bn

(sources DEFRA; DFT; DTI; Carbon Trust - based on 2002 data).


Work from home - use tele-working (Internet etc)

The less you travel, the lower your emissions - simple!


Ease off the accelerator or drive a fuel efficient vehicle

You can save emissions by;

  • Using higher gears when you can.
  • Driving smoothly - light on the accelerator
  • Switching off the engine if stopped
  • Using air conditioning sparingly
  • Maintaining the correct tyre pressures
  • Servicing the car regularly.
  • Purchasing 'greener' fuels.
  • Fitting your diesel cars with a diesel particulate filter (DPF).

 

Remember

  • The smaller the car, the lower the vehicle excise duty.
  • Smaller cars mean less company car tax.
  • You might even save congestion charge in London.
  • Petrol electric hybrids can achieve 55 miles to a gallon

Reduce your air travel

A round trip from London to Spain generates about 0.52 tonnes of CO2 per passenger. From London to New York return is 1.32 tonnes.

To put this into perspective, a short haul flight in one day emits per passenger almost the same amount of CO2 that that individual creates each year when disposing of household waste (which might be incinerated or buried).