Sally Larsen
Sustainability Outreach Coordinator, The Supportive Housing Network of New York
- New York
- United States
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Re: Turn Thermostat Down 1 Degree
2011-08-10 09:49:24 UTC
Hi Stuart,
To address your question about money saved or CO2 saved -
There is no one answer about the CO2 saved from turning down the thermostat by 1 degree, because it depends on the fuel mix in the area where you want to encourage the behavior. Monetary savings would also be partially determined by fuel mix - you have to figure out what proportion of consumers use coal, nuclear, etc., and at what price, before you can calculate average savings for those consumers. In the U.S. the Energy Information Administration puts out numbers on the national fuel mix for home heating - maybe the UK does the same. But these calculations can get complicated.
Another metric to consider would be a simple savings percentage, which individual consumers could apply to their own situations. There is no hard and fast figure on the savings percentage from turning down the thermostat one degree, but there are lots of estimates. The U.S. government's Energy Savers website says you can save up to 1% on your heating bill by setting your thermostat back one degree for eight hours of every day. This would translate to a savings of up to 3% on your heating bill from setting your thermostat back one degree across the board (24 hours a day). Here's that link: http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/space_heating_cooling/index.cfm/mytopic=12720. Other websites are more optimistic, citing up to 5% savings for every degree lower. (Google "Turning down the thermostat one degree saves 5%" to view a wide variety of opinions on this issue.) But my inclication would be to go with the government's number.
Best,
Sally
Sally Larsen
Sustainability Outreach Coordinator
The Supportive Housing Network of New York
United States
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