Kill-a-watt

Kill-a-watt

I’m a firm believer in keeping things simple. After all we have been told, seemingly from the dawn of time, that the best ideas are simple ones. So on that basis what about this as a simple idea?

Apparently in 2022 the UK’s consumption of electricity was 275.24 Terawatts (TW)① which is 275,240,000,000 Kilowatts (kW). 

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) the UK population of adults above the age of 16 is around 54,400,000②

If we simply divide these two numbers – the amount of electricity used by the adult UK population directly or indirectly (that’s to say the economy as a whole) - we get a consumption figure per head of 5,060kW.

So how much Carbon are we all responsible for? If we were to take the carbon intensity of electricity (CIE) at 265g per kW③, then the amount produced per head within the UK is 1341kgs of carbon per year.

Now here’s the crux:

Could we all – at home and at work - reduce our consumption of electricity by 1W each and every day from now on?

Yes?

Well if we were all to do that, the UK’s electricity consumption would drop by 19,856,000,000 watts each and every day. (Calculation: 54,400,000 people, using 1W less each day x 365 days.)

To put that another way, we would reduce our consumption by 19,856,000kW. That 19,856,000kW would mean a reduction of 5,261,840kgs of carbon each and every year. (Calculation: 19,856,000kW at 265g of carbon per kW.)

That’s over five and quarter million kgs of carbon each and every year.

Are you up for it?

It’s not a big ask.

Try this. Keep an eye on your phone when you’re charging it. Turn the charger off when it’s at 100%. Don’t forget it, letting it continue to charge unnecessarily. 

Pass this on to everyone you know.

Try adding your own tip on how to use 1W less each and every day.

One Watt less, every day - Kill-a-watt!

©AngliaSolar February 2024 www.angliasolar.co.uk

References:

① UK electricity consumption 2022 | Statista 

② Population estimates for the UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk) 

③ Carbon Intensity of Electricity: UK vs The World | AquaSwitch