Saving energy poses tough challenges

Nestling in the Scottish hills, about an hour’s drive south of Edinburgh, the quiet historic town of Biggar may seem an unlikely place for a revolution. There’s plenty of space, big houses and the schools are just a few minutes’ walk from the town centre. It’s the sort of family community where some people still feel they can leave their back doors unlocked while they go to the shops.

Some things are changing, however. It began for some here with concern over global warming. More recently, high prices for electricity and gas – and, for much of the year, fuel  —  have led a small band of people in the town to take a long, hard look at their lifestyles. As a result, they set out to save money by saving energy.

But they have found that cutting down on energy use poses some tough challenges  — and dilemmas. For example, there’s the renewable energy engineer who’s become so successful that he now has to fly thousands of miles a year to fulfil contracts. Then there’s the couple who are desperate to make the ancient pub they run more energy efficient, but find themselves blocked by red tape and cost. And, with fuel prices hitting record levels earlier this year, there’s the family faced with a dilemma: can they really do without that second car when they live in a country town? 

Estate agent John Riley started the Carbon Neutral Biggar campaign, which encourages locals not only to save energy but also to install solar panels and to ride bicycles instead of drive. He admits that only a handful of people are actively involved so far, but he believes it will grow. The biggest obstacle is persuading people to cut back on their comfortable lifestyle. “We’re asking people to vote for austerity,” he says.

Seeing the light

In many ways Biggar is typical of the kind of community that is increasingly striving to get to grips with one of the biggest issues facing the world. Saving energy may mean little more than changing light bulbs in some cases, but in others it is part of wider-reaching efforts to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

Towns and cities across the world, including America, Australia and New Zealand, Japan, South America and the UK are part of a growing network of communities seeking to radically alter the way they live. China is also making strides to achieve energy efficiency: Shanghai, for example, is building an eco-city to house half a million people on an island in the Yangzee River. When complete, cars powered by fossil fuels will be banned and almost all of the city’s waste will be recycled.

As supplies of easy-to-access oil and gas struggle to meet demand and concerns over greenhouse gas emissions increase, energy efficiency is one of the ways the world can keep economies humming while also protecting the environment. The International Energy Agency (IEA), for instance, believes that energy efficiency could help the world reduce energy demand by 10% by 2030. The IEA also says that if incandescent light bulbs were phased out globally, the electricity savings within just four years would be equal to the annual output of 80 nuclear plants.

This drive to cut energy use among consumers mirrors the reaction to the big oil shocks of the 1970s, when prices last hit record levels. Then, people opted for smaller cars. Interest in other sources of energy such as wind and solar grew. The energy efficiency movement came to an end, however, when oil prices began to fall. This time, with climate change adding to the mix, it could be here to stay.

“We can already see that if you are dependent on oil and gas you are equally vulnerable to rising prices,” says Rob Hopkins, the author of a book about communities seeking to ease themselves off fossil-fuel dependence. “The move towards energy efficiency is not a choice, but an inevitable change in direction.”

Not so easy

Adrian Loening (right) is proof that such a change in direction does not come easily, however. His strong support of the Biggar campaign is hardly surprising  —  he has worked in renewable energy since 1980 and now runs a company that provides technical consultancy to projects that aim to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2 ) emissions. He was an early convert to energy efficiency: 15 years ago he cut his oil consumption by installing in his house an early condensing boiler, which uses the heat otherwise lost from flue gases. He has fitted secondary glazing to his windows and has installed a solar panel, significantly reducing the energy he needs to heat water. And he is planning to rebuild and insulate his roof.

For most local journeys he also drives a G-Wiz, a small electric car that gets him around at top speeds of 40 miles (64 kilometres) an hour. At the time of peak fuel prices in the summer Adrian estimated that a return trip of 13 miles (almost 21 kilometres) from his home to Biggar was costing just 30 pence (38 euro cents, 51 US cents) in the G-Wiz, compared to around £2.50 (over 3 euros, or $4) in his Audi diesel.

But in the course of his work, Adrian also travels the world, notching up thousands of air miles and contributing to the CO2 emissions caused by aviation. “We all struggle with finding practical ways to save energy,” he says. “ Because of what I do I can easily get involved in do-it-yourself energy saving and I also have the disposable income to buy an electric car. This means that perhaps I look green. But I’m a heavy air traveller. On top of that we still live in a drafty Victorian house currently heated by oil and wood.”

Blocked by red tape

In some cases hopes of cutting energy use are dashed by cost or by bureaucracy. Lorraine Watkins and her partner Gary (below) run a busy town centre pub and a small café. In the first two years of running the businesses their energy bills rose by 50%. But over the last 12 months, as energy prices soared, they have tightened up on their use of energy. They had an energy efficiency audit by the Energy Savings Trust and have managed to implement about 90% of the recommendations. The changes they made were low cost, including putting bricks or water bottles in the toilet cisterns, which helps save water. But the biggest challenge has been getting through the red tape. “We’re stopped by regulations and rules, they could make it a lot easier,” says Lorraine.

The more beneficial changes, however, are the costly ones. “In the pub, we’d love to replace the old boiler, have thermostats on all the radiators and replace the fridges and freezers with new, energy-efficient models, but they cost so much more in the first place and we can’t afford to replace equipment that still works,” says Gary. The pub building is over 300 years old and is protected, meaning Gary and Lorraine can’t get permission to change the windows or fit a solar panel. But they buy all their food locally and keep heating and light use to a minimum. As a result, their bills have stabilised.

Local doctor David Carvel, his wife Cara and their two young sons James and Tom saw their energy bills quickly double after moving into their five-bedroom house near the centre of town. But this year, despite prices for power continuing to rise, the Carvels’ bills have also levelled out. A year ago David Carvel began to attend meetings of the Carbon Neutral Biggar campaign.

Soon they had replaced their old boiler with a high-efficiency condensing combination boiler, improving their heating and enabling them to get rid of the gas fire in their living room; and they’ve insulated their attic. The high ceilings of the Carvels’ Edwardian home, however, mean they struggle to cope with the quality of light produced by the energy-saving bulbs they use in some rooms.

And, despite the unprecedented fuel prices seen earlier this year, they can’t decide whether to give up their second car. “We’re not the greenest people  —  we do what fits into our lifestyle and what we feel we can manage,” says Cara.

Her honest assessment may strike a chord with many people around the world still grappling with large energy bills, and pondering what they could realistically do to cut them.

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