Launch of the Footprints Family Challenge - October 2008
Wattson smart meter in action
The Hickling family from Coalville signed up to take part in the Footprints Family Challenge in October 2008.
First thing on Monday 20th October, the Family had a knock on the door from the Sustainability Officers at North West Leicestershire District Council, who outlined what the Footprints Challenge is all about and how the family would be involved.
A Wattson meter was installed and the family instructed in how to use it. The family was intrigued by the way in which the meter changed colour according to how much energy was being used in the home at any particular time. The meter started off blue, showing low energy use, but changed to a vivid red when lots of electrical items were switched on. The meter also provided a reading of units of electricity being used, so the family quickly learned how to get the meter reading to drop by switching off lights and equipment not required. Almost straight away they realised just how much the spotlights in their kitchen were using and decided not to use them, opting instead for a single (energy-efficient) light bulb instead, while they figure out how to replace their spot lights with energy efficient alternatives.
That very same morning the Hicklings were visited by local company, EcoTherm Limited, who kindly used their thermal imaging equipment to show where the energy was ‘leaking’ from the family’s 1930s home and what action is required to improve their home’s efficiency. EcoTherm later provided a free report to the Family to help them tackle some of the problem areas in their home.
Just after the EcoTherm staff left, the Green Doctor from Groundwork Leicester and Leicestershire arrived to carry out a home healthcheck. This involved assessing the energy efficiency of the house, looking for things like draughty doors, radiators that lose heat, inefficient lighting and poor insulation on hot water cylinders and in lofts. The Green Doctor then wrote up a short report for the family advising them as to how they could make home improvements to help save energy, reduce their carbon emissions and save money.
How Energy Wise is YOUR home?
- Check that your loft is insulated. Consider 'topping up' any existing insulation if possible.
- If your home has cavity walls, are they insulated?
- If your home has solid walls, consider external or internal insulation.
- Run your hand along the edge of your doors and windows and check for draughts. Simple, low-cost measures are available for draft proofing.
- Trial a smart meter for three weeks, courtesy of North West Leicestershire District Council. It should help you identify where you are using (and wasting) energy and should help you reduce your carbon dioxide emissions as well as save you money.
- Replace standard light bulbs with energy efficient ones.
