8 minute read
Is working from home actually better for the planet?
It might be a natural assumption that a generalised move of the nation’s workforce to working from home would be a better thing for the environment, but does it hold up under closer analysis?
With the monumental shift in working patterns that occurred during the 2020 lockdowns, the nation as a whole saw a huge drop in commuter numbers, the closure of offi ce spaces and most of their retail services, such as food and • hospitality, fall silent. With this vast change in working and living patterns, one would think there would be a net-energy saving, as cars and trains didn’t run, • offi ces were not switched on, and sandwich shops and restaurants remained dormant with no consumables created.
However, broader analysis is now showing that an overall fall in workplace energy consumption as a result of UK lockdowns in 2020 was largely cancelled out by an increase in personal usage, as the government’s work from home advice increased the nation’s reliance on personal gas and electricity.
According to research by business energy supplier, Gazprom Energy, 37% more personal energy was used in 2020, due to increased reliance on home lighting, heating and the use of home appliances while working from home. The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) estimates the average household uses 3,731 kWh per year. A year-on-year consumption increase of 37% adds a further 1,380 kWh per year to each household’s consumption – over one-third more energy per household – as homeworkers charge laptops and phones, watch television, heat water and run the heating throughout the day.
Daniel Sullivan, head of UK sales at Gazprom Energy, commented on the increase: “While we have all been taking the necessary health and safety precautions during the pandemic and reducing business travel, it is interesting to look at the consumption of energy by the nation and see where fl uctuations happen. A fragmented workforce has resulted in fewer shared appliances and electronics, and an increase in individual activity has increased electricity and gas consumption as a result.
“Energy-saving measures that are present in the workplace may not be present in the home, such as energy-e cient lighting and smart metering, meaning e ciency is lost as a result of hybrid working. Businesses also benefi t from economies of scale when their workforce is in one location using shared heating, cooling and energy for appliances and equipment.”
Although a net increase in energy consumption is inevitable for many businesses due to more hybrid working, as the energy use of their more disparate workforces increases, there are ways that individuals can reduce their consumption depending on their situation and businesses should be actively communicating these to their employees. In the spotlight Brewdog
In 2020, BrewDog became the world’s fi rst carbon-negative brewery. It’s all part of their mission to become the most sustainable drinks brand on the planet. They’ll be doing this by building a bio-plant, using wind turbines to power the brewery, delivering beer via electric vehicles and transitioning to a zero-waste business. Brewdog believe that now is the time to be radical in everything they do. Visit brewdog.com for more.
by Barnaby Dracup
Win one-of-two of Ecozone’s new eco-friendly cleaning and laundry essentials packages, worth £50 each!
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The Cleaning Kit contains everything you need to kick-start your eco-cleaning journey: their Tough Degreasing Kitchen Cleaner Spray, Tough Limescale Remover Spray, MultiPurpose Appliance Descaler, 12 tablets of their FragranceFree Washing Machine & Dishwasher Cleaner, and a pack of Fragrance-Free Enzymatic Drain Cleaning Sticks, which contain enough sticks to provide a year’s worth of protection.
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Visit ecozone.com to discover more eco-friendly solutions. than ever, while the Power Brightening Tablets will revive your colours and leave your clothes looking better than ever. *Mangroves among the most carbon-rich forests in the tropics (Nature Geoscience, 2011).
The free app that turns your footsteps into forests
Earn trees every week to help reduce your carbon footprint with Treekly – download today to get an extra fi ve free trees
Treekly is empowering people to contribute to the health of the planet whilst walking. There is no single easy solution to climate change but planting millions of trees is a key part of it.
Purposefully set as an achievable goal, maintain a daily walking habit of 5,000 steps for fi ve days in a week, and in return one mangrove tree is planted on your behalf in Madagascar.
These ‘super trees’ capture three to four times more carbon than rainforests*, using their unique root system which can store it for thousands of years. Now, you can plant trees and off set your carbon footprint as you walk.
Sustainable brands fund these trees by sponsoring the app one week at a time. The renowned tree planting organisation, Eden Reforestation Projects, plant the mangrove trees. They involve local, impoverished communities providing fair wage employment.
It’s simple. The more often you walk, the more trees you plant. You can see your trees grow, challenge friends to some healthy competition, and improve your Climate Impact Score, all in one app. Find out more
Download Treekly today and they’ll give you an extra fi ve trees. Use code STARTFIVE to redeem your free trees. Follow @treekly_org or visit treekly.org to get started today.
Liebherr refrigeration
Sustainability and energy effi ciency in your kitchen
Liebherr’s approach to minimising the environmental impact of the refrigeration appliances they supply to customers in the UK and around the globe, has stayed several steps ahead of legislation and global concerns around climate change.
The business have been manufacturing particularly energyeffi cient refrigerators for decades, and the latest range of appliances with the most recent energy rating labels also consistently achieve the highest ratings up to class B. However, it is not only through effi cient energy consumption and using natural refrigerants that Liebherr’s domestic consumers are supporting the drive to halt and reverse climate change. They do so because Liebherr appliances are designed and engineered to operate for a long time.
Using German engineering know-how and produced with green-powered manufacturing processes at a site in Austria, each Liebherr appliance applies the highest standards to the smallest detail. As an example, before a door hinge is approved, it must undergo at least 100,000 opening cycles. That is the equivalent of more than 15 years of use. As you would expect, and underpinning its commitment to environmental sustainability, Liebherr want their customers to enjoy their refrigerators for a long time.
Liebherr customers enjoy refrigerators with design and technological features that make them a pleasure to use, but also keep energy bills and environmental impact down. An innovative design feature is the energy effi cient LightTower internal lighting concept in Liebherr’s new range of integrated appliances. Energy consumption is being reduced in all Liebherr’s appliances, but without compromising performance. This has been achieved through smart sensor systems that continually adapt cooling performance to current usage. So, this could be using the refrigerator’s full power reserve when cooling a large volume of food and drink that has been added after a big weekly shop.
The new HydroBreeze function, available in Liebherr’s Peak range of appliances, means that each time the door is opened, the fruit and vegetables in the BioFresh safe are covered with a fresh, cold mist that spreads over the produce like a protective balm. This gentle layer of moisture, combined with a temperature of just above 0 degrees, increases the surface tension and preserves the structure of the food. In a nutshell reducing food waste and environmental impact.
Liebherr customers also tap into several other features that reduce the use of plastic bottles and packaging. For example, the IceMaker, which produces up to 130 ice cubes a day, an ample amount for cocktails, smoothies, and parties. Another innovation in the fully integrated appliances is the Infi nitySpring, a water fountain in the fridge that provides fi ltered cold water at all times. So, no plastic bagged ice or one-use plastic water bottles.
New appliances from Liebherr also set high standards in terms of noise levels with some of the appliances only emitting 29 dB(A) of noise, meaning that they can be labelled as class A, the highest noise reduction category. This makes them barely perceptible, even to noise-sensitive ears. As kitchen spaces are increasingly merging with living areas, this is an important feature that is becoming increasingly relevant in modern living concepts.
Helping consumers to be ‘savvy’ when using their appliance to save energy and monitor how they are doing is important to Liebherr. The refrigerators can be ‘smart’ with all models either network-ready or connectable to a Wi-Fi network later via a SmartDeviceBox. Customers can use the Liebherr SmartDevice app to integrate their refrigerator quickly and conveniently into an existing smart home environment through a device like Google Assistant.
The story of Liebherr’s success in developing refrigerators and freezers that are used around the world is one of commitment to sustainability through innovation in technology and quality that is developed into every component that is used. It is also the story of a family-owned business that want a better planet and better future for all.
