Carbon Cops Revisited The Carbon Cops television series showed how easy it is for people to make dramatic energy savings at home. By Steve Lancaster and Steve Payne
L
70 organic Gardener • Nov/Dec 2007
Above: The Carbon Cops: scientists Lish Fejer and Sean Fitzgerald. Left: The Bettenay-Fletcher family. Facing page: Lish and Sean check seals on a home.
thirst from people for ways to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels. “Since the show has gone to air, it has been suggested many times that we should make another series focussing on businesses and large organisations who are heavy users of fossil fuels,” he said. “It would be great fun to find solutions that help businesses reduce their consumption in the way we were able to for the six families [in Carbon Cops].” In the series, some of the changes suggested and products installed by the Carbon Cops are major, such as a solarpowered drying room (to replace a heavily-used clothes drier). Other recommendations are simpler, such as
replacing incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescents. But, just as important (or perhaps more important) were the minor changes in behaviour that the Carbon Cops Lish and Sean suggested. For instance, they encouraged people to turn out lights when leaving a room and switch off appliances at the wall when they were not in use. Even obvious ideas like walking, cycling or taking the bus rather than automatically getting into the car, were a revelation for some of the families. These minor changes, the Carbon Cops showed, are easy to implement and do make a difference. As Tarni James puts it: “Sometimes people feel that making small changes in household energy usage doesn’t make a
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF ABC TV
ike many of the best real-life TV shows, Carbon Cops – broadcast on the ABC earlier this year – seamlessly blended education and entertainment. The six-part series had a simple formula. In each episode, the Carbon Cops, scientists Lish Fejer and Sean Fitzgerald, visited a household to find out how much power the residents were using and then suggested ways they could cut consumption. The target for each household was to cut carbon emissions by 50 per cent or more. The show was a success and was filled with a wealth of information on simple strategies and environmental products for saving energy. But OG decided to find out what the public response to the show has been since the broadcasts, and to revisit one of the families to see how they were progressing. Series producer Tarni James said the general public responded in exactly the way the program makers had hoped – “they got involved”. “Our challenge was to make a show that presented the climate change information, and what individuals could do about it, in a way that would inspire people to make the changes and enjoy the process,” Tarni said. “Following the broadcasts, many individuals and organisations contacted us requesting audits, asking us to make their businesses a focus in any future series and generally offering support.” Series writer and director Sean Cousins said it was clear there was a real
a year (the average Australian household generates 14 tonnes each year). The Lanes managed to reduce their carbon emissions by 54 tonnes and saved $10,000 on their bills. Again and again it became clear that reducing energy was not hard, it just meant paying attention to what was previously taken for granted, and implementing better design ideas. In one case a house had two bathrooms and two hot water systems running, but only one was being used. In other instances multiple TV sets were left on all day but not necessarily watched. The health benefits were also great to see, as cycling and walking replaced cars, and many of the participants developed a true passion for the environment.
significant contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This isn’t true. The planet needs significant change now and one of the joys of domestic reduction is that it can happen overnight…you can make a difference right away. Go turn down your hot water service tonight.” The show had a definite ‘wow factor’. Not in celebrity appearances but in the achievements of the households. Before the Carbon Cops intervened, the carbon emissions generated by one family of six – the Lanes – was a staggering 72 tonnes
Smart buildings The Bettenay-Fletchers – a threegeneration family living in a massive rental home – thought living together would help them save money. In fact, their energy bills were astronomical. Lish and Sean’s audit found they were generating a massive 95 tonnes of carbon each year. By the end of the series they had cut their carbon emissions by more than 50 per cent. But one of the key moments in the series came in Episode 4 when the Bettenay-Fletchers were finalising plans
to build their own townhouses. The Carbon Cops introduced them to environmental designer Luke Middleton who showed them a 6-star energy-rated townhouse and suggested ways to improve the energy rating of their own plans. They were so inspired they went back to the drawing board. Sean Cousins explains: “The BettenayFletchers were just like the vast majority of Australians planning to build their dream home. They were thinking about how many bathrooms they’d need, how many car spaces they’d need. The house was getting bigger and bigger. To their eternal credit they were open-minded enough to consider a different possibility. Luke helped them eliminate wasted space and use good design to reduce the reliance on carbonproducing heating and cooling. The final plans rely largely on natural ventilation and thermal mass to maintain a comfortable temperature. The townhouses are about 30 per cent smaller [than originally planned] but have even more useable space.” Sean said good design means a very high standard in energy-efficiency can be achieved while the buildings are attractive, pleasant and light-filled spaces in which to live. Sean says that since the show ended, the family have used Luke Middleton as a consultant and have been delighted with final designs that are 6-7 star energy-rated. They now have their townhouse plans out to tender with several builders. “To say they are excited about the change that the show, and meeting Luke has made to their lives would be an understatement,” Sean says. “The company who developed the estate they bought into also saw the show and contacted the family. They’ve seen the new designs and loved them and may use the townhouses in their publicity once built. “It’s amazing to me that energy efficiency in housing is now a selling point. Not long ago it was of little or no interest to most architects and was Nov/Dec 2007 • organic Gardener 71
The townhouses are about 30 per cent smaller but have more useable space. dismissed as the preserve of idealistic owner-builder types. That change is really encouraging. Personally I’d love to see the end of the eave-less boxes with huge west-facing windows that continue to pop up like mushrooms in the paddocks around Australian cities.”
Better with less Tarni James says people are not attached to energy per se, they are attached to what energy can deliver to them. “When you can have the same or better outcomes using less energy, it seems a no-brainer to take the cheaper and less impactful route,” she says. “But this takes a significant mind shift to accept the new equations and the Bettenay-Fletchers were so delightfully open and eager to learn about new alternatives, they were perfect participants in Carbon Cops. We, as the audience, were happy to learn along
72 organic Gardener • Nov/Dec 2007
with them.” Having seen up close the changes that families have made, Sean and Tarni now have strong opinions on what makes a difference. First up, Sean says “insulate”. “Drive your car less, use public transport when you can. Choose appliances carefully and dispose of old appliances responsibly. Buy locally as much as possible and try to reduce the amount of waste you send to landfill. More provocatively, eat less meat. The meat industry is a huge producer of CO2.” To this Tarni adds “sign up for Greenpower for your gas and electricity. “And sign up to offset emissions from your car by joining Greenfleet or a similar organisation. Don’t use a clothes dryer, and get a worm farm or compost bin. Worms are fun!” It was obvious from the show that many families are living an excessive energy-using lifestyle. But to see
reductions of 50 per cent in household carbon emissions was inspiring. Best of all, though, was realising that many people only need a gentle push in the right direction for the effects on their lives and the planet’s future to be hugely positive. • Carbon Cops is a December Films and Fremantle Media Australia production that was made in association with the ABC. Producers were Tony Wright, Tarni James and Dione Gilmour.
More information • For more information on the show and the households (which include young renters), go to the website: www.abc.net.au/tv/carboncops. The site also has an ‘emissions calculator’ that helps you work out your household carbon emissions. The fact sheets and product lists for each episode are detailed and informative.