With people tightening their belts and energy bills rising, using less energy in the home is becoming ever-more important. If you’re looking for a way to save up to £125 a year and at the same time help improve the environment, Gwynedd Council’s Library Service has the perfect solution for you.
Gwynedd’s Libraries Service is working in conjunction with the Gwynedd Environmental Partnership to offer OWL energy monitors on loan. The service is free and available at all Gwynedd Council’s libraries.
The OWL appliance measures electricity flow in the home when electrical appliances are switched on. The data appears on the monitor in terms of cost, the CO2 produced, and the electricity used. The purpose of the appliance is to identify which electrical appliances use the most electricity, and it can show which ones are still on even when it appears that they have been switched off.
Since launching the scheme back in June 2010 it has proved to be very successful with library users noting that the scheme has made a huge difference to the way they use electricity in their homes.
Mrs Megan Evans from Caernarfon, who borrowed an energy monitor from her library, said:
“We monitored how much electricity we used, and we realised the spotlight we had in the kitchen used a lot more electricity than the other bulbs we have. Therefore, we were able to save money by not using the spotlight as often. Of course, there are some things that we cannot cut down, but it was good to see what used the most electricity in the house. Since we borrowed the monitor from the library, we have fitted a permanent monitor in our home.”
Statistics show, that by monitoring the amount of electricity used, it is possible to save up to £125 a year on electricity bills, and to save three quarter tons of CO2.
Nia Gruffydd, User Service Manager for Gwynedd Council’s Library Service said:
“By taking simple steps to save energy in the home, everyone can make big savings to their electricity bills. Examples of these steps include changing your light bulbs to energy saving bulbs which use 25% less energy, setting your washing machine temperature to 30 degrees Celsius, and drying your clothes on a washing line rather than in a drying machine. One load of washing can cost between 30p and 70p to dry in a machine.
“I would urge all Gwynedd residence to make the most of these monitors which are available in all Gwynedd Council Libraries across the county.”
Huw Davies, Gwynedd Environmental Partnership Chairman added:
“This project is a great way of raising awareness among Gwynedd residents of the importance of saving energy. These monitors can make a substantial saving to how much energy we use from day to day in the home and how much carbon is released into the atmosphere. Carbon emissions contribute to global warming – which is something that worries many people at the moment. It is essential that Gwynedd residents do everything they can to make these savings.”
For more information about the scheme contact Nia Grufydd, Gwynedd Council’s User Services Manager: 01286 679465 or e-mail: [email protected]
