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Q12: Does turning off power points really make a difference? What is the single most effective thing we as individuals can do in our daily lives to make a difference to climate change? Submitted by Eve Clark

A: Unfortunately there is no silver bullet, but one of the most effective and immediate ways we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help limit climate change is to use energy more efficiently. For example, when appliances are switched off at the power point they use no energy. However if they are left on at the wall, they may use some energy called ‘standby power’. Approximately 10 per cent of residential energy consumption comes from keeping appliances on standby.

There are a range of things people can do to benefit the environment right now and in the future.

Make a difference right now:

• Take shorter showers: every 15 litres of hot water from an electric water heater generates about one kilogram of greenhouse gas.
• Cycle, walk or use public transport: every litre of petrol saved cuts greenhouse gas emissions by around 2.5kg.
• Switch off your TV when you’re not watching it — a large screen TV, used six hours a day, can generate around half a tonne of greenhouse gas each year. That's more than a family fridge!

How to make a difference in the future:

• Replace your hot water system — water heating accounts for around 15 per cent of household greenhouse gas emissions so an energy-efficient water system is a pump hot water system.
• Insulate your home — good home insulation can halve heating and cooling costs and associated greenhouse gas emissions. As much as 35 per cent of heat loss from a home is through an uninsulated ceiling; uninsulated walls account for a further 15 to 25 per cent; and uninsulated floors lose between 10 and 20 per cent of heat.
• Reduce waste — a significant proportion of global greenhouse gas emissions come from the manufacture of products we purchase. Where possible, re-use products, buy locally made, avoid excessive packaging and avoid disposable products.

– Ross Carter, First Assistant Secretary of the Industry, Communities and Energy Division, Australian Greenhouse Office

A: Turning off power points makes a huge difference. Around 10 per cent of all domestic electricity use is from phantom loads — electricity used by appliances when they are on standby. Imagine reducing your average electricity bill, and the greenhouse gases associated with this energy use, by 10 per cent!

– Lance Turner, Technical Editor, ATA - Alternative Technology Association

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