What you can do

• Lighting
• Heating
• Energy
• Transport

Lighting

• Change to high frequency fluorescent with electronic control, compact fluorescent or LED lamps in light fittings where appropriate. Energy saving light bulbs use only a quarter of the energy of normal light bulbs and last up to eight times longer.
• Turn off lights when leaving a room or corridor and when you leave at the end of the day to reduce lighting costs by 15%. A fluorescent tube uses 500 times more energy if left on for 15 minutes than the energy required to restart it!

Heating

• Set the thermostat to a temperature comfortable and appropriate to the type of activity going on in the space. Temperatures between 19-20oC should be comfortable in an office type of activity level.
• Fit weather compensating controls to automatically control the heat output in mild weather.
• Mechanical ventilation systems may be necessary for hygiene, security or just to maintain reasonable working conditions. Ensure that all ventilation systems have provision for heat recovery to minimise the heating load.
• Solar water heating is one of the most popular forms of renewable energy use. There are two types of panels available – flat plate and evacuated tube. The flat plate type is a simple construction and therefore cheaper than evacuated tubes but the latter is more efficient, as some output is maintained in overcast conditions. Systems are normally designed to meet the total hot water consumption on a warm July day and this should typically give a system that will provide around 60% of the annual consumption.
• Use waste for heating, thereby reducing both heating and disposal costs.

Energy

• The energy used by computers, photocopiers, printers and fax machines can be reduced by 50% or more by taking advantage of, and built-in energy saving (standby) features Turn off computers equipment at the end of the working day.
• Screensavers can actually use more energy! Switch monitors off when not in use. The running costs of a PC and monitor can be reduced 90%.
• Have the voltage of your electricity supply measured. If the voltage is higher than is necessary to operate your plant and machinery, your system will be using more kilowatt-hours than is needed.
• Install wind turbines where appropriate. The amount of electricity generated by a wind turbine is dependant upon the wind speed. Turbines are usually rated by the out-put at a wind speed of 12 to 14 metre/second. While such speeds are common at exposed sites and off-shore, the average wind speeds throughout most of the UK is 5 to 6 metres/second. The electricity generated in these circumstances is around 20% of the maximum output.

Transport

• Share your car journey with a liftshare system. For more information see the liftshare website.
• Use the bus. Encourage employers to become part of the greentravel2work salary sacrifice initiative, giving you tax relief on bus fares. For more information visit the greentravel2work website.
• If you have to drive follow our driving tips to reduce your CO2 emissions and save yourself money on fuel bills.

Driving Tips

• Drive smoothly
  Some research shows that driving techniques can influence fuel consumption by 30%! Think ahead. Generally apply light acceleration and avoid heavy braking. For example at a red light there is no need to rush to the line and break, smoothly slow down and the light may become green allowing you to pick up speed again without using the 1st gear to set off. The same principle applies at junctions where visibility is good.
  
  Avoid using lower gears and high revs which make your car engine work harder than it needs to. Don't hesitate to use 5th or 6th gear, changing at around 2500rpm. Diesel engines tend to have more torque and a longer gear change. Adapt the technique to your vehicle and adopt a smooth driving technique.

• Avoid jams
  Easier said than done, but techniques that improve free traffic flow on the whole decrease fuel consumption. Some ways you can help are by avoiding parking on double yellow lines, even for a short time as this will inevitably block traffic and increase congestion. Don't jump lights and get caught in the junction, causing more congestion. Keep the traffic flowing by letting people in and avoid changing lanes at the last minute.
  
  Speeding on motorways will dramatically increase your fuel consumption and is unlikely to gain you time. On the contrary this driving style in dense traffic makes you drive closer to other vehicles generating sharp breaking and increasing congestion (known as a phantom traffic jam).
  
  You may also have noticed that traffic slows right down at exit junctions. This is due to drivers being unable to merge left to exit, either because nobody will let them in or they have failed to plan ahead. The driver must then slow down to merge for the exit and makes other driver brake so creating a chain reaction slowing down the traffic at that point. These stoppages come and go but chain reactions created by very few drivers who prevent people from merging or force their way across lanes at the last minute can cause 15 minutes or more of very slow traffic and even traffic jams.
  
  This is true on motorways is also true in town though here other complications are to be taken into account, but the general principles are the same. Let it flow! Don’t jump queues, refrain from changing lanes at the last minute, adapt your speed to the average traffic speed don’t try to close the gap, don’t cross lines at junctions unless your exit is clear, save fuel.
  
  When more of us will change our behaviour we will have better flowing traffic, save fuel, cut down on commuting time and reduce our stress.
  
  More about traffic waves
  Stop go traffic simulation
  Phantom traffic jam video
  

Vehicle Maintenance

• Tyres
  Did you know that typically up to 20% of the fuel you put into your car is used to overcome the rolling resistance of your tyres?
  
  Correctly adjusted tyre pressure should be checked once a week. Under pressurised tyre can cost a 10% increase in fuel consumption. In addition maintaining tyres in good condition will increase their life and increase safety. Remember that tyres tend to be considered as a very common part of a car when in fact they are one of the most important. Tyres are the only link between the road and your vehicle and are in fact very complex pieces of engineering. They take the strain at each corner, remove water on the road, transmit the power to the road and allow you to stop safely. Reducing friction between the road surface and the tyre has always been at the forefront of research and development for manufacturers.
  
  Tyres that can help saving energy:
  
  Michelin energy saver
  
  Continental ECO3
  
  Avon CR322
  
  Goodyear: GT3 -
  
  Goodyear: Eagle NCT5
  
  Bridgestone /Firestone : Ecopia tyre
  
  Pirelli K pressure
  
  The European Commission wants to introduce labelling that will identify the most energy-efficient and best-performing tyres by the end of 2012. The difference between the best and worst-performing tyres can be up to 10% of a car's fuel consumption, according to the EC. It also wants to highlight the amount of noise and grip that each type of tyre generates, allowing motorists to make more informed choices.
  
  An EC statement said: 'The labelling scheme that the commission is proposing will allow end-users to compare tyres by means of a grading on fuel efficiency as well as on wet grip and by the indication of the external rolling noise emitted." EC projections suggest that if it can hit its target of getting the majority of cars on fuel-efficient tyres by 2020 then it will be saving the equivalent amount of oil used each year by Hungary.

• Aerodynamic and extra weight
  • The aerodynamic of your car and the extra weight your are carrying will affect your fuel consumption.
  • Roof racks increases air resistance therefore increase fuel consumption.
  • Car window should be left closed especially at high speed since this dramatically reduces aerodynamic of you vehicle. Manufacturers go to great lengths to make your car aerodynamic and this is undermined when you drive with your window down at high speed.
    
• Air conditioning
  Driving with your windows open drastically reduces your fuel efficiency, far more so than using the vehicle air conditioning when driving on the motorway. Of course the air conditioning decreases fuel efficiency too, so try not to over use it.
  
• Servicing
  • Follow the service schedule for safety and fuel consumption reasons.
  • Check the air filter regularly to ensure that it is clean.
  • Ensure your spark plugs are in good condition. Renew the plugs and wires at intervals specified by the owner’s manual. This will keep all cylinders firing properly resulting in higher efficiency.
  • Change oil and oil filter as often as is required by the manufacturer. On older motors it can be advised to use additives to “regenerate” the engine. This prevents pressure losses on older piston resulting in higher efficiency and lower fuel consumption.
  • Always use the recommended size of exhaust that is indicated in your car manual to optimize the performance of your car.

Fuel
Alternatives to fossil based fuel are being developed. Ethanol to be used with petrol car engines and Biodiesel are well known biofuel for transport and are in fact wildly used.

Other alternatives are:

• Fuel cell technology
• Methanol
• Hydrogen
• LPG and NCG
• Bi-fuel

Petrol vehicles can run on petrol or gas with electronic controls handling the management. The saving for a medium petrol vehicle could be in the region of 35% on the fuel bill with the added benefit of reducing CO2 emission by about 10% per mile and reducing particulate and nitrogen oxides and nitric acid emission. Gas being cleaner also reduces wear and tear on the engine. This type of modification is usually carried out on less then 3.5T petrol vehicles.

Dual fuel vehicles result in a reduction in diesel consumption as well as over all fuel and performance efficiency. The modification is economically viable for large trucks that run long distance.

If you are considering investing in a new fuel efficient car be careful to chose a car that really consumes less than average as some manufacturers are now using dubious green credentials to market their cars.

Visit our Resources page to find links to more detailed information.