A new star rating system similar to the one used on dryers and washing machines means some LCD and plasma TVs will be withdrawn from sale.  Australia’s TV manufacturers have been put on notice by the Federal Government with this message: produce less power-hungry TVs or withdraw them from sale.

The star rating system, which now rates TV power consumption using a six-star system, could evolve to a sophisticated 10-star system by late next year.   At the moment this is voluntary but it is widely expected to become mandatory by late next year.

Some manufacturers are building LCD TVs with energy efficient LED back lights instead of traditional power hungry globe technology without affecting the picture quality.

Surprisingly, LCDs and plasma TVs are not the hungriest energy appliances in Australian households.  A survey by Choice consumer group gave that dubious honour to computer games consoles. It found the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consumed the most power – four times higher than an analogue TV set.  They are so often just left on 24 hours a day!

Air conditioners, clothes dryers and washing machines also consume a lot of electrical power.  Much or the time we don’t actually need the air conditioner and air drying clothes does work fine!  My drier has only been used in the past 3 years for a fast emergency drying of a 3 year-olds pants which did not take very long!

Because TVs are often used for long periods each day, a 127cm (50-inch) LCD or plasma on for several hours daily can eat up as much electricity as a medium-sized fridge, which is more than a dishwasher, washing machine and dryer combined.

My other sites are www.enviroaction.com.au and www.itiseasytobegreen.com

Technorati Tags: Electricity, Electrical power, Energy, Energy efficient, LCD’s andplasma TVs

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Jean Cannon is an award winning consultant and trainer helping people and businesses around the world who want to save money by implementing simple and effective management systems. Sign up to discover how YOU can save money with sensible energy management and ISO 14001.

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THE Federal Government’s White Paper draws attention to the fact that Australia is likely to be one of the countries hardest hit if urgent action is not taken.  AND it points out that the area that has the potential to make a greater impact more swiftly than any other on greenhouse gas emissions is the built environment.

The white paper refers to the role of green building rating systems in driving change and outlines the concept of “green leases”, which are designed to contain and reduce carbon emissions. And it has established the $2.25 billion Climate Change Action Fund to help businesses and community organisations invest in energy efficiency projects and low-emission technologies.

There is plenty of evidence that buildings can play a vital role in lowering the cost of meeting greenhouse gas targets for the Australian economy and energy use in the operation of commercial and residential buildings contributes about 23 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions.

Energy use for heating, lighting, cooking, ventilation and so on, accounts for 80 per cent of a building’s energy consumption.

They talk about the biggest opportunity being retrofitting in existing buildings and 85% of esisting office stock is greater than 10 years old, but I think this all needs to be balanced with changing attitudes.  It is all of 27 degrees C in Adelaide today, which is close to the ideal temperature range for human productivity but I can hear that most of my neighbours have air conditioners running and they ran all night.  The shops and bank were all air conditioned.  I am not sure why.  More ceiling fans would help people to feel comfier perhaps and use less energy.

It would be good to see some of the new MacMansions equipped with insulation and verandas – especially on the north and west.  Why aren’t they mandatory?  Verandas are also a great place to air dry washing in wet weather!

The Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council and McKinseys all concluded that:
■ Aggressively improving building energy performance will deliver greenhouse gas abatement more efficiently than virtually any other practical policy options.
■ The building sector as a whole could reduce its share of greenhouse gas emissions by 30-35 per cent while still accommodating growth in overall building numbers by 2050. This could all be done using existing technology, replacing equipment with more energy-efficient models through natural attrition and making improvements to the building shell.

Many state governments now have the five-star energy standard for new homes this is being expanded to include larger renovations.

Green building is a vital part of our future and must continue to be embraced even in the face of the global financial crisis.  There is a very good business case for green buildings.

Green buildings deliver lower operating costs from reduced energy and alternative resource consumption — and so represent better life cycle value. They nurture productivity and quality of life because they improve the quality of the indoor environment.

It is vital that government, industry and the community in general recognise that the built environment is a key part of the strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow climate change — and that they act on this. The Federal Government’s plan represents a solid starting point.

This was taken in part from a paper by Tony Arnel, chairman of the World Green Building Council, chairman of the Green Building Council of Australia and Victoria’s Building Commissioner and Plumbing Industry Commissioner.

My other sites are www.enviroaction.com.au and www.itiseasytobegreen.com

Technorati Tags: Green building, Climate change, Climate Change Action Fund, Energy, Energy efficiency, Green house gas, Greenhouse gas targets, Low-emission technology

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Save Money with Simple and Effective Management Systems

Jean Cannon is an award winning consultant and trainer helping people and businesses around the world who want to save money by implementing simple and effective management systems. Sign up to discover how YOU can save money with sensible energy management and ISO 14001.

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A project is being proposed in Thailand to generated of thermal energy using renewable biomass waste from unwanted rice husks that would have otherwise been burned in the fields or left to decay.

They are using a 6.98 MWth biomass boiler to generate process heat. This biomass boiler is one of the first in the region and has been installed in place of a traditional coal fired boiler.

The company involved, Kangwal Polyester Co. Ltd. is a recognised leader in environmental and social sustainability.  They received the Best Health and Safety Award from Phetchaburi Province in 2000 and a gold level award from the environmentally friendly campaign of Thai government in 2005. and also have ISO 14001 and installed a modern
wastewater treatment unit which is able to treat 350 m3 of wastewater per day.

This is a sustainable project, addressing environmental, social and economic factors:

•    Environmental , as it displaces polluting coal, thus reducing GHG emissions by avoiding the consumption of around 11,000 tons of coal per year.

•    Social, as it generates employment in a deprived segment of the society at the rural level for collection, processing and supply of the biomass.

•    Economic , through better use of agricultural residues, the project offers monetary benefits to the farmers that sell these residues, thus making rural areas more self sufficient.

My other sites are www.enviroaction.com.au and www.itiseasytobegreen.com

Technorati Tags: Agriculture, Biomass boiler, Coal fired, Farmers, ISO 14001

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Save Money with Simple and Effective Management Systems

Jean Cannon is an award winning consultant and trainer helping people and businesses around the world who want to save money by implementing simple and effective management systems. Sign up to discover how YOU can save money with sensible energy management and ISO 14001.

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An Australian company is planning a hydrogen plant in Scotland to store energy from a wind farm.  The dual generation scheme could overcome the big drawback of wind farms which is that they are intermittent. Wind does not blow consistently and, as a result they do not provide a continuous supply of power, but must be backed up by conventional fossil fuel plants.

A hydrogen plant would store energy from the wind farm, creating a reserve that could be dipped into on demand, so that even when the wind was not blowing, an electricity supply would be available.

WHL Energy hopes to use the technology for the first time in the UK in North Ayrshire.
The Australian company has lodged planning applications for a wind farm and hydrogen plant, known jointly as the Ladymoor Renewable Energy Project.

The wind generated electricity would be used to electrolyse water into hydrogen and oxygen.  The hydrogen would then be liquefied, or stored under pressure. When needed it would be regenerated as electricity to be supplied to the national grid on demand.

Similar schemes have been built in Norway and Canada.

A huge solar plant in Nevada uses some for of brine solution to store the energy.  We can have baseload power and renewables.

My other sites are www.enviroaction.com.au and www.itiseasytobegreen.com

Technorati Tags: Electricity, Energy, Fossil fuels, Hydrogen, Renewable energy, Ladymoor Renewable Energy Project, Wind farm, Wind

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Save Money with Simple and Effective Management Systems

Jean Cannon is an award winning consultant and trainer helping people and businesses around the world who want to save money by implementing simple and effective management systems. Sign up to discover how YOU can save money with sensible energy management and ISO 14001.

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Biochar is a fine-grained, highly porous charcoal that helps soils retain nutrients and water. The carbon in biochar resists degradation and can sequester carbon in soils for hundreds to thousands of years.

United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) want biochar to be one of the measures considered in the post-2012-Copenhagen agenda of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Biochar use is a great opportunity to address soils as a carbon sink. According to the submission document: “The world’s soils hold more organic carbon than that held by the atmosphere as CO2 and vegetation, yet the role of the soil in capturing and storing carbon dioxide is often one missing information layer in taking into consideration the importance of the land in mitigating climate change.”

UNCCD proposes that biochar must be considered as a vital tool for rehabilitation of dryland soils: “The fact that many of the drylands soils have been degraded means that they are currently far from saturated with carbon and their potential to sequester carbon may be very high … making the consideration of Biochar, as a strategy for enhancing soils carbon sequestration, imperative.”

UNCCD also cites the ability of biochar to address multiple climate and development concerns while avoiding the disadvantages of other bioenergy technologies that deplete soil organic matter. IBI Executive Director Debbie Reed said,  systems that produce biochar can provide many advantages. Biochar restores soil organic carbon and soil fertility, reduces emissions from agriculture, and can provide clean, renewable energy.  Conventional biomass energy competes with soil building needs for crop residue feedstocks, but biochar accommodates both uses.”

Biochar has one important additional advantage over other land use carbon sequestration projects  – carbon sequestration through biochar is easy to quantify. It is also relatively permanent.

The soil is a wonderful mechanism for locking up carbon.  Large grasses like sugar cane and bamboo are also able to sequester carbon on nodules or “carbon rocks”.

We need to be aware that many of the best ways forward in a low carbon world are not high tech engineering solutions.

My other sites are www.enviroaction.com.au and www.itiseasytobegreen.com

Technorati Tags: Bamboo, Biochar, Carbon, Carbon rocks, Carbon sequestration, Soil organis matter, Sugar cane

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Save Money with Simple and Effective Management Systems

Jean Cannon is an award winning consultant and trainer helping people and businesses around the world who want to save money by implementing simple and effective management systems. Sign up to discover how YOU can save money with sensible energy management and ISO 14001.

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The year 2008 looks like being the 10th warmest year on record since the beginning of records in 1850, according to data sources compiled by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). However 2008 was slightly lower than earlier in this new century because of moderate to strong La Niña that developed in the latter half of 2007

•    The greater disappearance of Arctic sea ice,
•    the number of devastating tropical storms and
•    above-average temperatures in Europe
•    winter was remarkably cold for a large part of Eurasia extending eastward from Turkey to China.
•    In March, southern Australia experienced a record heatwave that brought scorching temperatures across the region. Adelaide experienced its longest running heatwave on record, with 15 consecutive days of maximum temperatures above 35°C
•    Dry conditions in south-eastern Australia reinforced long-term drought over much of that region, with Victoria having its ninth-driest year on record.
•    In Canada, several all-time snowfall records were set
•    In the United States of America, 2008 was one of the top 10 years for tornado-related fatalities

The list went on for 2 pages.  One of the major results of global warming climate scientists have predicted in weather extremes and instability and this is far more important in our lives than just a degree or two or three.  The combination of rising sea levels and increasing weather extremes is terrifying for the residents of low lying coastal areas.

My other sites are www.enviroaction.com.au and www.itiseasytobegreen.com

Technorati Tags: Arctic sea ice, Climate instability, La Niña, Rising sea levels, Weather extremes, World Meteorological Organization

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Jean Cannon is an award winning consultant and trainer helping people and businesses around the world who want to save money by implementing simple and effective management systems. Sign up to discover how YOU can save money with sensible energy management and ISO 14001.

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WOW – after all the deliberations the Rudd Government has settled on a 5% emission reduction rising to 15%.  No wonder Penny Wong did not release any figures in Poland!  Plus they are giving huge extra assistance to Australia’s biggest polluters.

I took time out and watched Rudd’s speech to the National Press Club.  The way he waffled on about how responsible he was, you’d have thought he was delivering a 40& reduction not 5%

In case you haven’t guessed, I was disappointed.  It was interesting to hear the gasp from the audience when he said 5%.  A group of young people had to be escorted from the room for expressing their disappointment.

The emissions trading scheme white paper released this morning proposes that Australia commit to a unilateral 5% reduction in carbon emissions on 2000 levels by 2020, equivalent to a 27% per capita reduction given Australia’s population growth.

The Government will also provided $3.9 billion over five years in handouts to the coal-fired power industry, as well as a $2.15 billion “climate change action fund” for handouts to businesses, community groups and the coal mining industry.

The petrol excise offset from the green paper has been retained, and the Government has strengthened its household assistance measures, promising to overcompensate nearly all low-income households with 120% of their additional costs, and committing that most middle-income households will not be out of pocket.

I am not sure how this encourages people to reduce their emissions.  One would think the money would be better spent insulating all low income housing stock, whether privately owned or in either the private or publicly owned rental sector.

Additionally I would be spending the fuel subsidies on providing better public transport and car and bike parks at transport hubs.

The Government is expected to generate $11.5 billion in permit revenue in 2010-11, with all permit revenue recycled back into assistance, and a substantial risk that if big polluters grow faster than the rest of the economy, the Government will be forced to fund some assistance measures from the budget.

Technorati Tags: Biggest polluters, Climate change, Climate change action fund, Emissions, Emission reduction, Insulating low income housing stock, Transport hubs

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Save Money with Simple and Effective Management Systems

Jean Cannon is an award winning consultant and trainer helping people and businesses around the world who want to save money by implementing simple and effective management systems. Sign up to discover how YOU can save money with sensible energy management and ISO 14001.

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The NSW Minister for Primary Industries Ian Macdonald today launched a new project aiming get more recreational anglers involved in boosting native fish numbers.

The aim is to increase awareness about the importance of fish habitat and inspire anglers to do what they can to protect and enhance the environment to allow native freshwater fish need to survive and thrive,

There are a number of fishers in NSW enthusiastically involved in cleaning up their fishing spots, improving fish passage and even planting trees to enhance water quality, create shade and food for native fish and provide a future source of snags.  These activities will be highlighted at information sessions and in written information to inform anglers about how they can get involved in improving fish habitat.  Mr Macdonald

“Many people are interested in helping to improve fish habitat and this program will advise them how they can make a real contribution by doing some relatively simple things.”

Technorati Tags: Anglers, Fish, Fish habitat, Fishers, Fish passage, Native fish, Recreational anglers

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Save Money with Simple and Effective Management Systems

Jean Cannon is an award winning consultant and trainer helping people and businesses around the world who want to save money by implementing simple and effective management systems. Sign up to discover how YOU can save money with sensible energy management and ISO 14001.

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Mangroves and samphires are incredibly important fish nursery areas and often very undervalued by the public.  When sea level has risen and fallen in the past, communities migrate to follow the new coastline but with the modern land-use behind these important wetlands, their ability to migrate inland is severely limited.

A monitoring program established in eight estuaries in 2000 has already determined the role of sedimentation, inundation, rainfall and groundwater in maintaining the surface elevations of marshes. Data will be used in a predictive model to determine the response and distribution of the two communities within a range of sea-level rise scenarios.

Technorati Tags: Coastline, Land use, Mangroves, Samphines, Sea-level, Sea-level rise

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Save Money with Simple and Effective Management Systems

Jean Cannon is an award winning consultant and trainer helping people and businesses around the world who want to save money by implementing simple and effective management systems. Sign up to discover how YOU can save money with sensible energy management and ISO 14001.

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A new report commissioned by VicSuper with the support of the Environment Protection Authority Victoria, involves environmental research experts, Trucost, analysing the carbon disclosure and performance of companies in the ASX200.

The report finds that for every million Australian dollars invested, ASX200 companies emit 389 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.

Companies listed on the Australian Stock Exchange could collectively face $4.8 billion costs for their greenhouse gas emissions under the planned Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme if the companies had to pay $20 for every tonne of greenhouse gas they emit.  This sounds enormous BUT the report found that for 29 sectors, carbon costs equate to less than 1% of revenue.

The five sectors most exposed to carbon costs are: independent power producers and energy traders; multi-utilities; construction materials; metals and mining; and chemicals.  Direct emissions from company operations total 137 million tonnes of greenhouse gases, and that more than half of this amount is emitted by just five companies. These companies are BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto, Bluescope Steel, Qantas Airways, and AGL Energy.

Technorati Tags: Carbon, Carbon disclosure, Carbon, Carbon pollution, Carbon pollution reduction scheme

envirojean

Save Money with Simple and Effective Management Systems

Jean Cannon is an award winning consultant and trainer helping people and businesses around the world who want to save money by implementing simple and effective management systems. Sign up to discover how YOU can save money with sensible energy management and ISO 14001.

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