Reduce Your Use Campaign 2023/2024 & Energy Awareness Tips

The Reduce Your Use campaign for Winter 2023/2024 (October - March) is currently underway with Clare County Council confirming their participation.

The Reduce Your Use campaign supports public bodies to encourage its staff to cut energy waste over the winter months and implement operational actions that reduce energy cinsumption with tips that can be used in both the workplace and in the home.

Energy Awareness Tip #10:

Holiday Powerdown: Easter

Before everyone takes off for the Easter weekend, we want to encourage you to make a “cracking good start” to Easter by shutting down your computer, switch off lighting and anything else that can be safely turned off or unplugged. Please also close all windows, blinds, and doors before leaving.

There are lots of ways we can make small improvements to reduce our carbon footprint, reduce our energy bills, and help the environment in our home and workplace. When putting all these small contributions together, you can start to make a bigger positive impact towards a brighter, healthier and more sustainable future.

Did You Know? The worst times to use energy-hungry appliances is between 5-7 pm, that’s when peak electricity demand occurs each day. Making an egg-stra effort to reduce wasteful energy use at home or in the workplace will reduce the strain on the electricity grid.

Energy Awareness Tip #9:

Holiday Powerdown: St Patrick's Day

Energy Awareness Tip #8:

Lighting: Daylight

With spring on its way, it's hard not to feel a little bit more optimistic at this time of year with the change of season beckoning. Signs of spring are appearing everywhere, and the days are brightening up. Yet, in our homes and workplaces, the blinds are still drawn, and the lights switched on.

Did You Know? Natural daylight is known to positively affect mood, energy, and concentration. So, let’s open the blinds and serve up some savings while soaking up the sun. Be sure to that action so that you avoid glare on computer screens in your home or workplace.

Daylighting tips:

• Arrange your screen at a right-angle to the window to avoid glare or try a glare shield.
• Horizontal blinds can re-direct daylight onto ceilings and walls, brightening the whole room while protecting those near windows from heat and glare.
• Keep windows clear of clutter to optimise the amount of natural light entering a room.

Energy Awareness Tip #7:

Heating: Radiators

Radiators need a clear space around them to let air circulate. Air must be able to freely access the bottom where it is warmed up over the surface of the radiators and then the hot air flows out the top.

Moving furniture away from radiators, where possible, is a simple method to make your home or workplace more comfortable and increase energy efficiency. It is a similar story with curtains, they should be long enough to cover the windows without covering the radiators.

Did You Know? If there is furniture very close to a radiator, the airflow in the room is disrupted and the heat from the radiator will not circulate around your room. The furniture will be absorbing heat that could be warming your home or office space.

Energy Awareness Tip #6:

Hot Water: Showers

Water is intrinsically linked to our energy use by heating water for washing and showering. The average shower time is 8 minutes. Most modern showers use between 10 and 12 litres per minute, therefore as much as 96 litres of water could be used within those eight minutes.

Cutting the time to five minutes is one of the best ways to help save water and energy, turning the water off when shampooing and back on to rinse will reduce both water use and energy use.

Did You Know? Shorter and cooler showers are generally better for your skin and hair, as well as being more energy efficient. Spending 10 minutes or more in a hot shower could have adverse impacts for your skin and hair, as well as wasting water and energy.

SEAI Online Course: Energy & You – Reduce your Use

Every day, we use energy in our homes, in our transport, and in our workplaces. Simple consistent changes can permanently reduce the impact of rising energy costs, while also reducing climate impact.

This 90-minute online learning programme was developed by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and brought to you in partnership with eCollege.

This is a self-directed course to provide you with the key concepts in energy reduction for application in your home or workplace. This course will give you the trusted and expert information you need to begin your sustainable energy journey, and build your knowledge on reducing energy use at home and in work..

Registration for the course can be made here: Energy & You: Reduce your Use (ecollege.ie)

Energy Awareness Tip #5:

Office Equipment: Printers

The idea of working in a “paperless office” is not quite a reality for everyone yet. However, with a few simple clicks, your mouse can transform your standard document into an energy saving one.

If a document needs to be printed, please select options to reduce the number of pages printed, such as: Double-sided printing, orientation, Custom range, Narrow margins, Smaller font size.

Did You Know? One of the most underrated and useful functions is the ‘print preview’ capability. By opting for a print preview before starting any print job, you increase your chances of spotting errors and mistakes before it is too late, saving both paper and ink, and reducing electricity use.

Energy Awareness Tip #4:

Holiday Power Down: Christmas

Preparing for Christmas early is a savvy way of avoiding the stress and chaos this time of year naturally brings, and having a Holiday Switch Off List ready in advance to check-off before you leave work will smooth the path being taken to saving energy. Pin this Switch Off List somewhere visible or consider a digital calendar reminder to ensure that you check-off all your items.

Have a look around and see what can be safely switched off and/or unplugged. Before the holidays, maybe speak with your colleagues about communal office equipment or shared kitchen appliances and decide what’s not needed and who will switch it off.

Did You Know? The worst times to use energy-hungry appliances is between 5-7 pm, that’s when peak electricity demand occurs each day. Reducing our energy use at home or in the workplace will reduce the strain on the electricity grid during the winter months.

Energy Awareness Tip #3:

Holiday Power Down: Christmas

With Christmas just around the corner, now is the perfect time to make sure that your Christmas ‘Switch Off’ List is sorted and you’re ready to put it into action. Guarantee your place on the ‘nice list’ by having a look around your work area and seeing what can be safely switched off before your leave for the holidays.

With energy costs still at very high levels, energy waste is a serious issue in both the home and workplace. Before taking-off for holidays this Christmas, do a once-over and make sure all non-essential equipment has been switched off, reducing our emissions, and taking greater controlling on energy bills. Unplug all equipment if possible and safe to do so.

Energy Awareness Tip #2:

Hot Water: Kitchen and Canteens

Water is intrinsically linked to our energy use. A lot of energy is needed to treat and then pump water into our homes or places of work. By only using the amount of water we need, we can all play our part in reducing energy use in our home/workplace and safeguarding our water for our future.

Top Energy Saving Tips:

• Fill the kettle with only the water that is needed for your cup of tea/coffee.
• Boiling excess water will mean you’re waiting longer for the water to boil and waste energy.
• Turn taps off fully after use to save water and energy. Make sure to report any drips or leaks to Facilities

Energy Awareness Tip #1:

Heating: Thermostatic Radiator Valves

Finding the ideal radiator thermostat setting will keep your home or workspace at the desired temperature and reduce energy wastage.

Thermostatic Radiator Valves are an easy and inexpensive way to separately control the air temperature of individual rooms in your home or organisation. Critical to their operation is locating optimal setting, with guidance on the ‘Spot the Dot’ method provided in the image below.

Once you find the setting that works best for you, leave it there for the radiator to regulate the heat.

Did You Know? According to a study by the European Building Automation Controls Association study homes with individual room temperature controls, such as Thermostatic Radiator Valves (the simplest form of room temperature control), use on average about 18% less energy than those without.

Reduce Your Use Campaign:

• The Reduce Your Use campaign is part of a whole-of-government national campaign ijn collaboration with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) to reduce energy use through the winter months. Information on the campaign can be found on the SEAI website: Reduce Your Use | SEAI
• Running from October 2023 to March 2024, the SEAI are promoting monthly energy saving themes, such as running an energy awareness campaign, holiday shutdowns, cutting energy bills at home, active travel, and other energy savings tips and advice.
• The campaign consists of a programme of themed activities being rolled out to promote energy efficiency behaviour at work, at home and as we travel, to ultimately deliver energy savings and reduce energy costs, and reducing our environmental footprint.
• The campaign focusses on taking action in the short term, by implementing measures within the next 3- 12 months that will set public sector organisations on a pathway towards both their 2030 energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets.
• The campaign is expected to deliver a reduction of between 5% and 10% in energy use overall across the public sector. There is a reduction target for up to 15% of energy use in public sector buildings, measured on a 2019 baseline. Information on the campaign for public bodies can be found here: Reduce Your Use - Public Bodies | SEAI
• Heating systems in buildings should be set to 19 degrees Celsius, and there is a requirement to shut off all heating systems in office buildings 1-2 hours before the building closes.
• Optimised water heating has been made to save energy in most of Clare County Council's buildings. Increased insulation on heat pipes and values in plant rooms were undertaken to reduce thermal energy loss and increase energy efficiency.
• External/window/feature display lighting (i.e., non-security/safety lighting) should not be in use between 5pm and 7pm, while also aiming to reduce unnecessary lighting too. Electricity usage at peak times (5pm - 7pm) is to be avoided whenever possible. There are allowances for delivering public services and whether the focus items above could be suitably implemented for specific local authority buildings.

Clare County Council Energy Efficiency and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Targets:

Climate policy in Ireland reflects the ambition of the European Union and the ambition required to confront the challenges of climate change. The Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act, 2021 frames Ireland’s legally binding climate ambition to delivering a 51% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 2030, to achieve climate neutrality by the end of 2050.

The 2021 Act enshrines the National Climate Objective to “pursue and achieve, by no later than the end of 2050, the transition to a climate resilient, biodiversity rich, environmentally sustainable and climate neutral economy.”

• Clare County Council achieved a 36.9% energy efficiency improvement in 2020, successfully meeting the 33% public sector energy efficiency improvement target set across the public sector.
• An energy efficiency improvement target of 50% for the public sector has been set for 2030.
• Clare County Council has a greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) reduction target of 51% by 2030. This reduction relates to the Council's 2018 emissions.
• Clare County Council is accredited with ISO 50001:2018 Energy Management System and received re-accreditation in 2022. The certification lasts for three years (valid until December 2025). The National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) have provided a certificate to Clare County Council, it will be framed and hung in the Boardroom of Áras Contae an Chláir.
• All Local Authorities must set targets to “demonstrate leadership” to adopting the use of low emission transport options.
• All public buildings built, retrofitted, or leased after January 2019 must achieve Near Zero Energy Building (NZEB) standard.
• All public buildings by 2030 must reach a Building Energy Rating (BER) of “B”.
• No specific targets for renewable energy exist for the public sector, with the transition to renewable energy to displace electricity from fossil fuel sources being important for achieving reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

The role that Local Authorities play in meeting the objectives of meeting GHG emissions reductions is highlighted in the 2021 Act, which stipulates that “each local authority shall prepare and make a plan relating to a period of five years (in this section referred to as a ‘Local Authority Climate Action Plan’) which shall specify the mitigation measures and the adaptation measures to be adopted by the local authority.” These plans provide the foundation to drive the mitigation and adaptation measures at a county/city-wide level and see Local Authorities translate national climate policy to local circumstances and support the delivery of the National Climate Objective at local and community levels.