 Environment - January 26, 2008 |
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Godo Stoyke’s new book tells homeowners how they can save money and reduce carbon footprint
Efficiency can be profitable — author |
By Kevin Ma
Staff Writer
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Albertans can cut their greenhouse gas emissions in half and save $17,000 through energy efficiency, a local author said at a recent talk.
Godo Stoyke, head of the eco-consultancy firm Carbon Busters and former St. Albert resident, spoke on energy efficiency at the St. Albert Public Library Thursday before an audience of 30 people. The talk was meant to promote his new book, the Carbon Busters Home Energy Handbook.
Energy use is the main driver of climate change, Stoyke said, since much of it comes from fossil fuels. Global use is projected to double in 25 years at the same time researchers are saying global greenhouse emissions will have to fall by 80 per cent in order to prevent more than two degrees of climate warming. "The good news is that this is technologically feasible and economically profitable today."
Efficiency = profit
There are huge opportunities to cut energy use with the latest technology, Stoyke said. One study found that if everyone in North America were to use the most efficient devices and processes available today, they would save some $370 billion. "It would cut our CO2 emissions in the energy field by 70 per cent."
A typical Alberta family produces 25 tonnes of greenhouse gases a year from transportation, heat and electricity, Stoyke said. According to the One-Tonne Challenge Guide, individual heating, transportation and electricity use accounts for 28 per cent of Canada’s total emissions.
Cutting transport emissions means switching cars. "By using electricity instead of gas, you will cut your CO2 emissions by 50 per cent," Stoyke said — more if the electricity comes from a renewable source. Enmax and Bullfrog Energy already offer wind-power options, and sales of gas-electric hybrid cars are skyrocketing.
Crack-sealing can reduce your heat needs. "If you take all the cracks in a house, you get a hole about a foot in diameter," Stoyke said. Spend $200 on caulking and most homes can save $280 a year and cut their emissions by up to 2.25 tonnes. Home Hardware sells $1 kits that drastically cut losses from windows, he said. He bought one 13 years ago and it’s saved him $500.
Reducing electricity use involves vampire slaying. Energy vampires are appliances that draw power even when turned off, such as TVs and halogen lamps. "Right now in North America we’re running two Genesee power plants [an Epcor plant outside Edmonton, capacity 1,300 megawatts] just to power our TVs when they’re off," Stoyke said. You can detect these vampires with special meters and slay them with power bars — shut off the bar when the appliance isn’t in use. Stoyke said he did this in his Edmonton office and cut his power bill to half of what it was when the office was empty.
Stoyke outlined $11,000 worth of changes a typical homeowner can do to use less energy. "Take all these measures together and a typical family can save $17,000 over five years," he said, and cut their emissions by about 54 per cent. "With proper planning, going green doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, it can be profitable."
Consumer action
Audience member Ian Sturges said he had already taken several of the measures Stoyke suggested, caulking windows and insulating hot water pipes. "Most of the stuff I’ve done is not that expensive," he said. "When it comes time to replace something, I replace it with something that’s energy efficient."
Some of the best technologies are still too expensive in Canada, Stoyke said. An on-demand water heater costs about $1,000 here, he noted, while you can get one in the U.S. for $500 and one in Spain for $100. "There is something wrong with the system." Consumers need to lobby manufacturers to make more energy efficient products, he said, and governments need to offer incentives to lower these costs.
It may take decades for efficiency measures to catch on, Stoyke said, but they will. Recycling, he notes, was considered a fringe activity just 30 years ago. If people max out their energy efficiency, he said, "We could basically eliminate climate change." |
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