We’re all aware that we need to be saving energy, lowering our bills and cutting our carbon footprints – after all we’re constantly being bombarded by information and adverts to remind us to do our bit.
The only problem is that for many of us, with such a range of facts being bandied about, it can sometimes get a bit hard to keep track of them all.
Do low energy light bulbs, for instance, last ten times longer than ordinary ones and save around £40 over their lifetime – or will they save me a tenner and last 40 times as long? Or is it that they’ll each cost me £40 to buy?
Confused, or do you see yourself as a bit of an energy expert? Try this quick quiz and find out how much you really do remember.
- a) 37ºC
- b) 60ºC
- c) 100ºC
- a) Up to 10%
- b) Around 25%
- c) Just under 50%
- a) A type of low energy light-bulb
- b) A high-efficiency condenser boiler
- c) A unit used to measure carbon emissions
- a) 70mm
- b) 170mm
- c) 270mm
- a) A
- b) G
- c) Z
- a) Draught proofing for windows and doors.
- b) Cavity wall insulation.
- c) Water pipe insulation.
- a) Only driving cars that use biofuels.
- b) Planting trees to offset the CO2 from your driving
- c) Driving carefully to make the most efficient use of fuel.
- a) £6.50
- b) £65
- c) £650
- a) More than 25%
- b) About 15%
- c) Less than 10%
- a) Fuel cell
- b) Motor car
- c) Lead acid battery
- a) Internal combustion
- b) Incineration
- c) Co-generation
- a) An eco-friendly insulation material made from sheep wool?
- b) A revolutionary thermally efficient under-floor heating system.
- c) The cartoon sheep logo used by approved installers.
- 10 to 12 correct – Brightly efficient!
- 5 to 10 correct – Keeping warm!
- 0 to 5 correct – A bit in the dark!
Contents
1. What is the recommended setting for your hot water cylinder’s thermostat?
2. Reducing your room temperature by 1°C…
could cut your heating bills by how much?
3. What is a CFL?
4.What is the recommended depth for loft insulation?
5. EU energy labels use letters to describe an appliance’s energy consumption
Which letter is used to denote the LEAST energy efficient types?
6.Adding which of the following to your home would cut CO2 emissions by the MOST?
7. What is meant by ‘Eco-Driving’?
8. How much does the average household waste each year
by leaving appliances on standby?
9. How big a contribution do our homes make to the UK’s total CO2 emissions?
10.Which of the following was the FIRST to be invented?
11.Combined Heat and Power is also known as what?
12.What is ‘thermafleece’?
Answers
1. (b) according to the Energy Saving Trust, you should set it to 60ºC; body temperature is 37ºC and at 100ºC, water boils!
2. (a) up to 10% or around £55 per year, again according to Energy Saving Trust figures.
3. (a) it stands for ‘Compact Fluorescent Lamp’ – a type of low energy light-bulb.
4. (c) 270mm.
5. (b) ‘G’ rated products are the least energy efficient.
6. (b) cavity wall insulation, which saves 610kg a year on average; draught proofing saves 130kg and pipe insulation about 60kg.
7. (c) although there’s something to be said for all of them! Good eco-drivers can cut their fuel consumption by as much as 10%.
8. (b) standby wastes £65 a year.
9. (a) according to official figures, households account for 28% of the UK’s annual emissions!
10.(a) the fuel cell – originally called the ‘gas voltaic battery’, it was invented by the Swansea-born Sir William Grove back in 1839; Gaston Planté demonstrated the lead acid battery to the French Academy of Sciences in 1860 and Karl Benz didn’t come up with the world’s first car until 1885!
11. (c) co-generation.
12. (a) an eco-friendly insulating material.
