energy

I get pretty annoyed by all the air conditions in every car. Especially in New Zealand it isn't that hot, that you would need it. Just turn down your windows a bit and the hot air is going out the car. Not that it brings you fresh air in your car, it also saves fuel! The engines are consuming much more fuel if the heating or air conditioning is on. Open windows instead!
More fuel means using valuable resources, blowing more toxins into the air, more green house gases => climate change!

Hot water heating is the single largest use of domestic electricity, so cutting down on the amount of electricity used for that is the single biggest change you can make to your electricity consumption.

The money saved in reduced electricity bills can pay for the installation of the solar hot water heater within 5 to 7 years, but they last much much longer than that as there are no moving parts. You can calculate your likely payback time here http://www.mirak.co.nz/SavingCalc.php

It's warming up and summer is on it's way. Hooray.

Instead of turning on the air conditioning, open up and let a cool breeze, (and songs of the birds in your garden and the smell of your neighbours coffee) drift in through your open window.

Delicious.

Irons must use shedloads of electricity to heat up....what a rather pointless waste of energy!.

I realise some things may need ironing e.g. shirts but I haven't ironed anything in about 10 years and no-one has noticed!. If you hang clothes on the line then in the wardrobe they rarely need ironing. If they are creased you can hang them in the bathroom while you have a shower and the steam soon gets rid of the creases....besides so many of our clothes these days contain lycra so they stretch and dont get creased and some people pay for the creased look.

Many items of household and office equipment that use electricity consume power even when switched off. For example a small 4-in-1 printer may be using 26W when turned off, but still on at the wall. That amounts to around 200 kWh (units of electricity) per year extra, at a typical cost of over $35.

Turn your appliances off at the wall switch when not in use.

Changing our light bulbs to compact fluoro bulbs is an easy, cheap and very effective change. By burning fossil fuels for energy, we're altering our atmosphere and causing climate change. To reverse it, we'll need to stop burning so much coal, oil and gas. Renewable energy like wind and solar power is part of the answer, but the fastest (and most cost effective) way to reduce your global warming pollution is simply use less energy... and many hands make light work!

Take public transport. Ferries, trains and buses are the most fuel efficient forms of transport. On busy routes you'll get there quicker thanks to special bus lanes. Bus routes connect most suburbs and towns around the country and it's not just an urban myth, the world really is more fascinating when seen from a bus window! Demand cheaper, more frequent public transport options.

About 40% of New Zealand's greenhouse gases are thanks to transport, mostly private cars.

Here’s some useful links:

Campaign for better transport
http://www.getmoving.org.nz

Carshare