Energy Saving

ENERGY SAVING INITIATIVES
It doesn't take much to save energy.
It can be as little as switching off lights and TVs on standby to installing fuel efficient heating and lighting.
These companies can help you to save energy and money.

David Stubbs Motors
Cars emit a complex cocktail of exhaust gases, many of which have a harmful effect on both our bodies and our planet. Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is the major pollutant and a 6,000 mile journey by car produces roughly its own weight in CO2. Under inflated tyres can increase fuel consumption by 1% and while air conditioning increases fuel consumption it is worth remembering that it actually uses less fuel than driving with your windows open. The best way to reduce CO2 emissions is by reducing the amount of fuel we use.
The secret is to reduce the amount of work your engine has to do and by lowering your speed you can save up to 25% on your fuel bills.
Another way is to make sure your engine is running efficiently and your air conditioning is functioning correctly. David Stubbs Motors can help by ensuring your vehicle is performing at its most fuel efficient and by checking that your air conditioning is working at its optimum.
David Stubbs Motors offer free, no obligation advice on greener products such as batteries, tyres and fuel additives etc.

R & M Wheildon
Established in 1976, R & M Wheildon Ltd is a local company based in Low Bentham. We have over 30 years experience in all aspects of Plumbing and Heating from small domestic work to commercial contracts.
As a company it is our aim to provide customers with the most up to date developments within our industry. Renewable energy is one of the latest government initiatives but one that our industry and we as a company have been supporting for sometime. This is why we are bpec solar hot water system specialists, Uponor underfloor heating installers, Corgi & Oftec installers / repairers of domestic & commercial fuel efficient condensing gas & oil boilers. We also offer advice on a range of products and services including grey water systems, ground source heat pumps and grundfoss regulating pumps.
Our service is friendly and professional and all our work is carried out to a high specification. Contact us today to take advantage of our free quotation service.
Tel: 015242 62330/63122
Email:plumbing@rmwheildonltd.co.uk

Settle Station
Settle station occupies a unique position within the town – not only providing access for the residents to Carlisle, Leeds and beyond but also attracting tourism to the town and indeed bringing day visitors in on a regular basis.
The station buildings were built of excellent quality material and well designed by the Victorian Midland Railway architects. However they are not in line with current issues to do with carbon emissions and sustainability. Our task was to demonstrate the viability of maintaining functionality with sympathy in providing heat and light to this heritage and much loved station.
The solution was a Biomass stoves. Biomass is organic matter of recent origin. It doesn't include fossil fuels, which have taken millions of years to evolve. The CO2 released when energy is generated from biomass is balanced by that absorbed during the fuel's production. This is referred to as carbon neutral. The Biomass stoves also have a traditional appearance with the flame evident, but burn extremely clean and efficient fuel, which is easy to handle, ignite and operate.
Our other consideration was to use the station as a showcase for renewable energy and carbon reducing measures. We also took on the replacement of lighting to install low energy lighting throughout. On a typical area, such as the waiting room, we have replaced 250w of lighting to 80w and replaced a 3kw electric fire with a biomass stove. The public interest to date has been very encouraging.
We hope that the introduction of Biomass stoves in a public place will stimulate growth in this area and increase the demand for locally produced wood pellets. Pellets produced in the UK are generally insufficient to meet demand. A new initiative in Yorkshire, the Yorwood project will encourage the investment into new wood energy products, such as pellets. Demand from users such as ourselves will help the development of this rural industry.
We hope also that on top of this the commuters and regular users will find waiting facilities are very much improved during the colder, wetter months of the year and will feel that the Settle Carlisle Railway value their support.
www.settle-carlisle.co.uk

Carbon cost of Settle Street Lights
The Settle Going Green group is interested to explore the possible of reducing Settle’s carbon footprint by switching off street lights in the early hours of the morning. Our analyisis of the financial and technical spects of this is attached showing a 31% to 47% reduction in the power usage of Settle street lights, with very modest capital cost.
Only 167 of the lights in Settle are the responsibility of Settle Town Council, and our analysis just covers those. Further savings would possible by also switching off the lights operated by North Yorkshire County Council in the early hours of the morning.
Analysis of CO2 and financial aspects of Settle street lights.
This analysis comes as a result of a most helpful telephone conversation with NYCC lighting department.
Practical considerations
Most of the lights in Settle are controlled by a photocell that turns the light on at a predetermined light level as the sky darkens, and turns the light off again at another predertermined level as the sky lightens in the morning. Back in the 1950s and early 60s, street power cables were 5 core, allowing and extra control wire for street lights alongside the 3 phases and earth. However, since that time 4 core cables have been used, and control of street lights passed to the photocell mechanism. This means that a change of policy would require fitting equipment to each street lamp, and NYCC’s calculation of the payback time is 20 years, based on current energy prices. Much of the cost is labour cost and the use of a “cherry picker”.
However, the typical life of a bulb is 2 to 5 years. NYCC agree that a rolling programme of replacing the photocell when the bulb is replaced would have a minimal extra labour cost. The photocell could be replaced by a plug-in unit that included timer capabilities that could be controlled by pulses sent down the mains.
Power usage
A sodium light uses 58W (35W bulb + 23W for the control electronics). For a mercury light the figures are 98W (80W bulb + 18W). Thus Settle’s 167 lights use somewhere between 10kW and 15kW. Over 12 months the sky is dark for 50% of the time. As there are 8760 hours in a year (8784 this year) the street lights consume in the region of 60,000 kWh p.a.. (As United Utilities currently charge £6000 p.a. that suggests that the calculation is about right.)
Possible savings
Of the 50% of the time the sky is dark, 25% is before midnight and 25% after midnight. Thus if we were to shut down the lights at midnight in winter and 1am in summer we would save half of the power. Midnight might seem to be too early, so if we went for a 1am shutdown all year, for almost half the year we would have an extra hour’s consumption each night, an extra 3% averaged over the year.
Options
If we went for no lights after 1am, we would save 47%. We could choose only to modify say 2/3 of the lights, thus saving 31% of the power, say about 20,000 kWh per year. Opting for no lights would increase the annual saving to almost 30,000kWh.
Finance
By far the most attractive approach is replacement as the bulbs fail, so there would be a gradual phasing in of the saving over 5 years, with the majority in the earlier part of the 5 year period. The capital cost is just that of the modified photocells, but one might expect to recoup that from increased bulb life owing to reduced usage.
Although United Utilities charge a flat rate and do not measure the electricity usage, a scheme such as is proposed here would offer great scope for negotiating the price downwards.

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