Week two findings from the National Smart Meter Challenge: outtakes from the kitchen
This week on the British Gas Smart Meter Challenge, families were tasked with a challenge around the kitchen. They were presented with a series of tips and asked to select three, reporting on whether doing them for the week made a difference to energy consumption in their home.?
We discovered that:
Small changes are easy: All the families found the tips easy to apply and adapt as they were small and manageable – for example putting lids on pans to conserve energy, washing clothing at 30 degrees instead of 40, and turning the thermostat on the hot water down
New knowledge inspires: Some of the families created their own tips to help them control their energy use even more – a favourite trick is to keep a mug by the kettle so you always know how much water you need to boil for a cuppa
Longer term planning: Some of the families are already starting to think about longer term changes they could make to their home – for example fitting LED lights and fitting more energy efficient appliances when boilers and washing machines need replacing
Personal benefits: Many have seen other personal benefits by making small changes to their energy routine – for example time and convenience by cooking two meals at once to maximise the oven being on which in turn saves time on other nights of the week
Key findings from the families this week:
“I don’t like to wash my clothes at anything less than 50 degrees, as I thought it didn’t clean the clothes well enough. I was surprised to see that actually washing them at 30 degrees did them just as well, as long as the clothes were not heavily stained.” - Katie, Leeds
“The tips have all made us think differently about energy; how we can save it and how we have been wasteful in certain areas. So, that's something that we will definitely continue to concentrate on.” – Lynne, Manchester
“Choose the right size burner or ring for the pan and/or always put lids on pans to keep the heat in. This was the best one for me as I never even realised I was being wasteful by not doing these very simple things.” – Stella, London
You can follow the National Smart Meter Challenge with weekly updates and insights on our website here and read blogs from four of the families here. Or why not join in the conversation on twitter using #smartmeterchallenge!
