Micro and Macro Carbon Audit - Research Paper Example

Micro and Macro Carbon Audit 0 Introduction 1 Carbon Emissions Carbon dioxide (CO2) is released into the atmosphere by various human activities. Burning fossil fuels for the production of energy and transport are activities that are the primary source of CO2 in the atmosphere. USA, China, Indonesia, and Brazil are the highest contributors of CO2 in the atmosphere. Deforestation is another cause for more greenhouse gas emissions. Burning of tropical forests to make room for industrial agriculture such as cattle ranching and palm oil plantations emit massive amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere. Global warming has become a pressing issue of our time, and scientists have suggested that drastic cuts in CO2 emissions are required to stop global warming. Climate change has been considered dangerous, and a switch to renewable energy has been advocated (Greenpeace, 2009). 1.2 Space Heating Space heating is an element to create a comfortable residential or working atmosphere. Space heating equipment consume significant amount of energy in buildings. The heating in buildings is responsible for CO2 emissions. A wide variety of technologies are available, with a wide range of efficiencies for converting energies into useful heat. These include electrical or gas based systems that are available for heating space and water. Recently there has been an emphasis on the use of energy saving equipment, and such equipment are rated for their capabilities. It is desirable to select the most efficient equipment available. Space and water heating measures have been advocated in the CO2 reduction strategy. Several measures such as extra insulation, new window types, and introduction of heat pumps could result in lower energy consumption in buildings and lower CO2 emissions. 1.3 UK and Local Government Initiatives The rationing route to emissions control in the UK has been considered. An annual limit on CO2 emissions has been set by the Government. The budget is made up of carbon units, where each carbon unit allows the emission of1 kg CO2. 55% is sold by the process of auction to businesses and the public sector, and 45% are given to every adult as smart card credits. Fuel and electricity get a carbon rating which are expressed in units. When fuel or power is purchased, the card is scanned and units are debited. The cards are linked to a national database and are linked through machines in garages, post offices, newsagents, etc. where units could be purchased or sold. For example, for purchasing petrol but lacking units, the units are procured from the database and the cost is added to the bill. Carbon-intensive transport and other services would feed an increase in costs as suppliers auctioned units to pay for their embodied carbon (East, 2004). The local authority sector has been identified as key for carbon reduction in the UK. The Local Authority Carbon Management programme was formed in response to UKs commitment to the Kyoto protocol. The city of Edinburgh partnered along with Carbon Trust to realize carbon and cost savings. A 25% reduction of CO2 by 2013 has been committed with financial savings of approximately £6.5 million. An investment of £900k over five years is expected to save 33675 tonnes of CO2. It has been approved to achieve zero carbon Edinburgh by 2050. 2.0 Micro Audit A micro audit has been conducted for estimation of CO2 emissions from the home, appliances, and travel. Calculators have been made available by the Government, Carbon Foot Print, and Energy Savings Trust. CO2 emissions for the home, appliances, and travel have been estimated. 2.1 Individual Footprint An individual footprint has been illustrated in table 1. Home, appliances, and travel are three sectors for which carbon footprints have been estimated. Table 1. Individual Carbon Footprint (Source: ActonCO2 Calculator) Average (tonnes annually) National Average (tonnes annually) Target (tonnes annually) CO2 for home 1.67 1.99 0.66 CO2 for appliances 1.04 0.71 0.83 CO2 for travel 2.11 1.76 1.69 Total CO2 3.96 4.46 3.18 The Government of UK has made the Act on CO2 calculator available for representing CO2 from various areas in life. The breakdown has been illustrated in table 1, allowing viewing the footprint due to lighting and heating. Appliances in various rooms in the house have been included in the estimation of CO2 emissions. Travel allows viewing the emissions of CO2 from vehicle and flights. Such an analysis allows concentrating on areas where the footprint is high. The total footprint for home was 0.82 tonnes. Hot water comprised of 0.41 tonnes, heating 0.35 tonnes and lighting 0.06 tonnes. The total footprint for appliances was 1.04 tonnes. Kitchen appliances accounted for 0.76, equipment for entertainment accounted for 0.23 and equipment for study accounted for 0.05 tonnes. Footprint for travel was 2.1 tonnes. Vehicle accounted for 0.34 tonnes and flights accounted for 1.76 tonnes. A target footprint of 3.18 has been recommended. The target has been spread over the three areas home; appliances and transport. The target is a reduction of over 20 percent. Flights have been determined to be an area of high emissions and it has been considered to concentrate on reduction of emissions in the area. The target footprint in each area recommended is 0.66 tonnes for home, 0.83 for appliances and 1.69 for travel. The national average was 4.46 tonnes for similar parameters. The national averages gave an idea how the individual has been performing in comparison to others. The national average for house is 1.99, 0.71 for appliances and 1.76 for travel respectively. Table 2. Individual Carbon Footprint (Source: Carbon Foot Print) Average (tonnes annually) CO2 for home 0.18 (based on bill) CO2 for car 0.18 CO2 for air travel 1.79 Total CO2 2.15 Estimates made by the Carbon Footprint calculator using monthly utility bills for electricity and gas was 0.18 tonnes from the house; 1.79 tonnes from flights; and 0.18 tonnes from car. Total emissions were estimated to be 2.15 tonnes annually. In the UK, the average footprint was 9.80 tonnes. In industrial nations, the average was 11 tonnes. The worldwide average was 4 tonnes, and the worldwide target for combating climate change was 2 tonnes. Table 3. Individual Carbon Footprint (Source: Energysavings Trust) Average (tonnes annually) National Average (tonnes annually) CO2 for home 0.83 2.0 CO2 for appliances 1.1 0.68 CO2 for travel 3.09 1.80 Total CO2 5.02 4.48 Estimates made by the Energy Trust calculator were 0.83 tonnes for the home, 1.1 tonnes for appliances, and 3.09 tonnes for travel, resulting in a total of 5.02 tonnes. The national averages were 2.0, 0.68, and 1.80 respectively for homes, appliances and travel. A recommended level for reduction was 4.01 tonnes. Boiler is used for heating. Appliances used include TV, lamp, camera, laptop, dishwasher, washer, fridge, printer, oven, microwave, and boiler. No sources of renewable energy usage exist in the apartment. The light bulbs have been stitched by low energy light bulbs. The dishwasher is operated 4/5 times a week. The washing machine is used 3/4 times a week. There are 1/4 supply lines. However, equipment is rarely left on standby. The carbon foot print for appliances is 1.04 tonnes per year. This is the amount of CO2 emitted from the use of appliances. Using the calculator on the Nationalsavings Trust site, the carbon foot print for appliances is 1.1 tonnes per year. 3.0 Travelling 3.1 Travelling by Car Estimates were made for travel by car, and estimates were found to be 0.18, 0.24, and 0.89 tonnes by the respective calculators. The higher value in Energysavings calculator was because of slightly different method used by the calculator. Table 4: CO2 Emissions Estimates for Car Travel (Source: ActonCO2; Carbon Foot Print; Energysavings Trust) Carbon Foot Print Calculator Directgov Calculator Energysavings Trust CO2 emissions (tonnes annually) 0.18 0.24 0.89 Emissions of CO2 for three different types of calculators have been illustrated in table 5, and figure 1 below. It is clearly evident that the use of LPG driven vehicles could result in lower carbon footprint than petrol and diesel (see Fig. 1 below). Table 5: Type of Car and CO2 Emission (Source: ActonCO2) Car Type Petrol Diesel LPG CO2 emissions (tonnes annually) 0.18 0.21 0.12 Figure 1: CO2 Emission from Different Car Types (Source: ActonCO2) 3.2 Travelling by Air Air travel results in release of huge amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere. Residents of UK love to travel and take several long distance vacations or holidays. CO2 emissions estimates by air travel have been illustrated in table 6. CO3 emissions were 1.79, 1.76, and 2.2 by the use of different calculators. These values are slightly higher than the national average, as there were two intercontinental flights with over 56000 miles travelled on each trip annually. Table 6. CO2 Emissions Estimates for Air Travel (Source: ActonCO2; Carbon Foot Print; Energysavings Trust) Carbon Foot Print Directgov Energysavings Trust CO2 emissions (tonnes annually) 1.79 1.76 2.2 4.0 Analysis The use appliances, and specific methods of use make significant differences in the contribution to carbon footprint. Appliances contribute to virtually all aspects of human endeavours, and make our lives comfortable. Appliances resulted in a carbon foot print of 1-1.1 tonnes annually. Among all appliances, the appliances consuming most energy are those required for heating and washing. Heating is required for space heating, water, cooking, and washing. The water heating process has been illustrated. 1.2 L hot water is collected in a jug for 10 seconds. A five minute process consumes 1.2*(5*60/10) = 36L of water. The hot water temperature is 40C, and the storing water temperature is 18C. The difference in temperature is 22C. While dishwashing the consumption is as follows. The use of water for 10 seconds is 0.5 L. Approximately 15 minutes are required for washing dishes daily. This results in the use of 0.5*(15*60/10) = 45L of water. The hot water temperature is 35C, and the storing temperature is 18C. The difference in temperature is 17C. Thus, the process and duration of using appliances contributes to CO2 emissions. It is desirable to minimize the duration of processes that consume hot water and schedule use of appliances such as dishwashers under fully loaded conditions. CO2 emissions from the home at 1.67 were lower than the national average of 1.99. CO2 emissions from appliances at 1.04 were higher than the national average at 0.71. CO2 emissions from travel at 2.11 were higher than the national average at 1.76. CO2 from gas was 2.25 tonnes, the highest source of emissions. Electricity was the second highest with 1.25 tonnes. 50 % of carbon in Scotland was from homes or personal transport. The Scottish Climate Change Bill has proposed a 50% reduction of Carbon by 2030, and 80% reduction in carbon by 2050. This requires an action by the majority of the population. 90% of the people are aware and understand that action is required. 25% people claim that they were taking some action (Morris, 2009). Approximately 6.3 percent of UKs total CO2 emissions result from air travel. Aviation has a significant impact on CO2 emissions, and its impact is almost double than its CO2 emissions alone. The average footprint in UK was 9.80 tonnes, slightly lower than the average of 11 tonnes in industrialized nations. The worldwide average was 4 tonnes, and the worldwide target for combating climate change was 2 tonnes. A value of 6000 for each individual leaves a gap of nearly 39 %. In order to be within the limits, a significant effort is required. Edinburgh has set a target of 50 percent reduction has been set for 2030, and 100 percent by 2050. However, with less than 25 % people acting, it may take longer to accomplish the target. As these objectives require significant participation of the general population, a significant level of higher participation is required. It is desirable to increase awareness efforts among the population. Recommendations have been included in the following sections to improve awareness and adopt measures that could lead to accomplishment of set objectives. 5.0 Macro Audit There were 468,070 people in Edinburgh in 2007. The number of households in Edinburgh was 216,524, and the average household size was 2.2. 3.37 M tonnes of CO2 were produced annually by Edinburgh residents and businesses, the third highest in Scotland. CO2 sources from businesses were 44%, which was higher than 40% at the UK level. Production of CO2 per capita was lower than Scottish and UK averages (Gainey, 2008). 1.88M tonnes of CO2 were generated by households, and 1.48M tonnes of CO2 were generated by commercial buildings. 0.2 M tonnes of CO2 were generated by Government buildings. Table 7: CO2 Generation from Buildings (Source: The City of Edinburgh) Residential Buildings Commercial Buildings Government Buildings CO2 Emissions 1.88M tonnes 1.48M tonnes 0.2M tonnes Figure 2: CO2 Production by Edinburgh Residents and Businesses (Source: The City of Edinburgh Council) Figure 3: CO2 by Source (Alister, 2009) CO2 by sources electricity, gas, and transportation have been illustrated in figure 3. Electricity and gas are the highest sources of CO2 production. Contribution from transportation include rail, bus and cars result in approximately 1.5M tonnes of CO2. Figure 4: CO2 Emissions from Transportation (Source: The City of Edinburgh Council) Table 8: CO2 Generation from Transportation (Source: The City of Edinburgh Council) Cars Bus Rail CO2 Emissions 0.75M tonnes 0.25M tonnes 0.5M tonnes The annual emissions from Government buildings, waste and transport in 2008 was estimated to be 21493 tonnes of CO2. Figure 5: CO2 emissions breakdown by Council Activities (Source: The City of Edinburgh Council) Emissions from buildings were 65,487 tonnes, 33% of the total. Green energy contracts were 100% for 100KW contract and 75% for sub 100KW contracts. Figure 6: Breakdown of Buildings CO2 Breakdown (Source: The City of Edinburgh Council) Schools were the largest contributor with 44% (23% primary schools and 21% secondary schhols). Civic buildings including Council offices, libraries, museums, theatres and neighbourhood offices formed the biggest single contributor. Contributions from leaisure buildings were 14%. CO2 emissions from lighting were 17,321 tonnes that made up 8% of the total. CO2 emissions from CO2 were 10,469, or 5% of the total emissions. 8,404 tonnes were from fleet vehicles and 2,066 tonnes were from business travel. Figure 7:Total Carbon Emissions at Stake (Source: The City of Edinburgh Council) The figure above illustrates the carbon emissions at stake in the business as usual scenario. Carbon emissions are expected to rise to 98,814 tonnes. Implementation of Carbon Management Plan would reduce carbon emissions to 65,140 tonnes. The Council has estimated the by implementing the plan, over 140,000 tonnes would be saved over the five years. Figure 8: Tonnes of CO2 Savings (Source: The City of Edinburgh Council) Figure 9: Financial Value at Stake (Source: The City of Edinburgh Council) Some examples of measures adopted by the Council were efficiency projects such as installation of TRVs, BMS controls, replacement of boilers; installation of pool covers; renewable projects including installation of solar thermal panels and wind turbines; launch of energy handbook; and energy training for staff in schools within the energy sector. In the transport sector car clubs; regional car sharing scheme; green fleet policy reducing emissions by 3%, staff travel policy, and transport initiatives reducing use of private vehicles (Pauwels, 2008). 6.0 Recommendations Several recommendations have been suggested as household tips, appliance tips and travel tips. It has been recommended to fit draught proofing around doors and windows. There could be small gaps around the edges of windows and doors, which could be felt as cold draughts. Such gaps allow cold air inside and allow warm air to escape making the home feel colder. A cheap way to insulate the home is by draught proofing. Advantages of draught proofing are improvement in temperature, savings in terms of money and reduction in CO2 emissions by approximately 130 kg. Draught proofing products are available in stores, and are easy to install. Switching to green tariff and supporting renewable energy has been recommended. It is difficult to avoid electricity usage completely. Use of green tariffs could help lower the impact on the planet. Electricity from emissions could be offset by green tariff. The Government has provided the quality assurance mark as an endorsement of the method. Simple techniques like turning the thermostat by 1 degree could result in 10 percent savings on the energy bill. The thermostat could be turned down gradually till a comfortable 19-21C in the living room, and 18 C in the bedroom. The hot water tank thermostat or immersion heather should not be set to more than 60C. It would still be warm a cosy, and each drop in degree could result in a savings of 10% on the average heating bill. Appliance tips include use of A or better rated equipment such as dishwashers. Energy efficient and fully loaded dishwasher could result in significant savings in energy. Doing small bowlfuls of washing on a daily basis could result in greater use of energy. Dishwashers that are highly efficient could result in energy savings upto 40 percent. Appliances have been made available with energy savings logo. For example, AAA-rated dishwasher is the most efficient dishwasher, and has been guaranteed for energy efficiency, cleaning and drying performance and meets the water efficiency standards. An average family boils their kettle 4 times daily. As heating water uses a large amount of electricity, boiling more water than needed could consume a lot of energy, resulting in use of energy and money. It has been recommended to boil only the amount of water needed. It has been estimated that if every household boiled enough water for one cup of tea instead of filling the kettle to the brim, approximately 700,000 tonnes of CO2 could be saved. Appliances such as power supply plugs should not be left on when not in use. It has been estimated that over £5.5 million would be wasted if every household in UK left just one mobile phone charger plugged in overnight, resulting in quarter on additional M tonnes of CO2. CO2 emissions could be reduced by turning the charger off when the electrical items have been recharged. Chargers or other power supplies left on at the wall socket would still use energy regardless of whether they were in use or not. In the UK there are over 20 million printers in homes and they tend to be left on all the time, despite their use only a few minutes every day. Printers use electricity in every mode, except when switched off, so it has been recommended to switch on printers only when there is a need for printing. It is desirable to use printers that are energy efficient and use functions such as ‘eco’ for draft or personal material. It has been recommended that laser printer should be avoided for draft-quality printouts. The recommended order for printers is inkjet, dot matrix followed by laser printers. The ‘eco’ option on print option uses less energy and ink. TVs are a part of furniture in households. TVs could use a lot of energy, and are often left on standby. It is desirable to use TVs as efficiently as possible. TVs come with energy savings recommendation label, and it is recommended to purchase the most energy efficient TV. A TV with an inbuilt digital receiver is desirable so that there is no need for a separate set top box. Turning the brightness and contrast to a comfortable level could result in savings from CO2 emissions and energy use. TVs should be turned off whenever possible. Line drying could result in faster drying, and fresher. By hanging the clothes outside instead of using the dryer could result in electricity savings. Approximately 1.3 kg of CO2 is saved by not using the dryer. In the absence of space outside, it is possible to dry clothes in a well ventilated room. Among dryers, a heat pump dryer uses around 25 percent lesser energy than conventional dryers. Travel tips include keeping vehicle tyre well maintained. Low tyre pressure, dirty air filter, or a badly maintained car could result in an increase in the amount of CO2 emissions. Vehicle efficiency could be greatly reduced by these factors, resulting in use of more fuel for each journey. The vehicle should be kept well tuned and serviced regularly. A properly maintained vehicle could result in monetary savings, fuel and reduction in CO2 savings. Sharing a car between two or more people travelling together reduces CO2 emissions, costs of fuel, parking, and wear and tear on the vehicle. For example, sharing a car with another person could reduce emissions by half, and sharing with four people results in reduction of three-quarters. There could be several opportunities for car sharing such as travelling to and from work, to business meetings, journeys with family and friends, or holiday destinations. Car sharing could result in CO2 emissions and monetary savings as well. While travelling, it is desirable to consider all options for reaching the desired destination. Holidays could be selected in such a manner to have lower CO2 emissions. Travel alternatives such as use of car, bus, or train could be selected. CO2 emitted from flight could be offset by the use of public transportation to get to and return from the airport. The use of car should be avoided for short journeys, and walking or cycling could be good alternatives. Approximately a quarter of car journeys are lesser than 2 miles. Cars consume more fuel at the start of the journey, indicating the shorter journeys result in more CO2 emissions than usual. Alternatives such as walking or cycling could be good alternatives for reducing the carbon foot print. These alternatives could be good for health also. For example, the use of cycles to take children to and back from school within a mile would result in savings of 240 kg of CO2 annually in comparison to an average car. 7.0 Conclusion The average carbon footprint was 9.80 tonnes in the UK, slightly lower than the average of 11 tonnes in industrialized nations. The worldwide average was 4 tonnes, and the worldwide target for combating climate change was 2 tonnes. A significant effort is required not only by Edinburgh residents, but by all UK residents. Achieving a level of 6 tonnes requires a 39% reduction. The Government must make efforts to improve awareness and participation levels to reach higher than 25%. The local Government has set a target of 50% reduction in carbon footprint by 2030 and 80% by 2050. Gas and electricity are the highest sources of carbon footprint. Prudent use of energy saving equipment and certain practices could result in lowering the carbon footprint. References ActonCO2 Calculator. (2009). ActonCO2 Calculator. Available: http://carboncalculator.direct.gov.uk/carboncalc/html/s3_travel4.aspx. Last accessed 27 October 2009. Alister. (2009). Slash your CO2 emissions from heating by 50%. Available: http://www.transitionedinburghsouth.org.uk/node/128. Last accessed 26 October 2009 Carbon Foot Print. (2009). Carbon Foot Print Calculator. Available: http://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx. Last accessed 27 October 2009. East, R. (2004). Smart carb quota. Available: http://www.forumforthefuture.org.uk/greenfutures/articles/602045. Last accessed 26 October 2009. Energy Savings Trust UK. (2009). Carbon Footprint Calculator. Available: http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/calculator/start. Last accessed 27 October 2009. Gainey, G. (2008). State of the Environment Audit 2008. Available: http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/internet/Environment/Planning_buildings_i_i_/Planning_hidden/Planning_policies/Development_monitoring/CEC_state_of_the_environment_audit_2008. Last accessed 27 October 2009. Greenpeace. (2009). CO2 Emissions. Available: http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/campaigns/global-warming-and-energy/science/co2-emissions. Last accessed 18 October 2009. Morris, C. (2009). Meeting the challenge together. In: Morris, C Energy Saving Scotland advice center. Edinburgh: Energy Saving Scotland advice center. 8-9. Pauwels, J (2008). Carbon Management Programme. Edinburgh: The City of Edinburgh Council. 51. Appendix A: Utility Bill Utility Bill Gas Bill unite is 21 price (KWH@P)= 239@3.766 9£ TOTAL gas= 13£ Electricity Bill unite 129 price (KWH@P)= 129@12.747 17£ Total Electricity =22 Appendix B: Appliance Information List of Appliances Appliances Rating Hour in week Hour in month Hour in years TV 152W 70 280 3360 Lamp 60W 105 420 5040 Camera 23 1 4 48 Laptop 90W 84 336 4032 Dishwasher 150W 14 56 672 Washer 102W 6 24 288 Fridge 90W 168 672 8064 Printer 40W 2 8 96 Oven 3300W 3 12 144 Microwave 3240W 7 28 336 Water heat 1´3 KW@240 14 56 672 Approximately old (1 to 5) years Appendix C: Travel Information Car: Petrol, 2001 Model, 1000 miles Air travel: 2x London to Riyadh, 28000 miles Public Transport/Cab: None Read More