December 5, 2022

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Sustainable Energy Living: Saving The Planet One Switch At A Time

It is not easy for citizens to live environmentally friendly and socially responsible because unsustainability is the norm in urban areas. Inefficient transport systems, massive amounts of waste, irresponsible use of energy and poor land and building management are only a few obstacles that put a heavy burden on the environment and societies. There are many ways to live more environmentally friendly. This article is devoted to your energy habits and consumption. Saving the planet one switch at a time is not complicated, but a must. Let me guide you through the possibilities to become an eco-conscious citizen.
Written by Veronika Tietz

Sustainable living refers to adapting our lifestyles to live within the Earth’s means. You might have come across the term ‘net zero living’  or  ‘zero energy balance’. Unfortunately, those terms do not serve well as a compass on HOW to live sustainably. Therefore, I created a series of sustainable URBAN living strategies to give the right advice on making your lifestyle more sustainable. In this article, we focus on energy in the form of electricity and heat: sustainable energy living. 

In general, sustainable energy living follows the principle of less is more. When you implement those strategies, you will not only be more environmentally friendly, but you will also decrease the pressure on your wallet and save money.

The idea that we are more sustainable by replacing everything unsustainable is counterproductive. Sustainable energy living supports the positive impact of reducing the pressure on the environment by using less energy. We need to use a lot less. 

Besides giving you simple instructions to live more energy efficiently, I also collected the benefits you gain from implementing those sustainable energy living strategies. As a matter of fact, sustainable living does not only benefit the environment, it benefits you too.

 

To plant a seed for sustainable energy living

Before we continue with the juicy information, there are some general thoughts I want to share with you regarding your mindset or as I like to call it: nurturing ground. Our mindset is a powerful tool to achieve whatever we want. Therefore, I want to bring you into the right swing before you dive into the sustainable energy living strategies:

  • Consume mindfully.
  • Break it down into small steps. 
  • Do not get distracted by people who are not on the same journey (yet).
  • We spent most of our time at home.
  • When there is a suggestion to switch products, do so when the old one is not working or burnt out; use what you have.
  • Create systems (like habits) that support your sustainable lifestyle.

Strategies for sustainable energy living

Switch your light bulbs. Energy-saving light bulbs like LED (light-emitting diodes) are up to 90% more efficient than incandescent light bulbs or halogen light bulbs. At first glance, LED light bulbs are more expensive, but they are cheaper in the long run. LEDs use about 75% less energy than the two counterpart bulbs and last 5 to 10 times longer!

According to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, 10 halogen light bulbs replaced with LEDs can save you 650 $AUD/420 €/440 US$ over a period of 10 years. 

Take preference in sunlight. Use natural light when possible. It will help you reduce your electricity bills immensely. Living in the city, you might not be in favour of the sun’s trajectory, depending on the location of your apartment and the orientation of your windows. 

Luckily, there are ways to maximise the light you have. Here are some suggestions to make your dark apartment look lighter:

  • Place mirrors strategically to make your room look bigger and lighter.
  • Shiny objects like bowls or flower pots can reflect the little light you have.
  • Choose bright furniture and decoration. Avoid clunky and heavy-looking furniture. The same goes for the choice of fabrics: lighter colours.
  • Paint your walls white.
  • Place lighting according to your needs, and brighten up the places which your use often (Do not forget to instal the LEDs).

 

Make switching electronics off your new flirt strategy. 10-15% of consumed electricity comes from appliances in standby mode. Leaving your appliances on standby can add 150 AUD/96 €/101 US$ to your electricity bill – per year. This suggestion needs a Sherlock Holmes hat. Go through all your rooms and identify every electronic that unnecessarily consumes energy when not in use. 

Save Energy

Found in a hostel in Thailand

 

Here is a list of the highest energy-sucking appliances (yeah it sucks):

  • Wireless router
  • Multi-function printer
  • Digital video recorder
  • Soundbar
  • Smart speaker
  • Washing machine
  • Clothes dryer
  • Microwave
  • Powered wireless speaker
  • Laptop
  • Television
  • Games console
  • Air conditioner

 

What to do? When not in use, flick the switch. Get into the habit of turning off your appliances after use. Make power appliances like multiplugs more accessible and do not hide them behind furniture, make them visible to you. There are also smart home devices on the market which include timers to switch your energy-using devices off at certain times of the day. Sensors can also help to reduce your energy consumption. 

Overall, I suggest you make it a sustainable habit to manually switch off all your devices. It increases your awareness to live energy efficiently, plus it makes you feel better when you remember to live more sustainably

Consume heat mindfully. In the colder months, heating can become essential to keep your apartment warm. Find out what the energy (star) rating of your heating system is. Additionally, learning how to use a thermostat efficiently will save you some cash. Between 18°C to 20°C is the most efficient temperature. Every extra 1°C adds 10% to your heating bill.

Tips to reduce your heating bill:

  • Do not heat at night, instead use thick curtains or blinds to reduce heat loss by 20%
  • Heat consciously means to heat less and only when you really need it. Avoid heating rooms that are not in use.
  • When it is too cold in bed, consider using a hot-water bottle.
  • On wooden floors or tiles, place carpets for warmer feet.
  • Do not leave stuff on your radiator or do not put furniture on top or in front to make it easier for the warm air to circulate in the room and heat it consistently.

 

Sustainability Victoria explains the pros and cons of different heating options. If you rent, have a talk with your landlord and find a solution to install a more sustainable heating option in the apartment. Moreover, insulation might be another option to make your apartment more efficient to keep it cool or warm.

For the hard-hearted among us who want to save a big chunk of money: ditch your heater and put on more clothes. Extra layers of clothing or blankets make coldness bearable. It might be a good time to learn how to knit thick socks and beanies.

Put your signature on the contract of a renewable energy provider. Switching electricity providers (if possible) is one of the most effective solutions for sustainable energy living. Not only are you consuming electricity made by nature, but you also support an industry that aims at providing clean energy to households. Ditch coal and gas and say hello to sun, wind or hydro.

Every country has different providers, so I suggest you find your opportunities to show highly polluting electricity providers the stinky finger and embrace mother nature’s gifts. The persistent rumour persists that renewable energy is more expensive, but luckily as with most technologies, the cost sinks due to technological advancements and investments. For example, solar is already cheaper than dirty energy.

Price of renewable vs fossil fuel energy

Development of prices from different energy sources (from Our World In Data)

 

Sustainable energy living: Switch your lights off and save the planet

Remember, unsustainability is the current norm. That needs to change and every single one of us has the opportunity to become the change. After all, sustainable energy living is simply about readjusting our understanding of how we want to live. Do you want to live on the cost of the planet and consume as if there is no tomorrow?

The answer is no. Of course, we can do better. We can make a difference and find solutions. Even in the most hostile areas for sustainability: Cities.

Sustainability is about continuous improvement. Those sustainable energy living strategies are no exemption. Equally, I want to keep those strategies up to date.

If you have any sustainable energy strategies or suggestions to share, I am looking forward to hearing or reading from you. Simply reply via comments or send me a direct message via this contact form.

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Why Sustainability Is Not Outdated Or Boring

We still try to define Sustainability and answer the “Why” although we are already in the tornado. It’s difficult to stay engaged or figure out our role in this chaoes of misinterpretation and misinformation. Wouldn’t it be easier if we agreed on asking only “How?” questions? How are we going to solve the climate crisis? How are we going to stop biodiversity loss? How are we going to change our exploitative economy? How can each of us find our purpose? I think we can do it! But firstly, let’s clarify that Sustainability is far from being outdated.

Sustainability Mindset For Leaders: Inspiration For Implementing Sustainable Business Practices

Forward-thinking leaders need a vision for a sustainable future to implement into their business structures. Innovative ideas and strategies for implementing sustainable business practices are a great foundation, but they can become easily unfruitful if the team is not aligned. With a sustainability mindset, leaders can drive meaningful change and contribute to a prosperous future. They recognise that sustainable practices are not only beneficial for the planet but also for their team. Focussing on solely reducing one’s carbon footprint and minimising waste scratches the surface of the pool of opportunities. Embedding sustainability thinking into a business structure sets the tone for a new era.

Quadruple Helix: We Are All In This Together

The Quadruple Helix model describes necessary collaboration processes between government bodies, industries, academia and citizens. In innovation systems, the public has been widely neglected, thus creating solutions and systems which are not beneficial for the majority. Social responsibility is strongly connected to the Quadruple Helix model and is needed to reinforce the involvement of citizens in research and development processes. Addressing the immediate needs of a society should be at the centre of decision-making for governments as well as businesses. Applying the Quadruple Helix model makes it easier to involve all representatives who need to take part in the decision-making process.

World Kindness Day: Making An Impact By Being Kind

On the 13th of November, World Kindness Day is celebrated globally. The aim is to promote kindness and make it the norm. Simply put, kindness is the quality of being friendly, thoughtful and compassionate. There are different ways of promoting kindness, volunteering and donating being the prevalent ones. What we tend to overlook is being kind to ourselves. We are our strictest judges. As important as it is to show compassion to others, we also need to be kind to ourselves. Because how do we change the world? With one random act of kindness at a time – to us and others.

10 Meaningless Actions You Can Implement Right Now For Sustainability

What we perceive as meaningless actions can be far from reality. Too often, we underestimate the impact we can make. Don’t forget that one word can change the course of the world. What is really meaningless are words without actions. Call to action will determine our future because every impact we try to achieve matters. So why refer in this article to meaningless actions? Because you are not alone in your doubts about the impact you can make. Therefore, I want to present to you all the meaningless actions which have the potential to make the world a better place.

7 Powerful Ways To Focus On What Is In Your Control

We feel good when we can freely spend our time on what matters most. Understandably, we get frustrated if we are not in control of our precious time. Control is a relevant topic and refers to control over others and control of yourself. The latter is a competency that contributes to your mental and physical health. Unfortunately, we don’t have much control over our lives as we have to stick to working schedules, household chores and other obligations. Acknowledging what is outside of our control and not letting it consume us is an essential step to gaining sovereignty.

Climate Tech Startups: Nailing It With Diversity

All around the world, startups are emerging to tackle the climate crisis. Startups have all what it takes to minimise the consequences and impacts of global warming. Brilliant minds, create brilliant solutions spot on. That’s what the world needs: solutions which are spot on, taking the system they operate in into account. In Brisbane, Australia, more than 30 startups pitched their ideas to potential investors and collaborators. I attended this event and in this post, you will learn about those startups and their unique solutions: to inspire you and to take action for a better world. Together we can achieve it!

6 Key Competencies In Sustainability For The 21st Century

Sustainable development requires societal change and societal change starts with us. If we actively decide to evolve and expand our current knowledge, skills, attitudes and values, we have the chance to become the change we want to see in the world. Moreover, we need to take action with respect to real-world sustainability problems. An effective way to make a difference is to learn about the key competencies in sustainability. Those competencies create a nurturing ground where we can build the future we want. Instead of being a passive citizen, you can become engaged and empowered. Sometimes this can be as easy as expanding your competencies.

Why Systems Thinking Is So Useful To Achieve Sustainability

Systems thinking should become one of the number one approaches to solving societal challenges. It’s a problem-solving approach that looks at a system as a whole. Making sense of the complexity in our world is not an easy task, but mastering the principles of systems thinking can bring us one step closer to achieving sustainable goals. Rather than isolating parts of a system (like linear thinking does), systems thinking is the ability to understand systems as a whole and the dependent relationships. With systems thinking, we have a much better chance to find the solutions which fit.

The 10 Most Pressing Sustainability Challenges Of The 21st Century

Environmental, social and economic sustainability challenges are more diverse than we are aware of. We can not simply focus on one challenge (climate crisis). Instead, we need to address all the various challenges of the 21st century if humanity wants to experience the 22nd century. Our future depends on the actions we take today. Long-term sustainability goals will help us to create a livable future. Nonetheless, it is not wrong to be aware of what the hurdles actually are. Therefore, I collected the 10 most pressing challenges of the 21st century to give an overview of where urgent action is needed.

2 Comments

  1. Älga

    There is a group of plants called thermogenic plants that are able to produce their own heat. I think non of them is suitable as a house plant and it they were probably they would not produce enough heat, but how cool would that be 👀

    Reply
    • Veronika Tietz

      Love your idea! This will be added to the list as a future opportunity 🙂 Thank you for sharing this cool energy-saving idea!

      Reply

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