eco gadgets
When you start looking at energy-saving devices, or at energy consuming devices with the aim of replacing with more energy-efficient alternatives, one of the things you must consider are life-time energy costs, of both old and new replacement items. How much energy has gone into its manufacture? How much will go into the maintenance and repair, and how much into its ultimate disposal (and hopeful recycling)? These energy costs must then be balanced against any energy saving during its working life to give an indication of energy-efficiency.
Domestic wind turbines are a good example of the need to carry out life-time energy cost analysis - in the wrong place a turbine can be an energy sink. In theory a small turbine can generate more electricity than went into its manufacture in under a year, and it will go on generating surplus energy for at least another 30 years. In practice however, if you install the turbine in the wrong location, for example on a roof in the middle of town, you will be lucky to generate enough energy to run a single light bulb – and the total it produces during its life-time will pay back only a fraction of its manufacturing costs.
However there are arguments for buying devices which may not be the most energy-efficient. Sometimes new technology needs investment to get started and in order to overcome initial high development costs and technological limitations.
Petrol/electric hybrid cars are a good example of this. The models on sale currently are far from being the most energy-efficient cars on the market. More energy and resources are needed for their manufacture and maintenance, and their complex parts often need replacement rather than repair. There are also many models with better fuel efficiency ratios. But enough people are purchasing these new cars to encourage manufacturers to continue development of the next generation of hybrids, which will hopefully deliver better gains.
Energy-efficiency is not the only area to consider. Life-time carbon costs and savings are a similar concept but relate to the amount of CO
2produced in the manufacture, repair and disposal of a product, compared to how much is saved over its lifetime.
‘Embodied’ energy and carbon can be difficult to measure, as it refers not only to the direct energy costs used (or CO
2 released) in manufacture, but also the indirect costs of components and the processing of raw materials, their extraction and transportation all along the supply chain.
In October 2008,
BSI British Standards, the
Carbon Trust and
Defra launched a business standard to assess the carbon footprint of goods and services. The standard – called PAS 2050 – is a consistent way of counting the greenhouse gas emissions embedded in goods and services throughout their entire life cycle – from sourcing raw materials, through to manufacture, distribution, use and disposal.
The aim of the new standard is to help businesses move beyond managing the emissions their own processes create and to look at the opportunities for reducing emissions in the design, making and supplying of products. This will then help businesses make goods or services which are less carbon intensive and ultimately develop products with lower carbon footprints.
You can download a free copy of the standard, and supporting guide, at the
BSI Shop.
Visit the
Carbon Trust Footprinting Company website for details of their Carbon Reduction Label which is underpinned by the PAS 2050.
