Switch it Off Campaign
2 November 2007
Today marks the end of a week long campaign involving Coventry, Warwickshire and Worcestershire, designed to demonstrate how much electricity can be saved when a lot of people turn off unwanted lights and electrical appliances left on standby.
The Switch it Off Campaign is part of Warwickshire Climate Change Partnership which has been highlighting the ways people can make a difference in lowering our regional CO2 emission targets.
Schools and businesses along with members of the public have been taking part in initiatives over the past week to help communicate awareness about energy consumption and promote practical ways in which everyone can help.
Although most of the events have now finished there is still time for us to take part in the Big Switch Off where everyone is encouraged to switch off all their unnecessary appliances and lights.
The Big Switch Off is the culmination of Switch it Off week and it is scheduled to take place tonight between 4.30pm and 6.30pm.
Central electricity networks will be monitoring consumption so we will actually be able to see how much electricity use has been reduced and get an idea of how many people took part. Last year the event saw an 8% reduction in energy use for the whole of Warwickshire, so lets try to make an even greater reduction this year.
Of course it is essential that the Big Switch Off will help us to make these reductions in our lifestyles all the time. One survey has found that the average household has up to 12 gadgets left on standby or charging at any one time. It also showed that more than £740m of electricity was wasted by things being left ticking over.
Switching off is not only good for the environment, it is good for you bank balance too with substantial reductions in your electricity bill possible at the push of a button
This is a fantastic opportunity for every person to really think about the way they use electricity around their houses. Schemes like this will help us to understand the difference we can make and will hopefully get more people into the habit of always switching things off.
If everyone in the regions joined in, we could expect to save about £23 million a year; that’s just by switching off items left on standby. Get into the routine of doing it and the figures will be much higher. More information on the Warwickshire Climate Change Partnership can be accessed through: