Christmas is expensive, and even after the festive season is done and dusted for another year, the expenses often still pile up. And as every bill payer will know, one expense that creeps up in the background during these colder, darker months is your electricity bill.
With the winter chill making itself at home right now, most people will be spending more time indoors trying to keep cosy – watching TV, cooking, enjoying long hot showers, and sometimes resorting to costly plug-in heaters on really cold days.
It’s easy to forget all these indoor moments come with a price tag. But it doesn’t only impact your bills.
It also means fossil-fuel generators at the Vale power station are needed to meet the island’s increased electricity demand.
Fossil-Fuel Generation
Guernsey’s electricity supply is composed of a mix of sources.
- Lower-carbon energy imported from the European grid by a subsea cable
- On-island solar PV energy
- On-island generation using fossil-fuels such as heavy fuel oil, gas and diesel
Electricity usage follows human behaviour, and when we as a group of thousands use more electricity, more needs to be generated. This peaks at certain times of the day – usually around 8am, 2pm and 6pm – with the evening peak usually highest. Often this when two fossil-fuel generators are needed to provide enough electricity for islander’s demand.
Last year, the 6pm peak during December, January and February alone produced an additional 2,925 tonnes of carbon emissions.*
Using electricity at peak times creates more localised greenhouse gas emissions, plus increased wear and tear on equipment, simply by the time chosen to use it. Think of it like rush hour on the roads.
Individuals all make a difference, both to our lives today and our future generations. For example, a recent study revealed that using a washing machine during the peak times in Guernsey could produce around 21kg of carbon dioxide a year, and a dishwasher around 20 kgs a year.
When spread across tens of thousands of people, these emissions can become concerning.
Timing is everything
There is a solution that could help reduce both your cost and carbon spend. That is simply to use your electrical appliances at a different time of day.
Why 11pm to 5am Matters
During peak hours, fossil-fuel generators are fired up to meet the high demand for electricity, especially between December and March.
But between 11pm and 5am, we can rely 100% on our imported lower-carbon energy.
By consciously making simple habit changes such as moving some of your electricity usage to between 11pm and 5am, you can help reduce our planet’s reliance on fossil-fuels.
Plus, overnight usage is over 50% cheaper if you’re on the Super Economy 12 electricity tariff.
That exact same washing machine and dishwasher could instead produce just over 2kg of CO2 a year and cost over 50% less to run when used overnight in Guernsey.
When the cost of living and climate crisis are high on everybody’s agenda, there’s no better time than now to start using electricity between 11pm and 5am in Guernsey.
Cut your costs
- Time Appliances: Consider running washing machines, dishwashers, tumble-dryers, EV chargers and anything with a timer between 11pm and 5am.
- Switch to LED Lighting: This could save you around £15 per year per bulb. When the average home has around 67 lights, the savings really do add up.
- Seal the Gaps: Heat loss means money, so even sealing a few gaps in the house to prevent a draught will cut your cost and carbon emissions.
- Use an Energy Monitor: this desktop appliance talks to your electricity meter and tells you where and how you use electricity, in real time.
- Go Eco-Mode: this appliance setting uses lower wash and rinse temperatures for around 2-4 hours, meaning less energy is needed for heating, and reduces water consumption too.
- Be Water-Wise: It takes a lot of electricity to heat water. Spend less time in the shower and spend less on both your electricity and water bills. An 8-minute shower could be costing the average family around £900 a year.
Cut your cost and carbon spend by making a few simple habit changes this new year.
Discover more at electricity.gg/offpeak
By tweaking our daily routines and being mindful of when we use electricity, we can not only save on our bills, but also make a significant, positive impact on our environment.
*This is a reasonable estimation of the CO2 generated at the Vale power station based on the agreed average CO2 per kWh of diesel generation
