Here’s a great video from a Cambridge University Physicist David Mackay. He’s discussing practical ways of measuring domestic power consumption, ways of producing energy, and he debate about replacing traditional fossil fuels based methods of producing electricity with more sensible options…
Here’s how he measures domestic consumption… in light bulbs – even I can understand that…
If you leave a 40 watt standard light bulb on for a day, this is 1 unit of measurement – the ‘light bulb’… (In fact it roughly equates to 1kw hour / day)
- You leave you cell phone charger in – this is just 1 / 100th of a lightbulb
- Taking a hot bath equates to 5 light bulbs
- Driving your car 30 miles – about 40 light bulbs (yikes!)
On average in the UK, each person consumes about 125 light bulbs in their typical day!
Reducing our home thermostat by 2 degrees F reduces this figure only by 10% – clearly we need some more radical solutions…
Currently the UK generates 90% of the energy requirements from fossil fuel based power stations with the government having given permission for 4 light bulbs per person for Wind Turbines. There’s nuclear power and all the environmental issues relating to this – it takes 2000 wind turbines to produce as much electricity as 1 nuclear power station!
The maths are clear – unless we dramatically – in a revolutionary way reduce our energy consumption, we’ll need to realize a 10 x increase in alternative forms of energy in order to replace fossil fuels… where are the revolutionary policies – at home – in the government…?
Anyway, a great video, the guys behind it also have a great website…
