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Green families slash energy bills
Posted on 29/12/09
Community Services
Families have slashed their electricity bills by going head to head in an energy saving competition.
A total of 16 families living in Leicestershire and Rutland have signed up to take part in a year-long challenge to see who can cut their energy use the most.
As a warm-up, the families took part in a week-long energy saving challenge run as part of the Big Switch Off campaign.
The winners were the Villarico family from Measham, who reduced their energy use by more than 23 per cent.
The family took simple measures such as switching off appliances that were left on unnecessarily and using timers on lights to cut their bills and help tackle climate change by reducing their carbon emissions.
Rommel Villarico, who has two young daughters, said: This has been a real family effort. It is nice to see our daughters thinking about the environment. The competition is also making them aware about the value of saving energy and money.
The Lewis family from Ullesthorpe came second after they cut their energy use by nearly 20 per cent.
Families taking part in the year-long challenge have been given an OWL energy monitor to find out how much energy they are using at home and help identify energy hungry appliances.
Top energy saving tips have also been given to them by the Big Switch Off Partnership to enable them save as much as possible, and they have also been asked to keep an observation diary to record how much electricity individual appliances use.
Prof Mike Preston, Chairman of ENABLE (Environmental Action for a Better Leicestershire) which leads the partnership, said: I would like to offer my congratulations to the Villarico family for managing to reduce their energy use by this much.
All the families who have agreed to take part in the year-long challenge have made an admirable commitment and, hopefully, they will notice a real difference in their energy use and their bills as the challenge goes on.
During the Big Switch Off week people in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland managed to save approximately 50,000 roughly 2.6 million a year just by taking simple measures such as unplugging phone chargers that werent being used and turning off standby buttons on electrical appliances.
We can all do this every day to make a real difference both environmentally and financially.
The Villaricos will be presented with a family ticket to Snibston Discovery Museum while the winners of the year-long challenge will snap up a hamper packed with green goodies.
Anyone in Leicestershire and Rutland can borrow an OWL energy monitor, free of charge, their local library to check on their own energy use and find ways to use less and save money.
For more information on the Big Switch Off please visit: http://www.leics.gov.uk/bigswitchoff
The Big Switch Off is a partnership led by ENABLE and local authorities across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland together with the Rural Community Council, Groundwork Leicester and Leicestershire and Central Networks.
ENDSPhoto: For a copy of a photograph of the Villarico family, or to arrange interviews or photos, contact Kirsty Nicolson on 0116 3055712.
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