If you live in the UK, consider switching your energy bills to Ecotricity. Not only is it one of the fossil-free energy companies (with affordable tariffis for both home and business) but its founder Dale Vince is a passionate vegan (who owns Forest Green Rovers, the world’s greenest football club that he turned vegan) and also owns The Devil’s Kitchen, that supplies schools and catering companies with vegan food with no palm oil). He also owns EcoTalk, a phone company that’s powered by green energy, and uses profits to buy up land to ‘rewild it’ and conserve for birds and native mammals across the country.
What many people are unaware of is that most energy companies including ‘green ones’ generate some energy by the burning of animal carcasses in abattoirs. Dale refuses to do this, so is the only ‘vegan’ energy company you can support. They are also in the process of learning to make gas from grass! The company also offers regular discounts through partnerships with Made in Hackney (a free London community vegan cooking school) and Allplants (vegan meal deliveries).
Dale is an eco-vegan loudmouth! who regularly calls for a halt on deep-sea mining to protect seagrass meadows (essential for sea turtles and sea horses) and is considering going into politics at time of writing.
It’s not safe to advise people to ‘turn down the thermostat’ to reduce energy bills (could cause hypothermia for people & pets). Instead, use oil-powered radiators (safer than fan heaters), Radfan (a simple radiator booster), and take the free quiz at Carbon Savvy to reduce your carbon footprint (can savea fortune on bills for old uninsulated homes).
do wind turbines harm birds & bats?
The London School of Economics says over 100,000 birds a year could be killed due to wind turbines. No doubt the solution is to use less energy and more solar power. But in countries that gain most energy from wind, it’s important to look at how to make existing turbines better. New ideas are placing turbines further apart, painting one blade and wind towers black (so birds can see them) and installing manmade islands to provide breeding habitats for seabirds. Building roads out to offshore parks is also harmful, which is why Ecotricity tends to place turbines in urban areas. New bladeless turbines (which are like tall vibrating wands) claim to be bird-friendly.
Ecotricity is now focusing on bifacial solar panels, which make electricity from undersides by light reflected off the ground, therefore need less sun to work. Solar energy works more by daylight than sunlight, so unless you live in Scandinavia (plunged into darkness for winter), this is a hopeful step. We have to get energy from somewhere, and this company is doing all it can to find new technologies to help.
Dale is launching an eco-friendly airline!
Dale’s recent venture is to launch EcoJet, a company that will retrofit existing planes with hydrogen-electric powertrains to create an airline alternative with massive CO2 emission reductions, the only byproduct being water, which will be captured and released into the lower atmosphere to avoid the harmful effects of contrails. Partnering with an experienced pilot and aviation specialises, flights are due to commend in early 2024 (from Edinburgh to Southampton, then to mainland Europe and eventually long-haul flights).
The airline will also serve plant-based meals, crew will wear eco uniforms and no single-use plastic will be used. Aviation accounts for 3% of global CO2 emissions, so this project could be in Dale’s words ‘the biggest revolution in the aviation industry since the invention of the jet engine”.
is it worth buying a new boiler?
Experts say that new boilers save up to 30% in gas so pay back is around 5 to 6 years on a cost of around £2000 (and should add value to your property if you move). Having said that, one in three people can’t afford this much so do look for grants. Experts say you only really need a new boiler if the existing one is faulty or over 10 years old (otherwise just go for repair). But a new one (only if you can afford it) should offer a 10-year guarantee so the payback is worth it, if only slightly.
The government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme is offered to some people for grants to cover part of the cost of replacing fossil fuel heating systems with heat pumps or biomass boilers. This can be worth thousands, so do check. Also check if you are eligible for insulation grants (lofts, walls, floors etc).
BOXT and iHeat are two reputable companies that install new boilers the next day, from Gas Safe registered engineers. Just answer a few questions, choose a boiler and installation date, and they do all the rest. You can also order next-day boiler repair from the former.
an elegant (affordable) energy-saving kettle
People in England collectively brew over 100 cups of tea each year, causing a national energy surge during the TV ad breaks. Most people boil waterto 100 degrees (you only need to boil to 80 degrees celsius (this wastes £70 million of energy each year). Still kettles are still better to heat water than on hobs or in microwaves (never heat anything in microwaves for babies or pets). Instant hot water taps (around £500) are only good for businesses and rich people!
It’s government law for all shops selling small electrical appliances to take back old kettles (wherever you bought them). Ideal if you buy a new kettle from Argos (you can just hand in your old one, without having to drive to the landfill).
Russell Hobbs’ fast-boil energy-saving kettle saves up to 66% energy to boil water for a big mug in just 54 seconds. It also features a perfect pour spout (to avoid messy drips) and blue illuminated markings, so you don’t pour too much water in the kettle. You can also buy it alongside a matching Groove toaster, which pops has a high-lift feature to pop bread up when finished, and enables you to toast slices from frozing (so you can freeze loaves, to stop food waste).
The Adventure Kettle is another good option (costs around £25 with a 2-year guarantee). Made from stainless steel, it saves 60% of energy and folds down for storage. This kettle has a little widget to measure the cups you need, and also has a pour spout and cup window markings.
For professional use (around £150), Dualite Classic Stainless Steel Kettle is quiet and has a repairable element, so should last for years.
For hard-water areas, pop a descaler ball in the kettle. Or dilute 1 or 2 tablespoons citric acid (keep away from children and pets) in 1 litre warm water and rinse (can also de-scale coffee machines).
NHS recommends no more than 2 cups weak tea daily (if any) for pregnancy/nursing or 1 cup mild coffee (coffee shops are higher in caffeine, so adjust). Avoid some herb teas (like hibiscus) for pregnancy/nursing. Due to caffeine, just bin leaves after use to avoid harming compost creatures. Serve plastic-free tea in (not bone china) cups with organic plant milk, lemon or vegan honee!
