Project Case Studies

The Big Switch Off

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Businesses, local authorities, schools and the public were recently encouraged to save energy as part of the Big Switch Off campaign.

The campaign was led by Leicestershire County Council and North West Leicestershire District Council and supported by all Leicestershire Local Authorities and the European Commission funded Eco n’Home project. It encouraged everyone across Leicestershire to switch off all non-essential electrical appliances on standby from 4.30pm-6.30pm on Friday, October 17th 2008.

Central Network, which supplies electricity in the Midlands, measured the amount of electricity used during the period of the Big Switch Off and compared it with the same period last year.

The results found that 10 substations in Leicestershire reported a reduction in demand compared to historical demand. Typical savings from these ten substations range from 0.5 to 4MWh. However, savings from some sites could not be attributed to the Big Switch Off as there was a general reduction in demand.

On average a 2% saving in the demand for electricity in eight substations across Leicestershire was experienced between 3:30pm and 6:30pm on the 17th October. This equates to a saving of an average 1.25 MWh of electricity.

Saving energy is the easiest way to save money and reduce your carbon footprint, helping to tackle climate change. With increasing energy prices it is more important than ever to be more prudent with energy usage.

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