How to get involved in Earth Hour

Earth Hour 2013 is drawing near and on Saturday March 23 at 8:30pm-9:30pm, the world will unite to protect our precious planet. Across the globe, Earth Hour’s “I Will If You Will” campaign on YouTube has attracted 4 million participants and has already received more than 200,000 commitments from individuals, businesses, organisations and governments, all taking action and making changes that will endure well past the hour to help our Earth.

Here in Australia we have one of the world’s largest ecological footprints and over half of our footprint is due solely to greenhouse gas emissions. Did you know that the average household emits around 14 tonnes of greenhouse gasses each year? If we each do our part to make small changes to the way we use energy, it all adds up and we can work together to rescue the fragile state of our planet.

The first steps to get on the right path to saving energy are as simple as switching off unused lights and switching off appliances that are just on standby.  A great way to have a bigger impact on your energy usage is to switch your lighting over to LED technology. LED lights are super energy efficient and use around 85% less energy than halogen or incandescent lighting, not to mention having a significantly longer lifespan than other types of lighting.

Using a ceiling fan is another way to save energy. If you use a fan in conjunction with your air conditioner you can actually save up to 40% on your power bills as it provides better circulation and distributes the cool air much more efficiently. Most ceiling fans are reversible which means they can be changed to a ‘winter mode’ to push warm up from your heater up against the ceiling and back down the walls which can reduce heating costs by up to 10%.  

If you’re really serious about saving energy and helping our planet, you might consider Beacon Solar. Solar electricity is a renewable resource which won’t run out. Visit beaconsolar.com.au to get an instant estimate on a solar power system that suits your household’s needs.

It’s easy to get involved and participate in Earth Hour. Take it as a starting point and you’ll be looking for ways to save energy all year round!

Some fun things to get the kids interested in Earth Hour

Now that the carbon tax is a reality, we’re soon going to see its knock-on effect in the form of increased energy bills. That’s got a lot of us pretty nervous, and rightfully so.

We’ve been championing energy-saving solutions for some years though our sponsorship of the 10% Challenge, so we were delighted to see Channel 9’s Today Show get behind the cause.

Click to watch the clip and see John Dee, the energy-saving guru, bring to light just how easily families can cut their power bills by switching to energy efficient lighting and appliances.

Click to view video >

With lighting accounting for 25% of your total power bills, replacing your halogen downlights with LED’s could cut a whopping 80% off your lighting power costs. LED’s really are an energy-savers best friend. And with a huge range, from dimmable LED’s to versatile ribbon lighting to exteriors, you can make every room in your house more energy efficient with the flick of a switch.

Check out the 'All about LED' section on our website for more information about getting started with LED.

On Saturday 31st March at 8.30pm, join millions across the globe in turning your lights off to symbolise your commitment to protecting the planet.

A World Wildlife Fund (WWF) initiative, Earth Hour sends a message about the collective power of individuals, businesses and governments to effect change. Since its beginnings in our very own Sydney, Earth Hour has grown to include over 5000 cities across 135 countries.

It will be 'lights out' at all Beacon Lighting stores across Australia on Saturday night, and we encourage you to turn your lights off too and join the movement. 

Fun stuff!

Check out this Earth Hour Australia video:

See how many planets it takes to support your lifestyle with the WWF's Footprint Calculator.

There's also a number of great games for kids at the official Earth Hour site, including an app to help you practice turning out the lights - something most of us are guilty of forgetting to do in our homes!

Go beyond the hour

Earth Hour is a great symbol, but it's important to keep up your committment!

Try some of our top ten energy and money saving ideas, and look at switching some of the lights in your home to LED lights - find out all about LED here.

We’ve found 10 of the best household tips from 10percentchallenge.com.au to save you stacks of cash at home. Take the challenge to reduce your energy use by 10%.

1. Be appliance savvy. Buy the most efficient energy-rated appliances and you could save over $4,000 in electricity and water over the 10 years.

2. Get turned off.  Switch off all your appliances at the plug when you’re not using them.

3. Stop drowning in bills. Use a water saving showerhead and save an extra $100 annually. Take 4-minute showers. Install a solar hot water system and reduce your water heating bills by well over 50%.

4. Shop around. Visit government price comparison websites such as www.myenergyoffers.nsw.gov.au or www.yourchoice.vic.gov.au to find the best deal.

5. Keep winter bills cool. Buy the most efficient heater you can afford and keep thermostats at 18°C-20°C.

6. Don’t launder your money. Wash full loads in cold water at off-peak times. Use a dryer sparingly and only at off-peak times. Whenever possible, hang your clothes to dry in the sun.

7. Cook up the savings. Where possible, cook food in a microwave – it’s quicker and uses a lot less energy than a conventional oven. Fan forced ovens also use up to 30% less energy than conventional ovens.

8. Lighten your energy costs.  Replace incandescent globes with energy saving globes that use up to 75% less power. Invest in new generation super-efficient LED lighting that can last up to 4 years. Visit Beacon Lighting, we’re Australia’s foremost advisers on energy saving lighting ideas!

9. Don’t wait. Insulate. Insulation can slash your annual energy bills by up to $200 or more.

10. Pump out the savings. Avoid needless acceleration and hard braking. Clear out the clutter from your boot and back seat. Properly inflate your tyres every 2 weeks. Avoid short trips and peak hour traffic.  

It seems like every quarter we’re seeing the costs of power going up and up and everyone’s feeling the pinch. Time to Do Something! Beacon Lighting is committed to finding the best and brightest energy saving ideas, which is why we’re proudly supporting the ‘Do Something 10% challenge.’ The ultimate goal of this challenge is to help you reduce your energy costs by an impressive 10%.

The first step is really easy. All you have to do is visit www.dosomething.net.au and register to take part in the challenge. Once you’ve signed up, you’ll be sent simple monthly tips on how to reduce your consumption of power, petrol, food and more. Once you start seeing results – and you will! – we know you’ll be motivated to keep going and keep saving money. Best of all, most of the tips are low-cost or no-cost solutions, and you can tackle each stage in your own time.

A great place to start is the ‘Saving money on lighting’ section. Beacon Lighting has helped put together some household tips, and the suggested energy saving products – from lamps, pendants and CFL/LED downlights to globes and dimmable lights – can be found on our website or in our showrooms.

So before another shocking power bill hits your letterbox, join the thousands of people taking part in the Do Something 10% challenge.