Energy-saving tips

• Upgrade your computer rather than replacing it. Increase your computer’s RAM memory to increase it’s speed, or replace the hard drive to improve storage capacity.
• By defragmenting your hard drive & reinstalling your operating system, you can significantly increase the speed of your computer without costing you a bean.
• no need to replace your mobile phone every year – the cadmium from one discarded mobile is enough to pollute 600,000 litres of water, and most phones will work for at least five years
• don’t assume you need a new monitor when you buy a new computer. Monitors contain toxic chemicals which are hard to dispose of safely

Buy energy efficient electrical appliances

• the smaller the better – a large TV uses more energy than a small one
• when buying new office kit ask your retailer about Energy Star compliance for computers, monitors, fax machines and scanners
• on monitors, look for the TCO label
• look for the Energy Saving Recommended label if you are buying an integrated digital television (IDTV), or a few models carry the European Ecolabel.

Recycle your gadgets

Electronic goods often contain harmful chemicals like lead, cadmium and mercury. These can cause pollution if not disposed of properly. Things you can do:

• try to find unwanted devices a new home with a relevant charity or other organisation – over half the electronic items thrown away are still working or could easily be repaired
• take unusable items to a recycling centre where the valuable or harmful materials can be removed safely and re-used or disposed of. Recycling materials like aluminium from computers saves raw materials and energy
• if you are recycling a computer, make sure you permanently delete all files and programs on the hard drive first
• when you buy a new electrical product you should ask the shop to take back your old one, or to tell you where you can take it to be recycled - this is called the Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment regulations (WEEE)

Don’t leave electrical appliances on standby

• Energy is consumed by electronic items left on standby and by mobile phone chargers left plugged in. You can:

  • unplug your chargers, mobile phone and laptop chargers still use energy when they are left plugged in to the socket even when not connected to the  phone or laptop
  • choose energy-efficient computer equipment. For example, laptops use about one sixth of the energy of a desktop computer.
  • turning your monitor off when you leave your computer, and activating its energy-saving features, will reduce the energy it uses significantly.
  • try to turn off TV equipment at the set or plug, not by using the remote control

  Use re-chargeable batteries

  • Every year 600 million batteries are thrown away, containing hazardous substances like cadmium as well as valuable metals.

    • use rechargeable batteries when you can, the energy needed to make a battery is 50 times more than the electrical energy it gives out
    • Buy NiMH (nickel metal hydride) rechargeable batteries – they last much longer and are less harmful to the environment than older nickel cadmium (NiCD) batteries
    • recycle all unwanted batteries where possible
    • wind-up or solar gadgets like radios and torches allow you to dispense with batteries altogether.