The size of your CO₂ footprint depends on your everyday energy consumption. That’s why you can now find out in the Tomorrow app what the energy footprint of your household looks like – along with quick and easy ways to reduce it. How that works and other tips:
Consuming less energy and opting for climate-friendly alternatives is not only necessary if we want to stick to the pledge of limiting global warming to 1.5°C – but also kinder on your bank balance in the long run. Right now, we are also being made acutely aware of the implications of the whole energy issue for government policies and energy security. In a nutshell, there’s still so much to be done on many levels.
For the climate, the topic of energy is so relevant because heating and electricity usage in your home usually makes up the largest proportion of your individual CO₂ footprint. The good news is that this also makes the energy sector a very effective lever for action if you want to reduce it.
This is why, from now on, you will find our new Energy Footprint Calculator in the ‘Benefits’ section of the Tomorrow app.
How the Energy Footprint Calculator works
Based on a few short questions about your living situation, you can use it to calculate the carbon footprint of your home. In the next step you can see how you compare to other households in Germany.
We will then show you what you can do to reduce your energy footprint – such as switching to a green electricity provider, for example, which will massively reduce your CO₂ usage. Every kilowatt hour that is extracted using brown coal creates around 400 grams of CO₂. Modern coal-fired power plants release more than 100 grams of CO₂, whereas wind turbines only release 4 grams per kWh.
To make the switch easier for you, we are not only showing you how much you can save –in the ‘Benefits’ tab you will also receive discounts off renewable electricity.
6 simple tips to help you save energy and CO₂
As well as switching to electricity from renewable energies, which makes so much sense, there are of course a few other things that can help you save energy and money while doing your bit for the climate, such as:1. Turn your heating down. Just 1°C lower will save 6% of your heating costs or 200 kilograms of CO₂ a year.
2. If you have window shutters, close them at night. That will reduce energy losses by up to 20%, meaning you won’t need to turn up the heating as much.
3. It’s better to fully open your windows briefly twice a day rather than just opening them partially for longer periods. That will help you to keep your room temperature at a constant level, which also saves energy.
4. The easy way to save electricity: turn off your appliances instead of leaving them on stand-by mode. This would save a two-person household around 200 kWh, which equates to a saving of approx. 100 kilograms of CO₂ and around €60 a year. All you have to do is invest in power strips with an on-off switch and start saving!
5. If you’re a frequent traveler: defrost and switch off your refrigerator before long trips, especially if it is an older model. There usually won’t be much food in it if you’re away anyway, and you will be able to save another 15% in electricity costs.
6. And while we’re at it, here are another three quick tips for the kitchen: always cook and fry using a lid, don’t pre-heat the oven and heat up small amounts of (pasta) water in your kettle rather than on the stovetop.
It’s not hard to make your daily life more climate friendly, step by step. We want to show you how to do that, which is why you’ll regularly find tips here in our online Magazine or on our social media channels. In the future the app tool will also be available for other aspects of everyday life so make sure you stay tuned!
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