Balearics are best for energy saving

MADRID
HOMES in the Balearics, Madrid and Catalonia are the best in the country when it comes to scoring points for energy efficiency.
An energy efficiency report issued yesterday by the Fenosa Union confirmed at the same time that households in Galicia and Asturias were at the other end of the scale and had not improved their performance since 2005.

Research has shown that a more careful and responsible use of energy in the home can save 6.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year. This figure represents an energy saving of 9.28 percent, reducing the carbon footprint by 1'646 million tonnes a year. The study goes on to say that this saving is equivalent to 19'611 gigawatts (GWh) an hour, a quantity which would allow all homes in Spain to be lit for a whole year. With regard to CO2 emissions, Spain has a commitment to decrease its footprint by 10 percent under the terms of the Kyoto Protocol, a quantity which could be absorbed by 67 million trees as part of the process of carbon dioxide's conversion into oxygen.

In spite of this apparent step forward, the study which was based on 3'800 interviews show that Spanish households have only reduced their energy consumption by 0.15 percent in respect of the last census which was taken in 2005. Jose Javier Guerra Roman, director of the Fenosa Union Energy Saving Centre said yesterday said that the figures show that consumers are “conscious” of the problem of global warming and that “something needs to be done about it” but that they lacked commitment and didn't put into action what they knew had to be done about energy saving efficiency.

Some 88 percent of those interviewed knew that they could contribute to the fight against climate change through adjusting consumption habits, and 82 percent said they were concerned about global warming and being able to maintain sustainable development.