As my profile states, my mission is to find green changes that suit my lifestyle. Our first assignment is to buy green electricity - obviously, electricity is something I need. A previous family trip to Bradwell Power Station - fuelled by my younger sister's frankly odd love of the place - did little to enhance my knowledge of electricity (my sole recollection is the Bakewell slice I had in the café). What I do know is that because my Dad worked for British Gas for most of my childhood, the Adams family is a loyal BG purchaser. Asking my parents to switch supplier garnered a reaction a bit like I had asked if I could replace their record collection with my iPod: disbelief followed by a staunch 'No'. I suspect this isn't down to the higher price but the rigmarole of switching; previous experiences with changing mobile phone tariffs have obviously made their mark, although I doubt screeches of 'Can I stick diamantes on the handset?' will crop up here.
After a bit of research, I found that British Gas have a green tariff option, so switching wouldn't be that hard. As the desire to avoid hassle is probably what puts people off changing suppliers - I know that my initial response was 'I can't be bothered' - it was surprising to see how easy it would be. The British Gas Zero Carbon plan basically buys carbon emissions for you and offsets everything you consume - so it's 100% green. It also contributes to a green energy fund for schools to reduce their CO2 emissions, all for a bargain extra £7 a month. However, I've never actually paid an electricity bill - at university I was always assigned more mundane tasks like emptying bins - so I was unsure if going Zero Carbon was good or bad.
So I came into work this morning clutching photocopies of our electricity bills with warnings against changing our tariff at my peril ringing in my ears. In a nutshell, changing tariffs would mean a fee for leaving the Price Protection 2010 deal we're currently on, and an average 40% increase in our annual bills. The chap on the phone explained this - as our current deal is the best, changing to any tariff would mean an increase.
On the plus side, it would have been as easy as saying 'I would like to change to Zero Carbon, please.' The only stipulation is that you have to switch your gas tariffs as well: you may as well go the whole hog. Although I doubt that argument will convince my parents to buy green power…maybe I should suggest harnessing Danbury's solar rays - you can get the tiles to match your roof.
Rachael Adams
For some people, being green conjures up images of naff wicker handbags and hemp kaftans. For others it's become so much a part of their lives that they know the names of the second cousins of the man in their local veg shop. I fall somewhere between the two: I use public transport, I carry an eco-friendly bag - mostly because of the picture of Twiggy on it - and my wardrobe is mainly second-hand clothes (though I suspect this is for aesthetic reasons as much as green ones). However, I also drive the 3 minutes to the gym, use more hairspray than Dynasty-era Joan Collins and have been known to turn up the heating unbeknownst to my parents instead of putting a jumper on. Being green is hyped by celebs like Scarlett Johansson and Sting, but how eco-friendly are they really? It's hard to envisage Chris Martin taking the un-hip night bus home from a gig or requesting that his wife Gwyneth eschews makeup because of the excess packaging. It's about finding ways of going green that suit you: I can't force my parents to install wind turbines on our roof, but I can ask them to turn the heating down.
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2 comments:
Firstly kudos on the bakewell slice!haha!
Well i completley agree with your attitude towards it, i think im in between as well and am probably more of a fantcist and just love the idea of loving going green but when it comes down to it am a make-up wearing hairstraightening chick!
I'd never even heard of the green tarif option!!you should write to them and tell them to sort there advertising out, at the end of the day we are a lazy country and if there was enough advertising and publicity and it was an easy option i think we'd stand a good chance!!
Keep up the good work, and good luck convincing your parents!
I understand the old chaps gripes, why would he want to go through the hassle of changing at a cost of 40% more per annum I would put money on the fact he is a technophobe aswell and doesn't relish the thought of bringing himself "Upto date", this is where the fat cats and the government have got it so wrong instead of trying to educate us "youngsters" they should be pushing how easy it actually is, or making these companies ease the process. After all it is these attitudes and contracts that we inherit.
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