New calculator translates savings advice into cash

If everybody in Denmark brought their electricity consumption down to the recommended 1,000 kWh per year benchmark, Denmark’s total annual electricity bill would fall by over 480 Euros million. This saving could be achieved simply by following the Trust’s advice, and with the new quick calculator every consumer can see exactly how much money they will save.

Using the new calculator, consumers can work out how much money they would save by running the washing machine with a full load or by switching off the TV instead of leaving it on standby.

‘It’s extremely easy and only takes a minute to find out  how many euro you can save as a consumer by following our savings advice,’ says Christian Lüders, Project Manager at the Trust.

When consumers discover that they can reduce their annual electricity bill by hundreds of euro, the Trust and the National Consumer Agency hope that the calculator will persuade many more people to put the simple savings advice into practice.

‘In our experience consumers want to reduce their electricity bill and spend the money on something better. Consumers can achieve this by using the new quick calculator and following our savings advice,’ says Louise Holck, director of the National Consumer Agency.

Consumers can find the calculator (in Danish) on the Trust’s Web site at: www.elsparefonden.dk/hurtigberegner and on the Agency’s Web site at: www.forbrug.dk.

Savings advice made simple
The Trust’s savings advice targets the most commonly used appliances in the home, with information both on purchasing such items and their subsequent use. Consumers do not need to have any special knowledge to follow the advice.

The Trust has other offers for consumers who would like to do even more to save. The Trust has started ‘Klub1000’ (in Danish) which all consumers can join, free of charge, to receive additional savings help.

For consumers who are interested in calculating their electricity consumption in greater depth, the Trust offers the advanced ‘Home self-check’ calculator in Danish, which is available free at: www.selvtjekbolig.dk.

The Trust expects to launch more calculators in the future, including one for holiday homes.

Facts and figures
The Trust’s ten savings tips are:

• Buy a notebook computer and flat screen
• Switch to A-rated energy saving bulbs
• Only use halogen bulbs to light a particular area, and switch off the transformer
• Buy A-rated large appliances, A+ or A++ for fridges and freezers
• Purchase ‘AutoPowerOff’ plug banks for your computer and TV
• Use appliances with a standby consumption of under 1 W or switch off at the wall
• Choose an A-rated central heating pump
• Use daylight and motion sensors to control lights
• Only run the washing machine and dishwasher on full load. Wash at 30 degrees instead of 40
• Hang clothes out to dry instead of using the tumble dryer

The Danish Electricity Saving Trust is an independent trust led by a Board appointed by the Danish Ministry of Transport and Energy. The Trust was established in 1997 with the purpose of promoting electricity savings in the household and public sectors. The Trust is financed by a special electricity savings charge of 0.0008 Euros/kWh payable by households and the public sector. The total annual proceeds amount to just under 13 million Euros.

The National Consumer Agency is the Danish Government’s consumer authority under the auspices of the Ministry for Family and Consumer Affairs. The Agency is responsible for the Danish Government’s information activities in the field of consumer affairs.

For further information please contact:
Christian Lüders, Project Manager
The Danish Electricity Saving Trust
Tel.: +45 33 95 58 13
Mobile: +45 41 18 84 29
E-mail: chl@elsparefonden.dk

Maja Bessesen, Media Relations Assistant
The National Consumer Agency
Tel.: +45 32 66 92 04