My day-to-day life
A day dedicated to studying the context in which I live and my habits when it comes to electricity use.
- HOME
The alarm clock rings and I postpone it several times until I turn on the light in the bedside table, activate the switch that makes the window shutter go up and, then, I get up. On my way from the bedroom to the kitchen I turn on all the lights (since it is still dark): first corridor, second corridor and the kitchen itself.
I turn on the coffee machine and put the milk to warm in the microwave. During breakfast I use the telephone.
I get ready, both in my room and in the bathroom, and then I leave the house.
2) OUTSIDE MOMENT part 1
My house doesn’t have a lift, so I walk down the stairs: they are very dark, so I often turn on the light switch.
To get to my destination (most of the time it is the university) I take both the metro and the train, a total of about 40–60 minutes . It all depends, of course, on whether I am lucky enough to find connections or not.
3) UNIVERSITY
Between lectures and group work, I spend most of my days right here. Between coffee breaks (coffee taken most of the time at the machines), everything I do is necessarily powered by one or more sockets: computer, iPad and mobile phone.
4) OUTSIDE MOMENT part 2
Train, metro, walking and stairs. All of this is accompanied by headphones and Spotify or the use of social media and phone calls, therefore the use of mobile phone.
5) HOME
Once I get home and it is almost dinner time, I start preparing it, in between chatting with the housemates and watching TV in the background the whole time.
This type of evening can end in two ways: by studying/doing practical work for university or eatching amovie. In any case, the use of computers and/or iPads, with charging attached, is expected to last all night.
CONCLUSION
The in-depth study of a typical day of mine from the point of view of energy use and its related waste has helped me to realise how high my daily energy consumption actually is and, at times, almost completely avoidable.
At first glance, it is easy to think of ways to reduce it (just think of the morning switch-on of practically all the lights in the house to get ready before going out), but there are certainly variables to take into account that could prevent the full success of any reduction plan (or even only partially), such as:
a) the sharing of spaces and appliances with other people
b) the actual need to recharge devices (especially during the day) to ensure that activities are fully carried out (e.g. coming home with the phone working, studying, working)
c) situations that are inescapable in this way and cannot change (e.g. operating the shutter system via a switch)
d) travelling by public transport
In view of my daily activities and the things I could improve with very little effort, during these weeks I therefore wanted to focus on a smarter use of the electrical resources at my disposal. To some practices that I already applied previously but for purely economic factors (e.g. washing machine done in the evening because it costs less and wastes less), I have added others resulting from a greater awareness of my energy impact:
- I have started to avoid charging devices (e.g. computer) at night, since they require a plug connection when in use anyway: instead of plugging them into a socket both at home and at uni, I only do it in one place
- I have started to avoid turning on so many lights in the morning and reduce the use of the microwave (cold milk can be good now and then, can’t it?)
- I started charging devices only when there is a strict need to do so
At the end of this introductory analysis experience, I realised how the principle of ‘working smart’ is truly fundamental: it is amazing how I was able to significantly reduce my energy footprint with very little effort. It is therefore normal for me to think how many other behaviours, regarding sustainability and the like, could simply be improved with some clear and simple moves in the right direction.
