Title: Household environmental monitoring a strategy to help homeowners reduce their environmental impact

Authors: Jane Thompson, Magda Goemans, Peter C. Goemans, Andrzej Wisniowski

Addresses: 1 Middleton Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, K1M 1B8, Canada. ' 149 Billings Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario, K1H 5K8, Canada. ' 149 Billings Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario, K1H 5K8, Canada. ' 1 Middleton Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, K1M 1B8, Canada

Abstract: A group of 20 households was established to study whether we can motivate environmentally sustainable behaviour by providing homeowners with a clear picture of their impact, tangible reasons for improvement, and tailored solutions to follow. Reports for each household compared heating fuel, electricity, water, vehicle fuel/waste generation within the group and recommended cost-effective measures to reduce consumption. On average, 26% of the recommended measures were implemented, resulting in an estimated greenhouse gas reduction of about 2 tonnes per household. Wide variations were found between households, demonstrating the potential to reduce environmental impact through lifestyle, conservation, and energy conscious retrofits.

Keywords: cold climate; energy efficiency; existing homes; greenhouse gas emissions; environmental impact; electricity use; water use; waste generation; heating fuel; automobile fuel use; household monitoring; environmental monitoring.

DOI: 10.1504/IJETM.2008.019456

International Journal of Environmental Technology and Management, 2008 Vol.9 No.4, pp.348 - 358

Published online: 12 Jul 2008 *

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