P-05-878 Shut the Door on Wasted Energy
P-05-878 Shut the Door on Wasted Energy
P-05-878 – Shut
the Door on Wasted Energy
This
petition was submitted by Jonathan Burton having collected a total of 91
signatures.
Text of Petition
We call on the National
Assembly for Wales to urge the Welsh Government to encourage all supermarkets
and retailers to have doors on all their fridges and freezers, and so reduce
our national carbon footprint, electricity consumption and pave a way for a
greener Wales.
Irish retailer, Supervalu
estimates that a typical 2.5 metre mineral fridge with doors will typically
save 10,000kWh per year compared to fridges without doors [1].
This is the equivalent of
7 tonnes of carbon dioxide greenhouse gas and would be enough to power at least
two homes of electricity for one year! The power saved from one fridge with
doors is enough to power two homes! [2]
The Environment (Wales)
Act of March 2016 [3] (Part 2: Climate change) gave Welsh Ministers the
"powers to put in place statutory emission reduction targets, including at
least an 80% reduction in emissions by 2050 and carbon budgeting to support
their delivery. This is vital within the context of our existing UK and EU
obligations and sets a clear pathway for decarbonisation. It also provides
certainty and clarity for business and investment."
This is a great
opportunity for the Welsh Government to work towards this goal and contribute
to the 80% reduction to emissions by 2050. This act could have huge
consequences nationally and globally! Let Wales be a leading nation on the
international stage with a "healthy and resilient environment" [3] by
shutting the door to wasted energy for this and the next generation!
Additional
Information
The Environmental
Investigation Agency (EIA) in a chilling report [4] states that if retailers
put doors on fridges, they would cut their energy use by a massive 33% and 1%
of the UK energy bill would be cut if the top 5 supermarkets put doors on
fridges.
A coalition of European
NGOs have pointed to a report requested by the European Commission, which
states that up to 58TWh of power by 2030 would be saved throughout Europe if
supermarkets and retailers put doors on their fridges and freezers – this is
the equivalent of 25 medium size coal power plants. They further commented,
"the step to install doors on supermarket fridges and freezers is a
no-brainer. Retailers will benefit from lower energy bills, a more climate
conscious image, and ultimately, happier consumers. It's a win-win for
everyone, especially for the environment. Because of climate change, we simply
can't afford to be so careless with energy any longer." [5]
[1] Customer Care Team,
SuperValu. Personal Communication. Thursday 7th Sep 2017. Irish retailer
SuperValu quotes these figures directly from their fridge manufacturer.
[2] Office of Gas and
Electricity Markets. Typical Domestic Consumption Values. Available from: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/gas/retail-market/monitoring-data-and-statistics/typical-domestic-consumption-values
[Accessed Friday 11th January 2019]
[3] Welsh Government.
Environment (Wales) Act 2016. Available from: http://gov.wales/topics/environmentcountryside/consmanagement/natural-resources-management/environment-act/?skip=1&lang=en
[Accessed Friday 11th January 2019]
[4] Environmental
Investigation Agency, Chilling Facts VI: Closing the door on HFCs. 2014; p14.
Available from: https://eia-international.org/report/the-chilling-facts-vi-closing-the-door-on-hfcs/
[Accessed: Friday 11th January 2019].
[5] Coolproducts, Why
don't supermarket fridges have doors? Available from: https://www.coolproducts.eu/news/why-dont-supermarket-fridges-have-doors
[Accessed Saturday 12th January 2019]
Status
This petition was
considered completed by the Petitions Committee at its meeting on 19/11/19.
In light of the responses received from major
supermarkets, and the limitations on the Welsh Government’s powers to mandate
action in this area, the Committee agreed to close the petition on the basis
that it is unable to take further meaningful action in relation to the
petition.
Full details of the consideration of this petitions
by the committee and related documents can be seen on the Meetings tab above.
It was first considered by the Petitions Committee
on 21/05/2019.
Assembly Constituency and
Region
- Cardiff North
- South Wales Central
Further information
Business type: Petition
Reason considered: Senedd Business;
Status: Complete
First published: 14/05/2019