Members of the Close the Door campaign are appealing to high street stores and other shop owners to keep their doors closed during the winter months.
New research by Cambridge University shows that closing a shop door in winter saves up to 50 per cent in energy usage and carbon emissions.
The study, which was carried out especially for the Close the Door campaign, also revealed that closing a shop door when heating is being used:
- Cuts a shop’s annual CO2 emissions by up to 10 tonnes of CO2, equivalent to three return London to Hong Kong flights.
- Assists with mandatory national 34 per cent reduction in carbon emissions.
- Enhances comfort of staff and customers, maintaining temperature at Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) recommended levels all day.
- Maintains energy use at a standard low level.
- Enables heating to be shut off long before the end of the day without affecting internal temperatures.
Emily Thornberry, a London MP in support of the campaign, said: “I fully support the Close the Door campaign as global climate change is the most serious issue facing the world. This campaign not only makes a real difference to energy waste but is also raising awareness and showing that very simple actions can make a real difference.
“We should all do more to avoid excess energy consumption. Individual actions have a huge impact on energy waste and this campaign is a perfect example of that.”
To visit the Close the Door homepage click here.
