WEST Sussex residents are being encouraged to join the big switch off in the fight to reduce climate change.
Energy Saving Day, or E-Day, starts tonight (Wednesday February 27) at 6pm and runs for 24 hours.
It is a national initiative encouraging people to switch off all non essential electrical items in their homes, including lights, televisions on standby, mobile phone chargers, unused printers - anything electrical that does not need to be on.
Local businesses can get free expert help and advice from the West Sussex Sustainable Business Partnership on how to apply the ideas of E-Day, and make significant savings through easy low cost energy saving measures. Just call 01243 756869, or e-mail sbp@westsussex.gov.uk.
The National Grid will assess what difference E-Day makes to electricity consumption as people switch off across the country.
As people switch off and stay switched off for as long as possible, the results of these energy saving measures will be updated minute by minute on the E-Day website.
It has been estimated that if everyone switched off unnecessary electrical items it would be the same as turning off a 500 MegaWatt coal-fired power station or not needing 500 (1MW) wind turbines.
It is hoped that E-Day will lead to a drop in electricity demand of up to three per cent across the UK.
Further details of the day and other events all around the country can be found by visiting the E-Day website at: www.e-day.org.uk.
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