Ministry of the Environment Launches Pilot Project on Effects of Visualizing Household GHG Emissions

Japan's Ministry of the Environment (MOE) launched a pilot project to study the effects of visualizing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from households, as announced on August 17, 2009. In the project, data on power consumption and GHG emissions associated with the use of air conditioners, refrigerators and TV sets in participating households are indicated on power monitoring devices connected to these electric appliances, and MOE studies how this visualization contributes to reductions in emissions.

The project targets 200 households from the Kanto region to the west; 25 in Saitama Prefecture, 25 in Yokohama City (Kanagawa Prefecture), 50 in Numazu City (Shizuoka Prefecture), and another 100 scattered throughout the area. Participant households were separated into two groups. One group was only asked to install the power-monitoring devices, while the other group is requested to take several simple energy-saving actions, along the use of the devices, such as turning up/down the preset temperatures of air conditioners and turning down the brightness of TV screens. MOE intends to study the differences in energy-saving effects between the two groups.

The project is scheduled to be carried out in three different seasons; August 2009 (summer), October 2009 (autumn) and January 2010 (winter).

MOE to Research Ways to Display CO2 Emissions from Products and Services (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/en/pages/026972.html
City of Anjo Gives Households Electricity Consumption Monitors for Study (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/en/pages/028831.html

Posted: 2009/11/30 06:00:15 AM

TAG Global warming , Government , NGO/Citizen