Carbon Savings - Promoting tangible methods of conservation (Finalist.)
YMCA - Toronto Office
Updates based on feedback:
Many have felt this proposal is based on measuring a person's carbon footprint, instead we are helping people estimate the economic and environmental benefits they can expect to achieve by switching to a new light bulb, showerhead or even by adding a rain barrel.
We will be getting the word out through our own marketing efforts but also see this as a resource to support the many organizations that are already out there. We provide traction to the envrionmental movement and use money and environmental benefits as incentives for people to consider and try new products.
We are looking to work with sustainability networks, housing associations, builders, manufactuers and retailers (to help market their products), real estate agents, mortgage specialists, educational programs, speakers and the list goes on. - If you are one of these people or know someone who is, we would love to hear from you!
OVERVIEW
Carbon Savings is committed to reducing society’s demand on natural resources by promoting environmentally preferred products (EPPs). To do this, Carbon Savings focuses on public awareness by helping people to understand how to conserve water and energy and then to estimate the financial and environmental benefits associated with each method. This is done through calculators which help people estimate their annual savings, payback period and CO2 reductions. Please view http://carbonsavings.org/product.php?item=faucet for an example.
The organization was founded on the following premises:
- People would prefer to reduce their impact on the environment as long as it does not affect their standard of living
- The majority of people are motivated to action based on financial considerations
- People are hesitant to spend money when the resulting savings are unknown
In order to support the transition towards a low carbon economy, Carbon Savings has decided to concentrate its efforts on a two pronged approach. The first is to help homeowners and businesses find tangible methods to conserve energy and water. There are roughly 30 household technologies that are good for the environmental and have a fast payback period, yet many of them are unfamiliar to the public. As a result, Carbon Savings is building a comprehensive and easy-to-use website for consumers to view all of their options and learn about each one.
The second approach is to help companies communicate the benefits of their EPPs to the public. This allows manufacturers and retailers to promote their products by demonstrating the economic and environmental benefits to the customer. In essence, the calculators become interactive marketing tools to help companies sell more products. At the end of the day, increased sales translate into greater adoption of conservation.
BACKGROUND & DETAILS
The concept of Carbon Savings was born in 2010 as part of a sustainability course in engineering at Queen’s University. Since that time, the idea has evolved and gained momentum. Today, the company has teamed up with a number of non-profit organizations to provide traction to their environmental efforts.
One of Carbon Savings’ core beliefs is that in order to achieve mainstream conservation, consumers must first know what their options are and then be convinced these products are worth buying. As a result, the company has created a working prototype at www.CarbonSavings.org to allow users to browse through different product categories, such as showerheads and thermostats, in order to learn about them and their importance. Each technology is highlighted with its own interactive calculator to help users estimate the financial and environmental benefits. The calculators are pre-loaded with average household data to help people that may not be aware of reasonable input values. These numbers can be changed to generate customized estimates.
In addition to the 30 household technologies, there are roughly 40 commercial technologies that can be adopted at work to generate even greater savings. As the site develops, the goal is to provide a user experience geared towards helping people and companies explore practical opportunities to achieve conservation. By highlighting all of these technologies, Carbon Savings is looking to offer the most extensive collection of environmental products and their calculators in one location.
Beyond the educational website, Carbon Savings will leverage its impact by creating marketing tools for manufacturers and retailers. The calculators can be customized to be product specific and can be placed on the retailer’s site beside the product, which positions the calculators in front of people at the point of sale. It also enables companies to provide personalized estimates without sending their customers away from their website. The calculators have a lot of flexibility in terms of look, feel and the number of questions asked of the user. They must also be approved by Carbon Savings for accuracy and then carry the Carbon Savings logo, providing third party verification.
Companies do not currently have the option to license energy savings calculators and therefore, cannot benefit from the various advantages they have to offer. The licensing option allows companies to focus on their core competency while outsourcing software improvements and utility updates to an industry expert. Also, companies are able to forgo the development cost, which reduces risk and makes high-end features more affordable. At the end of the day, these marketing tools and added features help companies sell more EPPs and lead to a low carbon economy.
Once the site is established, Carbon Savings will create tools to help sustainability departments and green teams to evaluate the energy and water savings potential of their company. Again, the focus will be on both the financial and enviornmental benefits so they can communicate the benefits to the public once the retrofits are performed. This helps the departments identify the best opportunities while saving a lot time since the software will evaluate which technologies offer the greatest savings and are best suited for their applications. This lets staff members concentrate on implimentation while Carbon Savings performs the initial research and compares technologies.
A big component of our success will be getting our calculators in front of people. This will be facilitated by a number of partnerships. As it's been mentioned throughout the competition, we have a number of partnerships in the works and some have been confirmed at this time. We are working with the YMCA, a few TD branches (to start), Science 44 Housing Co-op (and looking at the Co-op network), Youth Metoring Youth program and we are hoping to work with a number of low-income housing organizations, Greenovations with Queen's University and there are a large number of organizations in the pipeline.
Another aspect to consider is that corporate clients are similar to partnerships in the way that they help bring the calculators to the public. Companies looking to license the calculators bring the calculators to their own network and often present the information at meaningful times such as the point of sale or in relationship to a "call to action".
The energy demands of the average Canadian household results in roughly 8-10 metric tons of CO2 emissions per year. However, it is possible to reduce these energy demands by more than 20% with technologies that offer a combined payback period of less than 5 years. As a result, a household would be able to save upwards of $500 per year and reduce emission by over 2 metric tons on an annual basis.
Average Annual Savings
Low flow showerheads - 220kg CO2 | $90 per year | 0.7 year payback period (or less) | 30,000L of water
Faucet Aerators - 60kg CO2 | $40 per year | 0.5 year payback period (or less) | 15,000L of water
Rain Barrel - 2kg CO2 | $9 per year | 10 year payback period | 5,000L of water
Front-load washing - 170kg CO2 | $140 per year | 5 -10 year payback period | 40,000L of water
Thermostat - 200kg CO2 | $40 per year | 2.5 year payback period
Phantom Power Bar - 30kg CO2 | $20 per year | 2 year payback period
The goal is to reach as many people as possible and through the help of the YMCA, Carbon Savings is able to get a good start. In Toronto alone, the YMCA network reaches approximately 500,000 people each year and the organization helps roughly 25% of all immigrants entering the country. Their network offers an incredible opportunity to reach a large number of people and tailor solutions to help recent immigrants. The partnership will begin with a flyer distributed through the YMCA’s network that will highlight a couple household products and how much can be saved. It will then lead people to both organizations’ websites to learn more.
Partnering with the YMCA offers an unparalleled ability to reach a large number of people and achieve environmental reform. Furthermore, targeted campaigns can help low income families save money with products that have payback periods of less than 1 year.
Separately, a couple bank branches have offered to provide exposure by handing out information about www.CarbonSavings.org to new homeowners that sign up for a mortgage.
Carbon Savings was founded by Howard Swartz who graduated from Mechanical Engineering at Queen’s University. He has continued his studies at Queen’s and is currently completing a Masters in Civil Engineering with Speciality in Applied Sustainability. He has worked as the environmental manager for an eco-friendly coffee shop and spent a summer at an energy service company. In the latter role, he generated estimates of the financial savings associated with various energy reducing technologies. Howard’s network includes sustainability managers, manufacturers, retailers, utility companies, environmental consultants and marketing firms.
The company is able to derive revenues through a number of methods. The main source will come from licensing the customized calculators. Carbon Savings is in the process of developing a sophisticated platform to offer customized calculators that are capable of collecting valuable statistics about users, which can then be used to influence future marketing campaigns. Manufacturers and retailers will pay to have calculators developed for their products, which will be supported by Carbon Savings through software and data updates. This helps companies focus on their core competencies while benefiting from a third party source that is trusted for estimating utility savings.
Once the company has developed a strong online presence, the company will look to establish a consulting division. This would allow the company to provide more detailed analysis and engage organizations that would prefer to receive expert advice.
Comments
Use of Money
Hi Brian,
Thanks for your comment - I’m glad you like the calculators and great question!
In its current form, www.CarbonSavings.org is a working prototype with the potential to be a valuable resource for the public. To do this, the site needs to be expanded to include more products and calculators, requiring a web developer.
In addition, we are looking to turn this website into a self-sustaining organization. The main way we are looking to achieve this is through selling and licensing customized calculators to manufacturers and retailers for their own site. This way they can promote their conservation products using interactive marketing tools, without sending their customers away from their own site. Of course, this requires more start-up capital. We are also looking at ways to develop the site to minimize future development costs and ensure we can remain competitive while creating highly customized solutions for our clients.
There has been considerable interest in this product but it takes time getting into a company’s development cycle. Therefore, we are looking to develop a prototype of the licensing aspect so that we have a more refined product once interest converts into sales.
Luckily, we have spent a lot of time figuring out ways to use our first stage of development as a building block for the next stages of development and future services. As a result, this first stage of development will help further reduce future costs and make it more feasible to add new services and diversify our revenue stream. This is good news for everyone because we have a pipeline of offerings that can reduce barriers and foster change.
your tool
i really like this becasue it will engage the people and they will be intrested in seeing how much they can save. they will also be able to tell quickly on how much they have saved. this soundes clear and efficent. i dont understand though how you will use this money as your toll sounds meerly like a online tool not anything phisical that would require funding.
you must show more clearly how you would be able to use these funds.
Use of funds
Hello,
You are correct that the majority of the proposal is based online, although there are certainly expansion opportunities into other forms down the road. However, there seems to be a misconception with the cost of developing online content. The project requires customized code to be developed, with some significant capabilities to meet the needs of our customers/clients and encourgae companies and individuals to use our product. We have received quotes for this development and it is costly, which is where all of the funds would go.
Thanks for your comment.
Good Idea
I think this is a great idea! Keep up the good work.
I think it is a very well
I think it is a very well thought out and well rounded proposal....very impressive !!
Great idea and user friendly
The strengths of this proposal lie both in the idea and the execution. Not only does it provide a user friendly calculator but the tools to help collaborators promote to consumers. This would ensure a faster circulation to the ultimate recipient.
Carbon savings
a really great project. It would also be ideal to help upper primary and middle school math to work out their own carbon savings from their own utility bills.
I would suggest that more provinces be added to the sample as Manitoba has some of the lowest hydro and water rates in Canada and information given on the savings can be misleading.
I would also suggest that the site for purchasing products be improved by adding a search bar as I wanted to look at a dryer cover and couldn't find it again. I realize its an amazon operated? system but perhaps a word to them would help. Also a way to go back to previous page of the items listed for sale would also help.
Product Store + Geographic Locations
Hi Rochelle,
Thank you for your comments and you raise two great points!
The calculators that draw on weather data are currently set up to offer a short list of geographic options. This was done as a test and lots of cities that will be added. We have collected weather data from roughly 30 Canadian cities and over 150 U.S. cities - with expansion for Europe and Australia planned. We developed this prototype mainly to convey our idea and to test various methods for future development. One example is that the calculators on the website are very detailed and we are looking at ways to maintain a high level of accuracy while using 3-5 questions, but some more statistical analysis is required.
Regarding your second comment on the store - this has been an area of question for a long time. While the store certainly adds ease of use and offers greater help to the user, it has led to some questions from non-profits and charities when looking to team up and provide education to the public. Moreover, we are concerned that by having the store, we are inherently choosing favourites between companies and products.
As a result, we have decided to remove the store from the next stage of development in order to focus on a pure and unbiased brand. With that said, if we are unable to obtain any clients for the licensing option, our backup plan will bring back the store and focus the site as an all encompassing resource with the ability to help users track their energy usage. The store certainly has the ability to improve the user experience and we are constantly looking for ways to integrate these benefits in an appropriate manner. One thought that we are looking into, is transitioning the store to a different website or using it as a tool in itself to promote change. Over the past couple of months we have been in talks with GreenHeroes to determine if there's a way they could host the store and bring it to the public through their own distribution channel - this would open new doors to future expansion plans.
Thanks again for the comments!
Saving Money while helping planet a win,win
it encourages people to take action on saving energy by using everyday household items that save them money. The consumer is definitely consious of his/her monthly expenses. If is benefits the world around them all the better!
Carbon Savings - Promoting tangible methods of conservation
Provides a practical and easy way to see what you can do that is positive and proactive to promote sustainable lifestyles.
Smart idea
simole and user friendly. This will make a difference. Good job
user friendly and practical!
user friendly and practical!
Great product! Once again,
Great product! Once again, back end of the site could be enhanced through the help of a CA. Just sayin'.
very cool.
I like it! Very easy to understand website.
It's a great idea. Good luck
It's a great idea. Good luck to you.
Call to Action Opportunity
The biggest plus is that Carbon Savings is really about getting people the tools they need in their homes to get the job done on reducing a household's carbon footprint and of course there is a huge opportunity to save money. What would be helpful to this proposal would be a more comprehensive plan on how the widget is marketed to the widest possible audience. Therefore, being connected with http://GreenHeroes.tvo.org would clearly be a benefit. This would be perfect fit in terms of the widget having a home where people are on the look out for solutions. The GreenHeroes Campaign currently has one widget called the Sharelizer which we could imagine could be adapted or to include the products, services and calculations offered in the Carbon Savings widget. The Sharelizer can sit on any website and play up to 100 videos. The Call to Action in the GreenHeroes "Conservation Game" which is described here is also part of the ClimateSpark Social Venture Challenge. GreenHeroes could imagine the possibility that a tool kit made up of some of the products presented by the Carbon Savings widget could be demonstrated and and featured in GreenHeroes Sharelizer as part of the Campaign. These videos could be shared across platforms enhancing the reach and effect of these products.
This is a really good proposal - probably an inforgraphic that explains how the system works would make the delivery a little more dynamic, sort of like a commercial on TV but for the web.
Info-graphic (How it works)
We completely agree! A "How it works" section will be added during the next phase to help companies and users understand how to interact with the site and what types of services are offered. Thanks!
a solid partner for GreenHeroes Call to Action Challenge
We have already met with Carbon Savings and see really benefits to being involved with the tool they have created and helping to market it to end users through not only our game but also our "Take Action" campaigns.
easy to use, relevant
easy to use, relevant information.
I wonder if there's a 'gamification aspect' that could be incorporated. ie. showing how others in your area code, YMCA group, province, compare to your individual savings.
I like the idea of the YMCA (or other agency) helping low income families make purcahses of items with 1year returns. This might be tricky to manage, but could be a good way to help low income families in the long term.
GreenHeroes Can Deliver on Gamification
Hi Roger: Great suggestion - re: gamification - the GreenHeroes proposal is all about this and we are interested in partnering with Carbon Savings - have a look here at our idea.
Gamification
Hi Roger,
Thanks for your comment. I completely agree that an interactive 'gaming' application exists for this type of project and we are certainly looking into the various options. With regards to the examples you gave, we are looking into a membership platform where individuals can sign up and track their own energy usage. With a little extra input from the users, we can then segment users based on geographic location, number of people per household, size of their home, etc... and allow them to compare or rank themselves against the average within the database. This should also help encourage individuals to be 'better than the average' and seek further opportunities to conserve. Rewards/prizes will be considered as well.
Tangibility
Great tool - given the economic uncertainty, consumers are focused on BOTH their wallet and the environment.
Working with others
This idea has tremendous scalability.
I admire that you are dialoging with other ClimateSpark participants and open to work in a collaborative effort to accomplish the desired goals. It appears from the comments of others and your responses that you are both a team player and leader with vision and problem solving skills.
Excellent!
Howard is a dedicated entrepreneur and this is bound to succeed!
very impresed with what they
very impresed with what they are doing so things their strengths are very positive - don't really see any weaknesses
What a great innovative idea!
What a great innovative idea! Well done!
Green Business Case
This project sounds very good, I agree that it can be difficult for consumers to grasp or fully appreciate the financial and environmental consequences of many purchases, the calculators Carbon Savings creates could really help to clarify that.
There are potential synergies and bottlenecks in systems that are not readily apparent by looking at just one component - for example - showerhead - are the pipes properly insulated/installed - how old is the hot water tank (tankless?) - do you have solar hotwater installed etc - the larger system can be more complex. It would be interesting to have a full home system calculator in addition to the standalone product calculators. Users could save a profile and update with newer components/products to see the big picture of their home or business savings/consumption.
Holistic Approach
Hi Matt,
Thanks for your comment and you are absolutely correct. In practice, there are definitely synergies or counterproductive acts that take place when implementing multiple products. We are certainly looking into ways to help perform more complete - self performed energy assessments - We have started to put some of these systems together on the back end and will be looking to develop them further and test the code before bringing it to the public. Thanks again.
Great Idea Howard! Good luck!
Great Idea Howard! Good luck!
Howard is an amazing
Howard is an amazing candidate and the tool he has created is incredible.
Great Idea!
I'd use this :)
iPhone and android apps would be great!
Apps
Hi Suraj,
You read our mind! There are some pretty cool opportunities down this road and we are always looking for potential developers - have any suggestions?
This proposal is well though
This proposal is well though out and presented.
Interesting concept!
It is pragmatic, based on the truths that many people (like me!) will use environmentally friendly products if they can be assured that they will work, if it's not too much trouble and if the benefits can be demonstrated. The difficulty is to convince those people....for example, I hate the light from the compact bulbs, don't like the idea that they are hard to dispose of, and think they are expensive, and so refuse to use them - never mind how good they may be for the environment. So I likely wont' use them till ordinary light bulbs are no longer available. And there are going to be lots of "resisters" like me...kind of a lost cause for this proposal. However, for those who are more environmentally conscious, or maybe even for me with different products, it's a good idea.
Personal choice
Hi Judith,
You raise a fantastic point. We are not looking to guilt people into conservation, rather we are simply presenting valuable information in an accessible form to help people make more informed choices.
You are correct that not all products are right for you and some may actually show a very long payback period or even negative savings based on your lifestyle. Again, this is OK - everyone makes decisions according to their own value system. Our belief is that if people operated strictly on an environmental basis, many of these technologies would already be adopted by the mainstream. Since this is only true for a couple products, we are trying to change society's opion by letting people explore and decide for themselves. We are simply displaying a collection of products that (generally) offer a compelling story based on economic and environemntal benefits - since these are strong motivating factors that encourage action.
Transparency
A very interesting and useful tool, but you should include an option to view the data used to make the calculations (ie: weather data, etc.).
Open source
Hi Alan,
Thanks for your comment and you raise an interesting point. The current default values are as professional and official as we can find, and each item is well documented. However, we are still a young organization and want to become established before we give away our "secret sauce" - escpecially since we are looking to create a business model around value-added products/services.
Its certainly a thought for later once we are established or if we change focus, but it's simply too early to disclose that information to the public (It has taken us over a year and a half of researching to compile all of it).
Also, once we create feedback loops in phase 2 to better measure impact, we will be sitting on data that can be used to modify the default values and calculators. Again, we are uncertain of our exact course of action but just trying to help explain our thought process - Thanks again.
Gives us a way to make better
Gives us a way to make better decisions.
Awesome Idea!
Very innovative idea with a lot of potential. (especially with the incorporation of technology)
I am impressed with your
I am impressed with your commitment to explore ways to reduce dependency on natural resources.
Carbon Savings makes cents
Well-thought out and timely.
The great strength of this
The great strength of this method is that benefits of projects are displayed properly in which customer are persudaed to use these projects . This is very eco-friendly and practical method and also effective for saving natural resources.
The installion of large products should be easy and also there should be methods so that individual can assess the usage of energy resources.
Alternative energy
Thanks for commenting and good point. We are definitely looking at bigger projects and even alternative energy sources.
A practical, easy to use tool
A practical, easy to use tool that can produce tangible benefits in a short timeframe.
this is a practical tool to
this is a practical tool to help people figure out how they are really impacting the environment based on their spending. It appears to be easy to us and comprehensive
sustaining environment by optimum utilisation of resources
I think this is a great idea of sustaining the environment by using tangible methods of conserving nature. The best part of this movement is that these people educate the local people in order to use EPP's. This is contributing significantly to our environment as our environment is in a desperate need to conserve itself . The emission of CO2 is to be reduced so that no harm is further witnessed to the society.
A good starting point
The advances in technology are allowing us to use low wattage lighsources such as LEDs in more and more ways. This could be a good pilot project that can be rolled out on a wider scale. Timers and sensors can also be used to automatically switch lights on and off and reduce the amount of light pollution.
This proposal can be improved by more aggressive public awareness programs and education.
Marketing
Great point, we are just getting off the ground and have already teamed up with some great partners to get the word out. Those partners include the YMCA, a couple TD branches and many, many more in the pipeline. We will be actively marketing our products and services in the near future. Thanks!
I think this is very cool,
I think this is very cool, but I wonder how if it is different enough from other interactive energy saving tools such as the one promoted by the federal or provincial government, or from similar tools developed by people in other countries. I think more needs to be done to explain how this tool is different and/or better than other tools in the market and in development.
Clear explanation of what differentiates this tool in the market. Clearer explanation of how the tool will be executed and on what platforms it will be made available. Clearer explanation of how it will work with existing awareness programs, and how it will be marketed.
Differences
Hi Jared,
Thanks for the comment. Our main difference compared to the select calculators in existence is that we provide a much more user friendly experience. It is a lot easier to navigate our site and to estimate savings based on the user friendly imagery and flow of the site. In addition, we offer the calculators as a service where we license them in a secure, PHP code for companies to use on their own site. This gets the calculators in front of consumers at the point of purchase. We also are able to collect unique and valuable data, as stated by some of the national retailers we have been in close contact with. Moreover, we are going to be offering the calculators through smart phones apps and as part of membership services to allow users to become more engaged and track their usage. So you are correct, the major differences are our payment options, the services we offer and the platforms we operate on.
Strengths are its focus on
Strengths are its focus on providing a simple translation of an action into a cost saving and payback period, ability to integrate the calculators into other websites.
No comment
I think the strength of this
I think the strength of this approach is on leveraging the internet which can reach a large audience. As well, making use of the YMCA as a distribution channel is thinking outside of the box to reach even more people including new immigrants.
Good Topic.....Thinking For Future
Carbon savings is a good idea, but have to think how to spread this idea to the people around you, which i feel that we need to bring some awareness like what is gonna happen if the percentage of carbon increases and how can it effect the environment and try to reduce the products that increase carbon.
Go with the natural solar products, Light saving bulbs and turn off when not in use and educating children at schools.
Potential outcomes
Hi Karthik,
Thanks for commenting. We are definitely considering adding some commentary or a section on current CO2 levels. This will be considered as part of the next round of development to see if it makes sense to be added based on the site's focus as well as the resulting look. Also, the natural solar products and light saving bulbs will definitiely be looked at to see if they have a reasonable payback period, in order to be considered in the first round of calculators. If you have any specific product recommendations, please send us a link and we'll check it out!
Your comment about educating children is great and actually one of the places we focused on when starting this journey. It turns out that targeting kids requires a very different set of calculators - ones that focus on turning lights off, walking to school, turning off the TV, turning the tap off while brushing teeth, etc. We are anxious to build out a kids section to bring it into the classroom but initial talks with Earth Day Canada have indicated the best route forward is to start with companies and transition as part of a later phase in development. Lastly, we will look to add support for behavioural changes, such as the ones mentioned for kids, but aimed at adults and office settings.
Thanks again!
It's a very strong proposal,
It's a very strong proposal, and will very likely help reduce carbon footprints.
It just makes sense!
Who wouldn't want a calculator on their phone to tell them how to save money and save the planet at the same time? It just makes sense. So many of us are completely lost when it comes to deciding what is green, organic, fair-trade and ethical. Unfortunately it is easy to give up when there are so many choices out there and we have no idea what is "green-washed" from what isn't. This tool eliminates all the research and makes it easy to chose a products and service that benefit or wallets and the planet. I think this project is really going to take off whether it wins or not. Good luck and great work!
great idea
strength?
How do you get the message out without creating waste and carbon footprint?
Marketing
Hi, thank you for commenting. We believe it is important to walk the walk but it is very difficult to eliminate your impact entirely. During the next web launch, we will be converting our hosting to an environmental company that purchases excess, high quality carbon offsets. Our professional printing is directed through FSC certified organizations and even our business cards are on recycled paper. We try our best to avoid unecessary printing, but there are certainly situations where its best to distribute materials. To lead by example, we are looking at joining 1% for the Planet and offsetting our own emissions once we establish a baseline reading and we currently place a high preference on low emisison means of travel. Thanks for asking!
It is a great idea. very well
It is a great idea. very well planned and thought out.
Good Concept
The calculators are a great idea to get people thinking about their own consumption.
Perhaps you could license the calculators to corporations so they could use them on their own websites in return for sponsorship fees. In addition to providing the corporations with the calculators you could also provide links to their websites.
Sponsorship
Hi Paul, Thanks for commenting. You are absolutely correct, we will be looking to license the caculators to other company websites. We will certainly consider adding links to their sites but in the short term we are looking to keep the companies at arm's reach and charge them for the service, rather than for sponsorship. Good point though and something we have definitely contemplated. Thanks!
Spectacular
Great proposal - really empowers people to be green by saving green (or multi-coloured as our currency is).
The perfect way to go.
The challenge is the outreach, but it's clear Howard has some key partners in play that can help spread the message. Great work.
Partners
Thanks! We're glad it shows... and there are many more in the pipeline
Great idea
I believe that there has been some grat discussion points brought up above.
Continue looking at the marketing and advertsising opportunities for eco friendly companies.
A new and an innovative idea
i think thsi is a new and innovative idea..
save lights and switch off them when not reqired
Behavioural Changes
Great point Tarneshwar. We will try to add a behavioural component as those changes can make a noticeable difference.
Simple But Strong
elminating carbon emission is a must, cause of the fear of problems created by them.
the strength of this concept is that it is so easy to start with as we only need to first start with our homes.
weakness is the awarness which the people dont know abot the problem.
think proposal can be improved by first setting and example and using the less carbon emmission products.
and later we be an example for others which others can follow.
Re: Simple But Strong
Hi Avinash, Thanks for your feedback and your sentiment. We have spent a long time trying to make the concept simple and relatable to the mainstream public. You are right that not everyone knows the problem, but the concept of global warming is familiar and most people are aware of the importance to save money. We hope to gain support from both perspectives and earlier indications are very positive.
Thanks!
I feel this poposal helps
I feel this poposal helps every individual to see how he/she can have an impact on changing the environment as well as saving money by the choices each of us make.
Great potential to promote solar panel projects and more...
This comprehensive idea could accomodate innumerable conservation and energy generating projects. For example, our Alberta home has a brand new, owner installed 6 Kw roof mounted solar system. Due to provincial regulations, we (the "energy producer"!) are paid 8.1 cents per Kw hour of electricity produced. Our local electric utility installed a 2 way meter so we can keep track seperately of the energy we produce and the energy we consume. We also track our electricity production online with software supplied by the manufacturer. As you know, homeowners in Ontario are paid approximately 80 cents per Kw hour for the electricity they generate!! We in Alberta think that would be a huge incentive to install a photovoltaic system on your roof! We calculate a pay back of around 5 years for an Ontario home-owner with a system identical to ours. Voila: an affordable way to reduce your household's carbon footprint. All you need is a south facing roof with a reasonable pitch... You might inspire your neighbors, too! We installed our system ourselves with the help of a civil engineer friend whose claim to fame thus far has centered around rain barrels. I mention our project because I think it and/or similar projects would work well in the framework of this energy conservation proposal. For more information, technical and cost details and photos of our project, you can contact me at this website, or at [email protected]. (By the way, solar energy is a hobby, not a business, for us. Any pointers or advice are offered free of charge, and we are not affiliated in any way with the manufacturers of any part of the above described system.)
Add a component of energy generation to the basic idea of energy conservation.
Energy Generation
Hi Jillian, thanks for the feedback and the amazing offer of help. We have considered adding calculators for renewable energy and are certainly interested in them as an important piece of the puzzle. I would be very interested in learning more about your experience and to develop a calculator for solar. Thanks again for your offer and I'll follow up in the coming weeks.
As a home owner I could
As a home owner I could definately use this tool. Hope I get to use it one day (and soon).
Keep up the great work
We need groups like yours to solve issues that the government and municipalities simple are not addressing.
Well done
Can you partner with the people at
cpconference
Hi Zell,
Thanks for the kind words and we're glad you like the idea.
The conference looks interesting and worth exploring for next year. We are looking to expand our warehouse of calculators and the renewable energy sector is appealing. Thanks for passing it along.
Good good, very interesting.
Good good, very interesting.
Great Proposal
As a person who owns a varety of rental properties this proposal appeals to both my business interests as well as my personal beliefs. I think that it will a great tool to promote people who are fiscally motivated to think differetnly abouth their choices regarding their properties. Very hands on and user friendly. Well done!
Rental Properties
Thank you!
Make the calculator ubiquitous
Strengths: A working prototype exists and it works. The calculators already have default figures so that people don't have to guesstimate things like "flowrate of a faucet"
Weakness: Most of the products you list are purchased as "once in a while" items, therefore I don't foresee your site receiving a lot of traffic under its current model. Plus, consumers consider other features, such as, ease of installation, aesthetics, safety, etc. in addition to price.
I like your idea of affixing "calculators" on retailer's websites (e.g. Amazon, Home Depot, Wal-Mart), to help consumers make informed decisions about their carbon savings (I suspect their experience with your calc has to be very, very simple)
- More emphasis on long-term dollar savings & payback periods. You already feature this, but the way I view your site, its secondary to "carbon savings"
- Simplify the calculator (unless you find that users really enjoy knowing what assumptions are built into your calculations
- Present payback periods in years and months and not "1.67 years"
- Eventually put out a market survey to collect info about the kinds of conclusions that users want from your calculator
- Also survey retailers and manufacturers: What kind of consumer data would they like from your calculators and are they willing to pay for it?
This may sound like I'm changing your business model to fit a "dollar driven" rather than a "carbon driven" motive and perhaps I am. But I am confident that the engineer in you will cherry-pick the right appliances & consumer products that promote real "carbon savings" as you've already done
Dollar Driven
Hi Sandra,
Thank you for such detailed comments and you raised a number of great points.
The overarching concern about a low traffic site is certainly justified. The initial goal with CarbonSavings.org is to develop a unique and valuable resource that can be promoted by organizations as a mechanism for change. If we are successful in creating a valuable resource, I believe it will be widely visited as many organizations jump on board. The initial stages of this plan are proving to be true as the feedback has been remarkable. Groups such as the YMCA, TD branches, Youth Mentoring Youth and a green renovation group have offered to use and promote the site.
This will hopefully contribute to a change in public perception of these products as well as offer a go-to resource when people are making a purchase. This will be followed up with some creative smartphone apps to add convenience and increased functionailty. We will also be looking to develop a membership service where users can create a profile of their home / office and the values in the profile become the inputs to all of our calculators, helping people to prioritize action. From there, users can input their monthly utility bills and track usage overtime. These are efforts to encourage repeat visitors, but are also geared towards homeowners.
In addition to homeowners, there is significant opportunity to create specialized software of our services to target specific industries, contractors, etc. to develop repeat users and greater opportunities for change. At the end of the day, this concept is geared towards industry, retailers and manufacturers. However, there are many people who will appreciate and benefit from these services at home and maybe even champion them at work. Also, the more embedded the website is with the public, the more valuable and trusted the brand becomes with companies (and the greater impact we can have through both residents and busiensses)
The specific comments about the website are also well founded and I agree, there needs to be a greater emphasis on dollar savings. The prototype was build on a shoestring budget and the next stage will hire a specialized company to improve the layout/user experience. This includes the placement of the results/ graph as well as the list of questions posed to the users by the calculators. I posted some of the calculators (such as the programmable thermostat) as a test to guage user interactions when they are so detailed. Since launching the prototype, we have figured out ways to simplify the calcualtors to 3-5 questions. Also, displaying results in terms of years and months is high on the list for adjustments in the next round, making our site more accessible.
Lastly, surveys for both the users and retailers are important and the idea of a formal survey to users is quite interesting. From a retailer perspective, we have been told directly by a large national retailer that the big companies are all quite proficent with collecting and analyzing data, but Carbon Savings is able to collect unique and valuable data. We are currently in discussions with this retailer to launch a prototype.
Sandra, thanks again for such a detailed look at Carbon Savings' proposal and for giving me the opportunity to respond to your thoughts. I highly agree with your comments and prototyping the website was a huge step in being able to properly portray the concept and collect valuable recommendations and "next steps" such as the ones you have outlined.
Never seen a website promote
Never seen a website promote this idea before. Potentially extremely beneficial to the average Joe and commercial suppliers - a win-win.
Great Idea
Strength: Having people able to track their savings is always a great idea! I like the included payback.
Weakness: There could be a lot of other things eventually added.
Eventually having other improvments: prehaps adding insulation, changing old windows, ect.
Expansion Opportunities
Hi Sunil, Thanks for commenting.
I'm glad you see lots of opportunities - just as we do! And we're also glad you feel it's our biggest weakness. We'll certainly work on that!
The ClimateSpark Social Venture Challenge is a project of:
Our sponsors:
Neat tool
I think you've put together a neat tool and the site alone should generate lots of interest and education at the very least.
However I'm unclear as to how you plan to make use of the winnings for this contest.