The Switch it Off Campaign

Switch it Off is an energy saving campaign covering Coventry, Warwickshire and Worcestershire. Its aim is simple – to show the saving that can be achieved when a lot of people turn off unwanted lights and electrical appliances that have been left on standby.

Make a difference

From 20 October 2008 - 24 October 2008

This year's event will run from Monday 20 October 2008 to Friday 24 October 2008, culminating with the Big Switch Off scheduled for Friday 24 October between 4.30pm - 6.30pm.

For these five days we will be encouraging everyone whether they are at home, at work or at school to turn off all unnecessary lighting and electrical appliances that have been left on stand-by.

The Switch it Off campaign, which covers one and a half million people in Coventry, Warwickshire and Worcestershire, aims to help us bring down fuel costs, reduce our impact on the environment and make us less dependent on imported fuel.

Our success from previous year

From Monday 30 October to Friday 3 November 2006, we encouraged people in their homes, factories, schools and offices, to turn off all unnecessary lighting and electrical appliances. The week culminated in 'Big Switch Off' day on Friday 3 November, when Central Networks monitored the region's electricity use between 4.30pm and 6.30pm – the period when peak daily consumption usually occurs.

The campaign was a great success, with an 8 per cent reduction in energy use noted for the whole of Warwickshire during Big Switch Off day. Energy use on the Friday evening dropped to the lowest point of the week, when it is usually at a peak. The peak consumption of electricity in Coventry fell by 23 Megawatts on Friday 3 November when compared with the previous evening.

The combined results across Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Coventry amounted to a potential annual saving of over 10,000 tonnes of CO2 and 2.4 million pounds. If the whole of the UK could replicate what we did in Coventry, Warwickshire and Worcestershire then it would be equivalent to building another nine power stations the size of Dinorwig in Wales.

If the people of Coventry managed to achieve a similar dip in energy demand every evening it would reduce the amount of carbon dioxide going into the atmosphere by more than 3,500 tonnes a year and cut the amount being spent on electricity bills annually in Coventry by almost 850,000 pounds.

The report on the Switch it Off Campaign 2006 is available here.

So let's get in the Switch it Off habit now – and remember to join in the campaign during 20 October to 24 October 2008 and the Grand Finale on Friday 24 October 2008 for the Big Switch Off.

Our partners

Click here for further information on the Switch it Off campaign in Warwickshire and Worcestershire.

Contact details

Kevin Palmer
Energy Engineer
Tel: 024 7683 2713

e-mail: kevin.palmer@coventry.gov.uk

Downloadable documents

About PDFs and Accessibility

Switch it Off report 2006 (PDF). (145 kb)

Coventry City Council

Switch it Off Campaign