A recent survey of drivers found that 2,150 tons of CO2 are generated by UK motorists warming up their cars in the morning, creating the equivalent CO2 emissions of three 747 flights from London to New York each day.[social_buttons]

“Everyone is now familiar with simple energy saving tips like switching off a tap, turning off lights and recycling but it seems many people’s green intentions go out the window when they are faced with a cold start in the morning. Our research has shown that an estimated 2,150 tonnes of CO2 and 21,450MW of electricity will be wasted each cold morning across the UK.” – Lucy Bailey, ibuyeco spokesperson

The results of the survey of drivers by ibuyeco show that 46% of UK drivers are in the habit of warming up their vehicles for over 5 minutes on cold winter mornings, releasing an estimated 2,150 tons of CO2 each day.

ibuyeco offers these energy and fuel saving tips:

Covering your vehicle’s windshield the night before a cold snap reduces the need for heavy scraping and a hot water treatment in the morning

Add an extra layer of clothing or wear your winter coat for the initial early morning drive. This will ensure you stay cozy and reduce your need to ‘warm up’ the car.

Clean out the garage. If you have a place to store your vehicle overnight, then use the space and keep your car under cover during cold winter nights

ibuyeco is a 100% carbon-neutral insurance company, offering competitively priced insurance which includes the offset of 100% of a vehicle’s annual CO2 emissions.

ibuyeco calculates a vehicle’s CO2 emissions based on engine size, fuel type and the annual mileage details provided by the customer. ibuyeco then purchases carbon credits from carbon reduction projects to offset the CO2 emissions produced by driving the insured car. Drivers are charged per ton of CO2 and to date ibuyeco has offset over 200,000 tons of CO2 on behalf of its policy holders.

For more info, surf on over to ibuyeco: 100% Carbon Neutral Car Insurance

(Estimates based on: Idling for over of 5 minutes = generates 141.6g CO2. Multiplied by over 15 million drivers = 2,150 tons of CO2 produced. Average return flight from London Heathrow to New York generates 1.3 ton of CO2 per passenger. A Boeing 747 carrying around 500 people generates 650 tons of CO2 per return flight. 650 ton x 3 flights = 1,950 tonnes of CO2.)

Image: Simone Ramella at Flickr under Creative Commons