This
is something that needs to be emulated worldwide. Three years on from the end
of One Tonne Life, this ground-breaking project, initiated by A-hus, Vattenfall
and Volvo Cars, has inspired a growing number of people to choose products that
help them lead a climate-smart lifestyle.
According
to a company statement, one example of these active choices is the Jogensjö
family, with dad Jon, mum Tina and son Nils, who are now enjoying a
comfortable, low-carbon lifestyle in the house that was at the heart of the One
Tonne Life project.
“We’ve always believed in respecting the
environment in our day-to-day lives. But we’ve still been pleasantly surprised
by how easy and comfortable a climate-smart life is if you combine your
environmental commitment with the latest technology,” says Tina Jogensjö, who
works as a creative producer at Unicef.
One Tonne Life gained a lot of media and
public attention in 2010 and 2011. The project involved the cooperation of
A-hus, Vattenfall and Volvo Cars, together with partners ICA and Siemens, to
create a climate-smart life for the Lindell family (with dad Nils, mum Alicja
and children Hannah and Jonathan). The test period saw the Lindells cut their
emissions from their normal 7.3 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year per person to
1.5 tonnes.
“We
were interested and followed the One Tonne Life project through the media. The
80 per cent reduction in the Lindell family’s carbon emissions showed that it’s
possible to make a real difference given the right motivation, know-how and
technology. We estimate that we generate around half the carbon dioxide of an
average Swedish family, but without compromising on our quality of life,” says
Tina Jogensjö.
Love at first sight
The
Jogensjö family immediately fell in love with the house’s stylish design, space
and its light interior. The family have been focussing on leading an
energy-efficient lifestyle since leaving their apartment in central Stockholm
for the 155 square metre One Tonne Life house, which was developed by A-hus and
designed by Gert Wingårdh.
“We’re
able to live a completely normal suburban life, but the bonus is that we live
in Sweden’s most climate-smart house,” says Tina.
Vattenfall’s
web-based EnergyWatch electricity metre and the company’s Smart Plug sockets
provide the family with control over their electricity consumption. And surplus
electricity generated by the house’s 95 square metres of solar panels on the
facade and roof is sold to the family’s electricity provider.
“The
house is already outstandingly energy-efficient. But being able to measure
electricity consumption in real time gives us an additional incentive to find
areas where we can save a bit more. For example, we’ve discovered that Jon,
who’s the one usually nagging me and Nils, showers for far too long,” laughs
Tina Jogensjö. “Luckily we’ve also got solar thermal collectors on the garage
roof, which provide hot water.”
Family trips powered by home-generated
solar electricity
The
family have been testing out a Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid, which they charge on
their driveway using Vattenfall’s specially designed charging station. Tina
Jogensjö travels to work at Unicef in central Stockholm by electric bike, but
the plug-in hybrid has made it easy to visit friends and family on weekends.
“Being
able to drive a comfortable and spacious family car powered by solar
electricity generated at home is very cool. The range of up to 50 kilometres
means I can easily drive a 40 kilometres round trip to central Stockholm
without the diesel engine kicking in. And plugging the car in at home is easier
than driving to a petrol station,” says Tina.
“I
like to try to go a little further in pure electric mode each time I drive the
car. And it also means my driving style is a little more calm and efficient,”
says Jon.
A-hus – a leader in climate-smart homes
For
the project’s founders, A-hus, Vattenfall and Volvo Cars, the experience from
One Tonne Life has provided further inspiration and motivation to develop new
products. A-hus is a leader in developing climate-smart homes with a focus on
design and comfort.
“Our
houses are more energy-efficient than current energy standards, no matter if
they have a modern or traditional design. One Tonne Life is helping us take the
next steps in our development of energy-efficient homes and to increase
knowledge about climate-smart living,” says Susanne Ström, Marketing Director
at A-hus.
Vattenfall – smart solutions for lower
energy costs
Based
on initiatives such as the One Tonne Life project, Vattenfall has developed a
range of new products and solutions for energy-efficient living and a
sustainable lifestyle.
“It’s now easy for a lot of households to
significantly cut their energy costs and environmental impact by actively
monitoring their electricity consumption, using more energy-efficient
appliances and changing behaviour. We’re helping the development of
electrically powered transport by providing simple charging solutions for both
the home and public infrastructure,” says Lars Ejeklint, Energy Expert at
Vattenfall.
Volvo Cars – success for ground-breaking
plug-in hybrid
The
One Tonne Life “test family”, the Lindells, drove a Volvo C30 Electric, the
second generation of which was developed together with Siemens, Volvo Cars’
long-term electric cars partner. The project demonstrated that driving an
electric car could cut transport-based carbon emissions by 90 per cent.
The
Jogensjö family’s test car, a Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid, which has been
developed together with Vattenfall, was one of Europe’s best-selling plug-in
hybrids in 2013. Later in 2014 the all-new XC90 will also be launched with
plug-in hybrid version available.
“Electric
cars are a mode of transport that is part of a sustainable society. The plug-in
hybrid’s smart combination of an efficient internal combustion engine and an
electric motor is our most technically advanced driveline ever. This brings us
closer to the goal of offering completely emissions-free driving in the
future,” says Peter Mertens, Senior Vice President, Research and Development at
Volvo Cars.
Source: Volvo Cars Group