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Environmental impact> BP Energy Lab
As the paradox between energy security,
the cost of energy and the environment
becomes more acute, BP is introducing an
updated version of the calculator. The new
BP Energy Lab is an innovative online
portal, that offers individuals a convenient
place to access a number of BP’s existing
online efficiency and environmental
impact measurement tools, along with
some new ones.
The site’s new Energy Calculator
updates many of the features of the
original version. Taking just minutes to
complete, the tool asks users for
information, including their country, size
of their house and number of occupants,
the number of short- and long-haul flights
taken, and car and train miles travelled in a
year. It then calculates the user’s energy
consumption in kilowatt-hours and the
carbon footprint in tonnes, weighed
against the country average. Visitors can
also access a well-stocked Energy Facts
“There is considerable
awareness of the need for
energy efficiency, coupled
with growing concern for
energy prices. We have
been able to add
capabilities to the
calculator that weren’t
available in 2005, such as
individuals’ energy usage
and ways to improve
energy efficiency.”
Kathy Leech
60 Issue 1 2009 BP MAGAZINE
database, take an enlightening energy quiz,
or find energy efficiency tips.
BP Energy Lab also encompasses an
updated ‘targetneutral’ section, which
builds on the success of a programme BP
first launched in the UK in 2006.
targetneutral asks drivers to reduce, replace
and neutralise their vehicle’s
environmental impact by helping to fund
emissions reduction projects. The initiative
has neutralised more than 80,000 tonnes of
carbon dioxide emissions to date, through
projects ranging from wind energy in India
to composting in Australia.
Green Streets
Two of the lab’s most exciting new
activities are the SimCity ‘Green Streets
Challenge’, where users design a town and
build its economy using alternative
energies, and the ‘Green Driving Test’. The
latter challenged several British journalists
to drive as many miles as possible, using
the same car and route, on exactly one litre
of BP Ultimate unleaded fuel. Results show
that it is often the driver, not the car, that
has the greater effect on the fuel
consumption and outputs of a journey.
Meanwhile, an ‘Energy Hero’ game
allows players to take Jackson the cartoon
dog, or one of his friends, for a walk to spot
ways they can save energy at home. They
can click to switch off lights, the television
and the tumble drier, or put ‘rubbish’ into
the recycling bin, the hope being that they
will transfer this into real life.
While the whole site has a clean,
engaging look and feel, employing a
friendly animated professor to help users
navigate through the various tools, its
developers have taken advantage of the
latest technical capability to bring it right
up to date.
“There is considerable awareness of the
need for energy efficiency, coupled with
growing concern about energy prices,” says