Gribble - the future of power generation?

Alternative energy sources are always being sought, it was not that long ago that solar, wind and heat pump were slightly off the wall alternative energy sources – now they are regarded as perfectly normal and needed.

Recently I was reading and interesting blog that offered some other sources of energy you may not have thought about (positiveenergy) – maybe alternatives that will be become fully accepted in the not to distant future.

Nations and governments may rely of Gribbles to combat concerns over energy security, let alone climate change – Gribble, yes Gribbles, check out what the future energy sources could be:

Waste tea leaves. Scientists at a Pakistani university used a gasification process to create biodiesel from used tea leaves. Considering that the world today consumes several million tones of tea annually, the leaves could be a reliable fuel source.

Gribbles. A tiny, wood-chewing crustacean called Limnoria quadripunctata, or the gribble, has been shown to have a digestive trait that could convert wood and straw into liquid biofuel. Researchers at the universities of York and Portsmouth have proposed using the enzymes that fill the creatures’ long digestive tracts to break down cellulose and lignin into energy-rich sugars.

Grass clippings. Again at the University of York, scientists are experimenting with using microwaves to heat garden and wood waste in the absence of oxygen in a process called pyrolysis. The resulting biofuel could be blended with fossil fuel or used by itself.

Frog foam. Researchers at the University of Cincinnati are creating an artificial photosynthetic material that uses enzymes from plants, bacteria, fungi, and frogs, all trapped within a foam housing, to create solar energy in an entirely new way. Foam was chosen because it can effectively concentrate the reactants but allow very good light and air penetration. The design was based on the foam nests of a semi-tropical frog called the Tungara frog, which creates very long-lived foams for its developing tadpoles.

Poke berries. The fruit of the pokeweed — the ubiquitous purple-stalked plant that grows rampantly across the south and whose red berries Civil War soldiers used to write letters home – could be the key to spreading solar power across the globe, according to researchers at Wake Forest University’s Center for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials. Scientists have used the red dye made from pokeberries to coat their efficient and inexpensive fiber-based solar cells. The dye acts as an absorber, helping the cell’s tiny fibers trap more sunlight to convert into power.

Household garbage. A consortium of companies in Australia is investigating the viability of constructing an ethanol plant that would turn household rubbish and building waste into more than 200 million liters of fuel per year. The process, developed by a U.S. biofuel company, Coskata, Inc., uses sources like municipal, commercial, and industrial waste at the end of its life cycle—waste otherwise bound for the landfill, and turns them into renewable energy.

Cow power. Using the methane gas byproduct of cattle is old news, but William Taylor, a farmer in Northern Ireland, has rigged up an entirely new way of deriving renewable energy from cows. Instead of letting his cows free range while they graze, he puts them on a treadmill. The electricity generated from one cow on a treadmill is enough, says the farmer, to power four milking machines. And as a bonus, cows that exercise produce more milk.

Tomatoes. Designer Cygalle Shapiro created a tiny LED lamp powered off circuits running off several tomatoes sitting next to it. The lamp draws power off of the chemical reaction among the tomatoes’ acids, zinc, and copper. And the “batteries” run out when the tomatoes turn stale.

Tobacco. Maybe there’s hope for this cash crop. Researchers in Virginia have suggested that tobacco could be genetically modified to use as a biofuel, with the added benefit that it is not a food source, like corn and soybeans — and therefore the object of a battle over resources. Because it can generate high quantities of oil and sugar, its potential as a fuel crop is high, but commercial use as a biofuel may be more than five years away.

Picture by Auguste Le Roux

Public bodies, such as Universities and Hospitals, are heavy users of energy and a few basic measures can save a substantial amount financially and environmentally.

Wright State have their own newspaper “The Guardian” which in part reported the following details:

Dayton Power and Light has awarded $118,000 in rebates to Wright Sate in just the first year of the University’s energy conservation project.

Wright State could potentially receive an additional $200,000 for using new lighting techniques to save energy. The rebates from DP&L have allowed WSU to upgrade all lighting on campus.

“Upgrading light fixtures everywhere on campus was phase one,” said Wright State Energy Manager, John Howard. “It touched every room within the university, which has never been done before.”

These upgrades have already saved WSU 32 percent on lighting energy alone….

“To save energy, sometimes it takes a considerable investment because you need to have greater equipment,” said Howard. “There’s always something more efficient out there.”

Associate director of the WSU physical plant, Bill Knotts further explained the process.

“Florescent lights at Home Depot used to run about ten bucks and now you can get them for a dollar,” said Knotts. “That was part of the rebate from Dayton Power and Light. This project is the same thing, just on a much larger scale.”

In addition to the money gained from the rebates, Wright State will also benefit from an estimated annual energy savings of $45,000.

This is interesting as these projected savings are just by changing the lighting, they are obviously benefiting from the rebates from the utility company and there will no doubt be grants available from the Federal or State government.

Although WSU are changing lights to more energy efficient products an intelligent lighting management system would also contribute to major savings.

All WSU needs now is a way of monitoring their energy use to discover where the greatest savings could be made, as Bethune-Cookman University did in Florida (Check out the story).

Universities and other public bodies can make serious savings on harmful emissions and in money which will boost hard hit budgets and services – but as in the case of Wright University action has to be taken and consideration of energy monitoring for effective energy management.

By reducing their dependence on energy, businesses can cut costs, improve reputation, and stay one step ahead of environmental compliance.

Managementtoday asked Hugh Jones, director of solutions at the UK’s Carbon Trust, for his top 10 tips:

1. Build a business case

Any size of business can quickly and easily establish the ‘size of the prize’ to be had from energy efficiency, by using our Cut Carbon, Cut Costs tutorial online. A calculator evaluates the energy savings you can make and develops an action plan to help you achieve them. You could shave 20-30% off your annual bill.

2. Appoint an energy team

Simple improvements, such as cutting energy use ‘out-of-hours’, are often overlooked if someone isn’t in charge of implementing them. Firms should ensure there is responsibility within the organisation for driving improvements and cutting costs. An open-door policy will enable staff on the ground to make suggestions, and buy into your energy efficiency goals.

3. Seek advice

For businesses spending over £50k a year on energy, get an in-depth on-site survey, conducted by an accredited expert. The surveyor assesses every aspect of energy consumption – from heating, lighting and IT, to core plant machinery – and identifies ways to cut energy use. The Carbon Trust will then provide ongoing support to help make those savings a reality.

4. Spend to save

Many businesses continue using old equipment, rather than pay the up-front cost of replacing it. This is false economy, as old equipment uses considerably more energy than newer models, and in the case of plant machinery can impact on productivity by 20% to 30%.

The first step is to identify old equipment that’s become a cost burden. If you’re not sure how efficient your equipment is, seek guidance from the Carbon Trust. In many cases the likely payback period on energy bills is short enough to justify making a replacement.

5. Find out if you’re eligible for an interest-free loan

Last year, our interest-free loan scheme helped nearly 1,900 businesses replace £60m of equipment. By installing new, state-of-the art kit, these businesses now save £20m a year. And these savings pay the loans back over one to four years – after which the savings go straight to the bottom line.

6. Look out for the ECA

Even if you’re not eligible for an interest-free loan, all businesses can benefit from 100% tax relief on equipment replacements through the Enhanced Capital Allowances (ECA) scheme.

The scheme provides a qualified list of energy-saving products, and offers a financial incentive: 100% tax relief on qualifying capital expenditure on plant or machinery. This means businesses can write off the whole cost of qualifying equipment against the taxable profits of the year of purchase. This can provide a cash flow boost of up to 28% of the purchase cost.

7. Stay one step ahead of the CRC

The CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme is a UK Government carbon trading initiative, designed to change the way large public- and private-sector organisations consume energy.

It requires organisations to prepare a comprehensive record of carbon emissions – and ultimately to reduce consumption over time. Companies will need to invest in carbon allowances, sold at a fixed price of £12 per tonne of CO2 for the first three years of the scheme. The revenue from the sale of allowances will be recycled back to participants after six months, with a bonus/penalty element based on emissions performance and their relative position in the scheme’s performance league table.

8. Take early action on the CRC

The CRC has significant financial and reputational implications for businesses, so it is vital that larger businesses understand fully how it will impact them. And it rewards businesses that take early action to reduce emissions in advance of March 31 2011.

To reduce the cost of participation in the scheme and secure a higher ranking in the CRC league table, companies can voluntarily install advanced metering, and achieve the Carbon Trust Standard certification or equivalents.

To date, more than 250 organisations have already achieved the Carbon Trust Standard. These organisations have collectively realised savings of over £62 million – which is a compelling case for businesses to take action now.

9. Certify your efforts

The Carbon Trust Standard is a respected certification, which helps counter stakeholder scepticism. So as well as helping firms to secure a high ranking in the CRC, reducing energy costs and improving operational efficiency, it’s also a valuable marketing tool. Organisations such as First Direct and Marks & Spencer are already using the Carbon Trust Standard in their external communications.

10. Act now!

A common response from businesses which have implemented our energy efficiency advice is ‘we only wish we’d tried this earlier’.

By dedicating resources to energy efficiency, businesses can shave significant amounts off the bottom line in a low-risk manner – improving reputation, and placing themselves at the forefront of the low-carbon economy.

The 11 nations, the Pacific Small Island Developing States, have written to members of the Security Council, which oversees threats to international peace and security, and have argued that the threat to them from a warmer world along with rising sea levels is similar to armed conflict and invasion.

“Climate change can devastate a country just as thoroughly as an invading army,” stated Nauru’s UN Ambassador Marlene Moses.

Moses wants the Security Council to intervene because the UN-led negotiations on mandatory cuts in greenhouse gases and help to the most vulnerable nations has stalled.

“If the international community fails to take immediate action, then it will be complicit in the extinction of entire nations,” Moses added.

The group claim that climate change is responsible for severe food and water shortages throughout the Pacific and already making refugees of people in Vanuatu, Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu and the Solomon Islands.

The group’s letter to the Security Council was critical of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change that sponsored the climate summit in Copenhagen, Denmark at the end of 2009.

It is important for everyone to start becoming more energy efficient and there are hundreds of simple actions we can all take to reduce or energy use to save money and the environment.

It is vital to understand why we have to take action. So here is an overview about energy saving and why it has become so important worldwide.

A few basics before we look at the practicalities.

What are these Carbon Emissions you read about?

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is a gas emitted into the atmosphere from many sources but the area that causes concern is the CO2 emitted as a result of burning fossil fuels.
Through photosynthesis plants and organic matter removes the CO2 from the atmosphere and the carbon helps to make sugars, which may either be consumed in respiration or used as the raw material to produce other organic compounds needed for plant growth and development, the Oxygen part of the CO2 is returned to the atmosphere. When the plants are burnt, either as plants or as fossil fuels, the CO2 is released back into the atmosphere.

Particularly since the onset of the industrial revolution there has been an ever growing imbalance between the CO2 the plants and organic matter of the earth can deal with and the amount still within the atmosphere. But, because industry and our lifestyle now depend on fossil fuels the balance has tipped causing an excessive amount of CO2 in the atmosphere.

What is Climate Change?

With an increasing amount of CO2 in the atmosphere plus other greenhouse gases (water vapor, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone) the heat from the sun cannot is absorbed by the gases. That is why it is called the ‘Greenhouse Effect’, as the heat is trapped within the atmosphere.

This affect is natural and needed and natural making the planet around 20º Celsius warmer than it would otherwise be hence providing us a comfortable climate. This effect is now a problem becasue over the last 100 years or more the concentration of CO2 has risen by about 30%.

If the situation continues to warm up the planet at the current rate sea levels will rise, we will experience extremes in weather such as flooding, drought, snow storms and catastrophic natural disasters.

What can be done?

The world needs to pull together to reduce harmful emissions, the major contributor to the warming effect. Even though the Copenhagen summit in December 2010 finished short of its aims we are seeing many nations realising that energy efficiency is one of the most cost effective ways of reducing carbon emissions.

What can WE do?

We can all have a major have an impact on reducing carbon emissions by taking some basic steps.

Are their benefits now?

There are benefits now as you will save money from once you start to save energy onwards.

What next – Click Here

Apart from an interesting article there was a great quote in the piece that could be used powerfully to industry and commerce.

Rob Murray-Leach, the Chief Executive of the Energy Efficiency Council said:

”Economic purists have been telling us that if there were $100 notes lying around, industry would have already picked them up. This report shows that companies have blind spots – sometimes you have to help them find the $100 notes.”

What a great line, but how true as well.

The article further highlighted that investment is needed by business into energy efficiency but what do you expect if you want a great return – as Murray-Leach, a former adviser to the climate economist Ross Garnaut, said energy efficiency should be viewed in the same way as other business investments – you need to spend to generate a return.

”Some people say that tackling climate change is too expensive, we should wait to see what the world does first. This report shows that there is a huge amount we could do right now to cut our emissions and grow our economy.”

The Australian government report shows that industry their could “pick-up”, as it were, $736 million – not may not seem too much in industrial terms but we are talking about a country with just under 22 million population so in context it is a sizable amount, for the US it would be well over $10 billion from just one sector!

It just show what money is “lying around” and yet being ignored – it is about time industry opened it’s eyes, they may not be concerned about climate change but why walk by billions of dollars just sitting there when they could be picking it up, particularly in these tougher times?

She highlights how energy efficiency is the way ahead as far as change energy use for environmental, energy security and energy supply reasons.

As she reports – it is what people want to happening compared to new or old forms of power generation. New power stations are needed but the impact of funding into energy efficiency is paramount.

Here is the bulk of the article:

Lately, it seems as if when the conversation turns to developing a modern national energy policy, the smart grid and renewable energy get all the attention—and with good reason, since both topics promise a future full of intelligent energy management and freedom from fossil fuels.

The smart grid and renewables capture our imagination, but it’s energy efficiency that’s affecting real change, right now—and the public (and investors) have taken notice. As far as I’m concerned, this new emphasis on—and interest in—efficiency is a longtime coming.

There are a couple of concrete indications that energy efficiency is gaining credibility and becoming the popular go-to solution for energy resource management. First off, investors are pushing money into a slew of energy efficiency opportunities—from hybrid cars to energy management systems, and everything in-between.

According to Peachtree Green, a New York-based investment bank that provides expert advice on “valuing technology assets,” 2009 was the year energy efficiency came into its own, ranking second after wind, in terms of 2009 transaction value,

In fact, Peachtree Green reports that, even while the overall green tech sector saw a 4.1% drop in value, energy efficiency saw an increase in value from $164 million to $1.3 billion. The report states that, “The clear break-out category was Energy Efficiency, with a more-than-sevenfold increase in reported transaction value for 2009.”

Energy efficiency is also winning hearts and minds in the court of public option. According to a recent poll conducted by the Environmental Defense Fund and NRG energy, respondents indicate that they are most interested in energy efficiency: 47% in particular stating that the number one environmental issue that companies should focus on is energy efficiency. With the future of government funding on shaky ground, public support of energy efficiency projects and protocols could make all the difference.

Historically, the states have often promoted energy efficiency—with great success. In fact, as of 2009, 19 states have adopted a myriad of energy efficiency strategies. In California, for example, a program that began 30 years ago has morphed from simply requiring energy-efficient appliances into an extensive energy-conscious mandate that now includes renewable energy and other smart energy technologies. Meanwhile, on the East Coast, the National Grid—an energy delivery company for Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Rhode Island—has, over the last 20 years, helped 5 million of its customers reduce energy use and save up to $3.8 billion.

As I’ve stated before, distributed energy is the ultimate form of energy efficiency and reliability.

But in the end, it’s a “boots on the ground” efficiency effort that will make the difference. As Peachtree explains,

“The reason many utilities and energy companies are undertaking certain projects, carbon capture being the best example, is because the government is financing these initiatives. Once the money dries up, many of these projects will be shelved.”

But if the public (i.e., voters) demands funding for energy efficiency, it can make all the difference. Public outreach is one of the best ways to engage and encourage communities to become energy efficiency stakeholders.

This should be great headline grabbing news but it is strange how often “spend, spend, spend” is regarded as sexy while being frugal and saving is regarded as nerdy or introverted.

Fortunately the U.S. is taking a lead in changing what is sexy as far as saving money through energy efficiency is concerned. They have just announced that President Obama’s administration has set up the SEE Action Network (State Energy Efficiency Action Network) to help states achieve maximum cost effective energy efficiency improvements.

This sounds like an interesting development and will hopefully keep the energy efficiency drive, at least in the U.S. of A, moving forward – it is also good to see the States setting a good example in this area compared to past times.

Credit to Mr Obama to keep pushing forward with the energy efficient message and schemes such as this one, particularly when he trying to increase his popularity because as we have established doesn’t produce the biggest headlines.

To help raise the importance and hopefully the desirability of energy efficiency there were some interesting quotes in the Initiative’s press-release from Lisa P. Jackson, the EPA Administrator, and U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu.

Jackson said in a press-release regarding the new initiative:

“In the clean energy future, energy efficiency is action number one. We can cut greenhouse gases and protect our environment at the same time we save money for homeowners, schools and businesses.”

While Chu added:

“Expanding energy efficiency is one of the quickest, most cost-effective ways we can address climate change and grow America’s economy.”

These quotes are worth highlighting as the truths they state need to be kept to the fore as they crank up awareness of energy efficiency – focussing on it rather than leaving it lurking in the shadows.

A lot of talk and focus goes into renewable, clean energy sources and new energy generation – important in the long term but as Jackson states: “Energy efficiency is action number one,” because as she suggests it ticks all the boxes, particularly with regard to saving money.

Chu underlines the importance of putting energy efficiency at the top of the list by stating that it is the quickest way to address climate change and save money, thus affecting the economy.

Wind turbines, solar panels, wave power and clean power stations are all sexy as they often involve major capital investment, jobs creation and are clearly visible on the skyline or in the oceans. Meanwhile energy efficiency is so often hidden, turning off lights; either by hand or automatically doesn’t demand much attention.

For politicians, locally and nationally, energy saving actions do not grab the headlines when compared to announcing some new wind farm or similar – but the message does seem to be getting though, possibly thanks to the economic downturn over the last year or so.

As politicians, business leaders and others begin to see the figures for the savings made through energy efficiency then they begin to salivate – they can see the headlines and hear the sound-bites in their heads. Suddenly turning out that light becomes sexy and the figures can be seen in black and white (and hopefully in 172 point on the front page alongside a politicians/community leaders name and photo!).

I am not suggesting at all that President Obama, Lisa P. Jackson (mustn’t forget the P) and Steven Chu are taking action for the headlines – I think they want to make the right decisions and are a major driving force behind these energy efficiency initiatives, but what they say is helping to convince the movers and shakers in business, politics and communities to act. When the estimates and even the actual figures are produced then we see a further boost from decision makers.

What happens on a national or international level can be illustrated within your own home. You know, as Ken Cheyne has stated on this blog, that if you hang your washing on a washing line outdoors instead of using an electric dryer you will save money, let alone the environment. Yet so many people do not do it, they carry on using the drier because of habit or convenience.

If someone added a running money meter above the drier running up the costs while in use (like a running taxi meter) would people think again. Imagine that on every appliance, light or electrical system in your home – would you make changes? Only you can answer that but I think we can make a good guess.

If your local City Hall or other public buildings had giant energy cost meters displayed prominently on the sides of the structures showing what was being used and the costs do you think people would change habits and become energy efficient?

So the more encouragement followed up by estimates and actual figures, for energy efficiency the better as saving money instead of throwing it away is always sexy!

(Please note that Enigin PLC do supply a system where your energy saving can be seen publicly – Check It Out)

John Osborne at BSI (British Standards Institute) Training encourages organisations to think of energy management as business critical for cost reasons, but equally important as a means to embed sustainability and change across a workforce…

Improving energy efficiency within a business can provide a number of real benefits. Not only will it help to reduce impact on the environment, but it will also save money. Why then, do so many companies fail to put sufficient energy management policies in place to improve their effectiveness? A BSI study revealed that 80 per cent of respondents rated energy management as “very important”, with the key driver being to reduce or control cost, yet 60 per cent didn’t have an energy management policy in place.

Organisations are clearly talking the talk when it comes to energy consumption, but simply making the right noises isn’t enough. If businesses are to truly cut costs and offset this against less attractive cost cutting exercises then they need to put a clear system in place to manage this. Without a transparent policy to guide businesses forward, how can they even begin to answer those all important questions?

• How much energy does the business use currently?

• Who is responsible for managing energy efficiency within the company?

• What are the current issues with your energy consumption?

• What activities lead to consumption of energy?

• How can you improve your energy efficiency?

• Have you identified what areas need to be improved or completely changed?

• How much energy could you save in the long term?

• What impact would saving energy have on your business from a financial perspective?

Those businesses that are unable to answer all of these questions have really only scratched the surface of effective energy management (if at all). The likelihood for those that have a clear policy in place is they will have already addressed these questions, and will have made the first foot hold into producing a robust framework for making significant and continued improvements in energy consumption. A policy and tight framework will also allow identification of an organisations’ past, present and future energy consumption as well as the development of an energy monitoring process.

The BSI report showed that two thirds of respondents did not conduct regular energy usage audits, nor did they maintain a current energy management policy, both of which compromise the delivery of continual improvement in energy management.

In an effort to make the right noises, some businesses may make minor adjustments to save money, such as ensuring PC monitors are switched off at night, and perhaps replacing light bulbs with energy saving varieties; but is this really enough?

Energy management has evolved into a rather complex arena, covering a multitude of business activities all of which need to be taken into consideration when bringing about change and improvement. Companies may find that additional training and a standardised management system (such as BS EN 16001, the new European standard for Energy Management Systems) is needed to help them build a framework that will enable them to implement change. But there are a few simple steps you can take in the first instance to get the ball rolling:

• Take regular meter readings: this will help you to understand how much energy your organisation is currently consuming

• Organise thorough inspections of the work premises: this will help you to identify the areas where further savings can be made.

• Assess energy consumption levels on current activities

• Talk to employees and get their input on energy waste

• Take into account all energy related activities under the control of your organisation, for example the energy used to operate machinery and heat buildings. In taking these initial steps, most organisations will begin to realise the level of energy emissions being needlessly emitted every day.

Wasting unnecessary energy is largely due to poor organisation and education; in most cases employees simply don’t understand how to make the change themselves. But ultimately, wasted energy will affect the efficiency and productivity of a business, certainly in the long term.

Making change happen:

• Build a policy that incorporates the processes and practices you need to improve energy efficiency across the business. This will create a mechanism to turn energy efficiency into a key performance indicator

• Get buy in from senior management – do they really understand the benefits of making this change?

• Communicate with staff – involve them from the outset, get their feedback and suggestions for improving energy efficiency. The most successful change happens when everyone in the company is onboard.

• Establish clear minimum reduction targets so you have something the measure against

• Establish reliable ways of measuring consumption / assess on regular bases – energy consumption can fluctuate seasonally depending on weather and productivity.

• Establish objectives, implement, monitor and measure and continually improve

Once a policy has been created, organisations must implement the behavioural change needed to embed energy efficiency considerations into everyday decision-making and this is by no means an easy feat. This won’t happen overnight, it requires clear planning, perseverance and ongoing support.

Actions speak louder than words in today’s challenging climate, it’s clear that businesses can no longer continue to bury their heads in the sand when it comes to energy efficiency. The benefits are now clear to all, but if businesses are to truly reap those benefits changes need to be made, policies must be put in place and improvements must carried out and maintained. Those 80% of companies that cited energy management as a key driver for reducing costs, should really make their actions speak louder than their words if they are really serious about controlling spend and increasing the overall efficiency of their business – it could also significantly reduce the need to make cuts elsewhere in the business, which in most cases would only damage an organisation’s performance.

BSI Group

Plus a few tips for the workplace to help you start to save energy right away by dismissing the myths while taking some positive actions to save energy, save money and reduce carbon emissions.

First of all some myths regarding energy saving:

It’s better to leave a PC running because continually turning them on and off wears out the equipment.
This is Untrue.
Turning a PC off regularly not only saves energy but also extends the machines life due to a reduction in mechanical wear. Most PC manufactures recommend that users turn off their machines when not being used. This extends the machines life due to a reduction in mechanical wear and save energy.

It’s cheaper to leave a fluorescent light on rather than switch it off.
This is Untrue
It’s a lot cheaper to turn any lights off when not in use, even for a very short amount of time.

The radiator is cold so the heating MUST be off.
This is Untrue
The heating isn’t necessarily off. Where a building heating system or radiator is thermostatically controlled the radiator may go off because the office has reached an optimal temperature (19^oC). The heating will automatically come back on if the temperature drops below the set temperature.

Screen savers save energy
This is Untrue
Screen savers don’t save energy, they may save screens!

It’s better to leave a monitor on because continually turning them on and off uses more energy.
This is Untrue.
A computer monitor only consumes one seconds energy worth of running time when being started up or closed down. As monitors account for 70% of the PCs energy use, it’s always better to turn them off when away from your desk, even for relatively short times, like over lunch or attending a meeting.

On the positive side here are some useful tips:

WORK RELATED ENERGY FACTS & FIGURES