It takes 32kWh of energy to prepare a ‘St Andrew’s Day feast’, the equivalent of powering an LCD TV for six weeks
- National favourite haggis uses the most energy to cook of all dishes analysed
- New research conducted by Scottish Gas looked at how much energy it takes to make Scotland’s most-loved foods
- Having a smart meter can help you be more energy savvy during celebrations, and Scottish Gas has installed more than 35,011 smart meters across homes in Edinburgh
St Andrew’s Day is an occasion to celebrate everything Scottish, with music, dancing and (most importantly) food at the heart of all festivities.
New analysis carried out by Scottish Gas has discovered that it would take 32kWh of energy to cook a ‘St Andrew’s Day feast’, including firm favourites such as haggis, stovies, cock-a-leekie soup and cullen skink.
In fact, the energy used to prepare the celebratory spread could power an LCD TV for six weeks, a games console for two weeks and an energy saving light bulb for three months.
National dish haggis was revealed as the item that uses most power to cook of all the dishes analysed, needing 7.8 kWh of energy, closely followed by favourite accompaniment ‘neeps and tatties’, which uses 6.3kWh.
Those with a sweet tooth will be happy to know that desserts use the least amount of energy to prepare, with shortbread and cranachan needing just 1.5kWh and 0.3kWh respectively.
The energy profile of a St Andrew’s Day feast:
| Dish | Energy needed to prepare (kWh) | The equivalent to |
| Haggis | 7.8 | Running a laptop (plugged in) for more than 5 days |
| Neeps and tatties | 6.3 | Powering a freezer for more than a day |
| Stovies | 6 | Running a washing machine for half a day |
| Scotch broth | 5 | Using a microwave for 4 hours |
| Cock-a-leekie soup | 3.6 | Using an iron for 3 hours |
| Cullen skink | 1.6 | Powering a Wi-Fi router for more than 11 days |
| Shortbread | 1.5 | Powering an alarm clock radio for more than 30 days |
| Cranachan | 0.3 | Powering a cordless phone for over 5 days |
Smart Energy Expert, Stephen Cosgrove, who installs smart meters around Edinburgh for Scottish Gas, said: “St Andrew’s Day sees Scots and Scots-at-heart come together to celebrate our national day. A big part of that is enjoying food that showcases the very best of Scottish culture, so it’s interesting to see how much energy traditional dishes use to prepare.
“Monitoring your energy use may be the last thing you’re thinking about during the festivities, but having an understanding of how much power you’re using when cooking can help to reduce your energy use.
“Having smart meters installed for free can help, too. They automatically send meter readings to your energy supplier so you don’t have to. And they come with a smart energy monitor that shows you how much energy is being used, in pounds and pence, in near real time.”
Scottish Gas has installed more than 415,000 smart meters across Scotland.
Join the millions of people across Britain enjoying the benefits of smart meters. To find out more visit: www.scottishgas.co.uk/smart
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