“Just do a re-think of your habits. Don’t be a slave to inertia”
Ballyboden, Dublin
Name
Joe oB
Useful Links
Bike to work scheme: LINK
Cycling Information Sheets: LINK
Impact:
Joe saves 229kg CO2 emissions and about €900 per year. His bike also prevents the emission of noxious petrol fumes in exactly the locations and at the times children would be at risk of health damage by being exposed to them.
My personal sustainability action was
I got an electric assist bike on the travel to work scheme. I now do my daily commute by bike. I live in Ballyboden and work in Ballinteer: that’s an 11km round trip daily
What inspired you to do this?
We were always a two car family. When my own car was up for renewal I looked into the bike to work scheme. I found out that the electric assist bike would work well for me: it’s quite an uphill journey in parts and so I didn’t feel that the standard bike was for me. I also saw that the bike to work scheme meant that I got the bike more or less for half price. It makes total economic sense when you factor in cost of even a second hand car, the petrol, tax and insurance. The sustainability benefits are very obvious.
The Impact of the Change
Getting out into the air every morning and evening is terrific for your wellbeing generally. The physical and mental health benefits are obvious. Knowing that the trip will take 20 minutes no matter what the traffic is also great. On some days you just cycle on past lines of cars stuck in traffic. Rainy days are surprisingly rare, and in the evenings if it’s raining or due to rain I just wait until its clear. Very very occasional mornings you have to leave home when its wet…and there’s rain gear for those odd times.
What advice would you have for others to do something similar?
Once you do it you think to yourself: why didn’t I do this before? Just do a re-think of your habits. Don’t be a slave to inertia. A change like this will save you time and money and will be good for you.
Save money as well as reduce carbon
By using an electric assist bike, Joe saves 229 kg CO2 emissions per year – equivalent to the carbon offset by 16 trees.
He also saves in financial terms. Through the bike to work scheme he pays approximately €1,149 for the bike. This is much less than the cost of a good and reliable second hand petrol car. In fuel costs, the e-bike saves Joe at least €194.09 per year. With tax €200 for a 1.2L Nissan micra, and insurance costs of approximately €500 for a small second hand petrol car with a full no claims bonus on third party insurance, Joe saves about €700 in tax and insurance combined from switching to his e-bike.
So Financially Joe is better off to the tune of about €900 from cycling to work.
Calculations:
Carbon
A car emits 120g CO2 per km travelled.
Daily round trip commute of 11.6kms/day in a car * 102g CO2 = 1.39 kg CO2 per work day. [11.6*.102 kg CO2 = 1.3 kg CO2/day
The bike ’emits’ 1.4 gCO2/km (the 300Wh battery can travel on average 50km/charge, and 1,000Wh supplied by the grid in 2023 had a carbon intensity of 234gCO2 [(.3kWh * 234 g CO2)/50kms=1.4 gCO2/km])
E assist bike saves 1.37kg CO2 emissions per work day [1390 gCO2-1.4 gCO2= 1370]
This is at least 229kg CO2 emissions per year (Joe is a secondary school teacher. There are at a minimum 167 days in the Irish secondary school year, [167 days/yr * 1.37kg CO2 =229 kg CO2/yr])
A mature conifer tree in Ireland offsets 14kg CO2 per year [229/14 = 16 trees].
Vehicle Cost
The bike and safety equipment cost €1899. Joe receives a tax deduction at the top rate of 50% on €1500 of the bikes cost, which is €750. This means that Joe’s employer deducts €750 from Joe’s salary before taxt is calculated. In effect Joe pays €750 in twelve monthly installments dedcuated directly from his monthky salary (€62.50 per month deducted). Altogether, the bike cost €1,149. There is zero tax and compulsory insurance on bikes.
We cannot compare car cost with bike cost, as there are too many variables. It would be hard to find a reliable small car for less than the proce Joe paid for his e-bike.
Running Costs
Joe’s annual energy bill for his e-bike is €3.48 [11.6 kms/day * 167 days/yr = 1937kms/yr, 1937kms/50 kms per charge = 38.7 charges, 37 charges = 11.6 kWh @.3kWh per charge, cost = €3.48 per year @ €0.30/kWh electricity retail]
If Joe were to travel in a petrol car, he would be paying €197.57 for pertrol on his commute [(1937kms/100km)*6L/100km = 116 L petrol/yr = €197.57/yr @ €1.70 per litre petrol].
Road Tax for a 2015 1.2L Nissan Micra (costing €5,000) is €200 per year.
Insurance will vary, but a resonable average estimate would be €500 per year for an experienced driver aged under 65 with a small car in Dublin
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