Top Tips for Going Green

Tthe average house in this country has 12 items on standby and not only is this contributing to climate change, it’s wasting money too.

It’s time to switch off - such a simple thing to do but it can make a big difference...

There are a number of things that can be done to reduce the impact on the environment, here are a just few:

1. Switch off appliances
   By turning off lights you don’t need, unplugging your mobile phone charger and not leaving your TV, DVD player and computer on stand by, you could save around 520kg of carbon and £82 a year.
2. Use energy-saving lightbulbs
   Energy-saving lightbulbs might be a tiny bit more expensive but they last 12 times as long as standard lightbulbs. If every household in the UK installed three energy-saving lightbulbs, the energy saved would supply all street lighting in the UK.
3. Insulate your house
   In a typical home, 20% of all heat is lost through ventilation in draught. This is easily fixed by draught-proofing windows and doors and you can save even more heat (and money) by putting in cavity-wall and loft installation.
4. Master your thermostat
   Turning your central heating thermostat down by just 1^oC can cut your heating bills by up to 10% and you won’t even feel the difference.
5. Switch to renewable energy
   If you fancy installing your own wind turbine or solar water heating, great, but if not you can change your electricity to a green tariff. There are plenty of companies which supply 100% renewable energy and all it takes is a phone call or the click of a button, check out the U Switch Website.
6. Reduce, reuse, recycle
   Everybody has heard this so many times but it does really make a difference, every time you chuck out a bag of rubbish, that’s another 20kg of carbon used. And it’s really important to not just recycle but buy recycled too, there are a whole range of recycled products from paper to furniture available.
7. Be wise with water
   Make it a full load when you use your washing machine or dishwasher, miss just one wash a week and you’ll save 5,000 litres of water a year.
8. Buy local food
   It makes no sense to eat out of season fruit and vegetables flown in from the other side of the world; one basketful of imported food creates more carbon than an average family’s cooking for 6 months. Try your local farmers market instead and eat food that is in season, it’ll taste better and is much better for the environment.
9. Leave your car at home
   One year’s driving uses around 5,000kg of carbon, try car-sharing or using public transport instead and if you go for walking or cycling you’re getting some fresh air and improving your health at the same time.
10. Reject the ridiculous
    Why is everything wrapped up in loads of plastic? Is it really necessary to use so many plastic carrier bags? Make a stand when you go shopping and reject the ridiculous, buy things with minimal packaging and take a reusable ‘bag for life’ with you.

And remember - if you’re shopping for new electrical appliances, look for the Energy Saving Recommended logo to find energy efficient products.

Visit Energy Savings Trust for an online home energy check.