At home
The Government has a number of incentives to encourage us to make our homes more energy efficient. So making your home greener could help reduce your carbon footprint and save money.
Ways to save yourself energy and money at the same time:
- Insulate your loft space
- Add cavity wall insulation
- Upgrade to a more efficient boiler
- Invest in the latest double glazing
- Avoid overfilling the kettle
- Watch the water works
- Installing the latest heating controls
- Switch off lights, appliances and chargers
- Change to energy efficient light bulbs
- Turn your thermostats down
Insulate your loft space
In an un-insulated home, you could be wasting as much as 15% of your heating costs and releasing an extra tonne of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere unnecessarily. Insulating your loft or adding another layer on top of your existing insulation isn't very expensive and could save around £200 on heating bills every year, year after year. The recommended depth for mineral wool insulation is 270mm, which is about 10 inches. [Source: Energy Saving Trust]
Add cavity wall insulation
Taking an average of just three hours, getting your walls insulated is quicker and cheaper than you may think. Once installed, it could continue to save you £130 - £160 on heating bills every year. [Source: Energy Saving Trust]
Upgrade to a more efficient boiler
The current lifespan of a boiler is around 15 years, so even in a modern home your central heating system could be well past its best before date. Your boiler accounts for around 60% of the carbon dioxide emissions if your home is gas heated. By fitting a new high efficiency condensing boiler and improving your heating controls, you will significantly cut your home's carbon dioxide emissions and could save yourself as much as £275 a year and keep on saving year after year. [Source: Energy Saving Trust]
Invest in the latest double glazing
Changing your windows for the latest Energy Saving Recommended double glazing will reduce the amount of energy you waste heating your home and could lower your fuel bills significantly. It will also reduce noise and add value to your home. Alternatively, whatever windows you have, remember to close all your curtains at dusk to reduce the amount of heat escaping through your windows.
Avoid overfilling the kettle
If you're just making one or two cups of tea or coffee then only boil the amount of water you need to fill the cups. It'll save time, energy and money. (Remember to make sure you cover the elements if you're using an electric kettle).
Watch the water works
If you're not filling up the washing machine, tumble dryer or dishwasher, use the half-load or economy programme. A dripping hot water tap wastes enough hot water to fill half a bath in a week. So fix leaking taps and make sure they're fully turned off. [Source: Energy Saving Trust]
Installing the latest heating controls
Getting new heating controls fitted, including a thermostat and automatic timer switches for both your heating and hot water, will improve the efficiency of your heating system, help lower your carbon footprint and reduce your fuel bills. [Source: Energy Saving Trust]
Switch off lights, appliances and chargers
Always turn off lights when you leave a room. An estimated £140 million a year is wasted through leaving lights on in unused rooms [Source: direct.gov.uk]. Don't leave appliances like TVs and DVD players on standby. And remember not to leave appliances like mobile phones and electric shavers on charge unnecessarily, because they continue to draw electricity even when fully charged.
Change to energy efficient light bulbs
Energy efficient light bulbs last up to 12 times longer than ordinary ones. If every household swapped just three ordinary light bulbs for energy efficient ones, we'd all save enough energy to power the UK's streetlights for a whole year. What's more, an energy efficient bulb produces less CO2 and can save up to £60 in electricity over its lifetime. [Source: direct.gov.uk]
Turn your thermostats down
Reducing your room temperature by as little as 1°C could cut your heating bills by as much 10%, which could save you around £40 a year. Check your water isn't too hot and wasting your precious energy and money. As a general rule, your cylinder thermostat shouldn't need to be set any higher than 60°C/140°F. [Source: Energy Saving Trust]
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