Quick Tips For Cutting Your Carbon Footprint At Home

Quick Tips For Cutting Your Carbon Footprint At Home

The average family of 4 creates ten tonnes of CO₂emissions each year. Taking steps to reduce this figure as a tenant and a landlord, not only contributes in a positive way to reducing the UK’s impact on Climate Change, but on a personal level, can also save you a significant amount of money on energy bills.

Here are our top 5 cost saving actions:

1. Hang out the washing instead of tumble drying
Hanging the washing out instead of using the tumble drier will save about 153kg of CO₂ a year – that’s £52 each year, based on 150 cycles a year.

2. Turn down the heating by 1⁰C
Reducing your heating by 1⁰C can reduce your energy consumption by 8%. For an average household gas bill of 12,500kWh this will reduce your CO₂ emissions by 184kg – that’s £42 per year.

3. Only fill the kettle with the amount of water you need to boil
Only boiling the amount of water you need for your hot drink will save 72kg CO₂ a year – that’s £23 per year.

4. Spend less time in the shower
Spending 1 minute less in the shower can save 23kg CO₂and £8 a year (based on one shower a day and a 9kW shower).

5. Turn electrical equipment off when not in use
Fully turning off just one LCD TV (rather than leaving it on standby) for 18 hours a day will save approximately 5kg CO₂ a year – a saving of £2 a year. Turn off all other electrical equipment when not in use to multiply the savings.

Just by making these 5 slight changes to way you live could leave to a total potential saving of 437kg CO₂and £127 per year!

More Ways To Cut Your Carbon Footprint

Improving The Energy Efficiency Of Your Home 

Improving the efficiency of your home can also provide significant improvements in your family’s carbon footprint. If you’re planning on living in your house for many years, they can also end up paying for themselves in reduced energy bills:

• Fit energy saving light bulbs – LED bulbs can save 90% of lighting costs.
• Install thermostatic valves on your radiators.
• Replace your old refrigerator/freezer (if it is over 15 years old), with a new one with an Energy Efficiency Rating of A++.
• Replace your old boiler with a new energy efficient condensing boiler.
• Insulate your hot water tank.
• Instal cavity wall insulation and 180mm thick loft insulation

Travel Less For Work And Recreation

Short distance road transport makes up 11% of global emissions, so making changes in how and when you travel can have a significant impact on Climate Change.

• Car sharing may not be practical all the time, but for short journeys you may consider walking, cycling or even public transport.
• Try to reduce the number of flights you take.
• Ask if your employer will allow flexible working so you can work from home part of the week.
• Next time you replace your car make sure you choose a low emission vehicle. If you have the budget, consider getting a hybrid or full electric car.

Change Your Purchasing Habits

As well as your primary carbon footprint, there is also a secondary footprint caused by your purchasing habits. Making small changes to what you buy can have a significant impact in the longer term.

• Choose tap water over bottled water.
• Buy local and organic fruit and vegetables, or even try growing your own.
• Buy foods that are in season to reduce the amount of fruit and vegetables that have been flown in from abroad.
• Reduce your consumption of meat by introducing one or two vegetarian meals a week.
• Try to only buy products made locally.
• Recycle as much as you can and try to purchase goods with as little plastic packaging as possible.

We hope you’ve enjoyed these tips on how to reduce your carbon footprint at home