| Tips for reducing your CO2 emissions fall into a | | | | longer. Just one energy efficient light bulb can |
| number of categories; this article focuses on what | | | | save you $20 a year on your electricity bill. |
| you can do at home and in the workplace to | | | | 13. Make the most of nature. Light-coloured walls, |
| reduce your carbon footprint. | | | | ceilings and floors, as well as mirrors, reflect |
| At home | | | | daylight, making maximum use of natural light and |
| Simple measures could substantially reduce the | | | | reducing the need to use artificial lighting. |
| emissions from your home, and save you money | | | | 14. Use infrared. If you have exterior lights, ask |
| as well - you could currently be paying much | | | | your electrician to fit infrared sensors so that the |
| more than you need to in gas and electricity bills. | | | | lights only come on when you pass in front of |
| 1. Does it need to be so hot? Turning the | | | | them. |
| thermostat down by just one degree can save | | | | 15. Resist stand-by. If all UK households turned off |
| you up to $60 a year on your heating bill and | | | | their TVs at night instead of leaving them on |
| make a real dent in your household's emissions. | | | | standby. That goes for PC screens too. |
| 2. Set your timer efficiently. If you are working | | | | 16. Unplug equipment once fully charged. Mobile |
| regular hours, avoid wasted heat energy by timing | | | | phones, shavers and electric toothbrushes keep |
| your heating to go off 30 minutes before you | | | | drawing electricity even when the battery is full. |
| leave the house, and come on again 30 minutes | | | | 17. Keep fridge and freezer doors closed. Each |
| before you are due to get back. | | | | minute a fridge door is open it can take three |
| 3. Insulate your loft. You can cut up to 20 per | | | | energy-intensive minutes for it to cool down again. |
| cent from your energy bill by installing good quality | | | | Similarly, it can take as much as half an hour for a |
| loft insulation; it stops heat from escaping and | | | | freezer to regain its temperature once a door has |
| thus requires less energy to keep your house | | | | been opened for just sixty seconds. And |
| warm. | | | | remember to install the fridge or freezer away |
| 4. Beat draughts. They're the most uncomfortable | | | | from hot appliances and direct sunlight. |
| and obvious signs of a badly insulated house and | | | | 18. Keep your freezer full. It takes less energy to |
| can be fixed easily with either draught-proofing or | | | | keep a full freezer cool than it does an empty |
| secondary glazing. You could also fit double glazing | | | | one. If you don't have enough food to fill it, use |
| and the most popular energy saving measure, | | | | plastic bottles filled with water or even scrunched |
| although it actually saves less from a typical fuel | | | | up newspaper. If you find your freezer is often |
| bill than installing (much cheaper) cavity wall | | | | half empty, you might want to think whether you |
| insulation. Make sure that you specify low glazing, | | | | need such a large model when it is time to |
| which has a special heat-reflective coating that | | | | replace it. |
| reduces heat loss through the window by nearly | | | | 19. Think how you cook. Pressure cookers and |
| half. | | | | steamers both save energy; steamers are |
| 5. Watch the floors. Rooms can sometimes feel | | | | particularly easy to use and very healthy. |
| cold due to strong drafts rising up from gaps | | | | 20. Chop finely and boil smart. The smaller you |
| between the floorboards or between the skirting | | | | make your vegetables, the less time they'll take |
| board and the floor. This is easily resolved by | | | | to cook. Don't forget to boil only the amount that |
| investing in a tube sealant, such as silicon. Another | | | | you need, and match the size of the ring to the |
| way of reducing draughty floors is to insulate | | | | size of the saucepan or you'll be paying to heat |
| underneath the floorboards on the ground floor. | | | | air and keep electric hobs clean so the rings can |
| 6. Dress your hot-water tank correctly. | | | | work more efficiently. |
| 7. Reflective radiator panels can fit perfectly | | | | 21. Only use a washing machine on full-load. Ninety |
| behind radiators. They are cheap to buy, easy to | | | | percent of the energy that washing machines use |
| install and reflect back heat that would otherwise | | | | goes toward heating the water, so switch to a |
| drift through the wall. They can be bought from | | | | cooler wash temperature: using 40 degrees for all |
| DIY stores (avoid those made from PVC), or you | | | | clothes can use a third less electricity per wash. |
| can make your own by wrapping tinfoil around | | | | Today's washing powders are just as effective |
| cardboard. | | | | on low temperature programmes, saving both |
| 8. Draw your curtains at dusk. Sounds obvious, | | | | energy and money. |
| but a thick pair of curtains can stop a huge | | | | 22. Turn down your thermostat. |
| amount of heat from escaping through your | | | | At Work |
| windows. | | | | 23. Reduce office paper consumption. A |
| 9. Put a lid on it. Saucepans with lids on heat much | | | | government-funded Envirowise campaign report, |
| quicker, using less energy in the process. | | | | says that office paper consumption is rising by 20 |
| 10. Use your oven sensibly. Don't keep opening it | | | | per cent per year. On average each worker uses |
| to check whether your food is ready as this | | | | 50 sheets of A4 a day. If you work in an office, |
| allows heat to escape and will only make your | | | | add the slogan "Think before you print" at the |
| meal take longer to cook, using more energy, | | | | bottom of your emails. If you do have to, print |
| And by switching it off just a few minutes before | | | | double-sided. |
| your food is ready you'll find that it'll stay hot | | | | 24. Switch office equipment off at night. A |
| enough to finish cooking the food. Don't buy cut | | | | photocopier left on overnight uses enough energy |
| flowers. Because of their short shelf life, the | | | | to make 1,500 photocopies. |
| flowers are usually flown in which gives them a | | | | 25. Invest environmentally. For as little as $500 it |
| massive climate change footprint because of the | | | | is possible to join a co-operative which invests in |
| aviation emissions. To avoid this you can buy local | | | | wind energy projects that promote emission-free |
| grown plants; if you're still going to buy flowers, | | | | technology. Or you could adopt a local renewables |
| choose those that are local grown and in season. | | | | project. |
| 11. Turn lights off! For comparison, lighting an | | | | 26. Install your own renewable energy system. |
| empty office overnight can waste the energy | | | | Grants are currently available for up to 50 per |
| required to heat water for 1,000 cups of coffee. | | | | cent of the capital costs of installing renewable |
| 12. Buy energy-saving light bulbs. Some of these | | | | energy. You might even make a profit: if you |
| can use less than a quarter of the electricity of | | | | produce more than you need, you could sell the |
| their equivalents, and can last up to 12 times | | | | excess back to your energy supplier. |