Global Warming - Reduce the Carbon Footprint of Your Home

Simple things we can all do to help global warmingadditional 15% on your bills.
The generally accepted theory is that global5) Air conditioning set the thermostat to 78
warming is caused by pollution, mainly from thedegrees Fahrenheit, most people are comfortable
by-products of us burning fossil fuels originally coalat that sort of temperature. Every degree you
and now oil as well. Global warming is the gradualgo below that can add about 8% to your bills.
increase in the air temperature at the earth's6) Make sure your external doors and windows
surface which over the last century has radicallyare properly sealed, any gaps can add to your
increased causing big problems with the distinctcosts by letting out the cooled or warmed air you
possibility that sea levels may rise leading tohave paid for.
massive floods in certain low lying areas and7) Keep out direct sunlight, which will not only
islands.save your carpets and furniture from fading but
The question is how can I help to reduce globalwill significantly reduce the temperature in your
warming, if you follow or at least consider fewhouse and save on air conditioning costs.
Eco tips that will help reduce the carbon footprint8) to keep out the cold make sure that the
of your home, with the added benefit of cuttingcurtains fit properly, these in conjunction with
your power consumption and save you money.double or triple glazing can cut your heating costs
1) Use energy efficient lighting, these lights give aby a huge margin. this type of glazing also helps
brighter light at a lower wattage thereforeto keep cool air in during the hot weather.
consuming less power meaning lower bills and the9) Buy only recycled paper and paper products,
need to produce less power.this reduces the number of tress that need to be
2) When purchasing new appliances, take note ofcut down. Trees are vital to the earth's ecology
their energy rating that is clearly labelled, theas they turn the carbon dioxide we produce back
more efficient the less power the use and lowerinto Life giving oxygen, so the fewer mature
bills.trees we need to harvest the better.
3) Turn off lights and appliances when you are10) Recharge batteries for things like cell phones
not in the room, do not just walk out and leaveonly when they need to be recharged. The
the TV on. It's not the number of appliances weovercharging of batteries, leaving appliances, TV's,
own it's the way we use them that makes youraudio equipment etc, in some cases can consume
electric bills so high.up to 30% of the power they take when in use.
4) Check the insulation, particularly the loftIf you multiply this by the number of electrical
insulation in your house, there are severalitems you just leave on constant charge or on
programs that will cover some of the cost ofstandby, it can amount to a considerable power
upgrading it. Poor insulation can cost up to anwastage - all of which you have to pay for.