1. Turn off Electrical Appliances not in Use.
TV’s, videos and computers left on standby can use up to 85 per cent of the energy they would if fully on. The power wasted releases an extra one million tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere every year, contributing to global warming.
2. Leave the Car in the Drive.
Use public transport to get to work whenever possible. Motorists who drive 100 miles a week generate 1,872kg of CO2 a year. Train or bus commuters traveling the same distance create just 520kg.
3. Shower, Don’t Bath.
Filling a tub needs 75 litres of water, whereas a five-minute shower uses 30 litres. Buy a water-saving showerhead ( £15) to end drips. Cuts the average bill by £125 a year.
4. Conserve Hot Water.
Turn down the temperature by two degrees Celsius, cutting the average heating bill by £40 a year and emissions by up to 270kg. Set your washing machine to as cool a wash as possible; followed twice a week, emissions will be cut by 225kg a year. Fit an insulating jacket around a hot water tank, cutting emissions by 80kg a year.
5. Buy Local.
Fill your shopping basket with local produce, eating fruit and vegetables that are in season. Food imported by air contributes many times its own weight in CO2 emissions by the time it reaches the UK.
6. Minimise Tumble Dryer Use.
Just one fewer load a week reduces CO2 emissions by 91kg a year. Avoid putting very damp clothes in by wringing out first.
7. Insulate Lofts, Walls and Windows.
More than 40 per cent of heat lost from the home escapes through walls and lofts. Insulating lofts to a depth of 250mm can slash heating bills by a quarter. Insulating cavity walls, which costs about £550, can cut heating bills by a third and emissions by 900kg a year. Fit insulating film over windows. At £1 per pane it can reduce a household’s emissions by 450kg a year.
8. Holiday in your home country.
Giving up on foreign trips will help cut down aviation emissions. A flight to Athens from the UK emits 2,336kg of CO2 per passenger.
9. Compost and Recycle.
If each home recycled 50 per cent of its output, the UK’s annual CO2 emissions would drop by six million tones. The energy saved by recycling a single drinks can is enough to run a TV set for three hours.
10. Use Energy-Saving Light Bulbs.
Energy-saving light bulbs use less than a quarter of the electricity, last 12 times longer than standard light bulb s and produce 50kg less CO2 during their lifetime. They cost £4.