Carrying on from the last post where we covered the 2 biggest and most cost effective ways to save money and eco retrofit your house, there are lots of other ways to be green. Every little bit you do can contribute and below are some more ideas for reducing your home’s carbon footprint and increasing the energy efficiency of your home.

1. Turn your heating down.
   Almost half of the energy consumed in your home is from heating and cooling. By turning your thermostat down by just 1 degree below 20°C can save up to 6% more energy. 18°C is a perfectly comfortable living temperature and can be healthier too, reducing dust in your home as well as stopping you getting too warm.
2. Choose greener appliances.
   Swap your old carbon hungry appliances such as fridges, freezers, dishwashers and washing machines to more energy efficient ones.  Almost all new appliances now come with a rating so it is easy to see whether the model you have your eye on is more efficient. If just one in ten homes swapped to energy efficient appliances it would be the equivalent of planting  1.7 million acres of new trees!
3. Turn things off.
   Everything these days comes with a remote and a standby mode designed for labour saving, but what’s wrong with walking 5 feet to flick a switch? By turning off plugs on electrical items such as PC’s, monitors and TVs, you can save 5% of your energy over the year.
4. Save water.
   There are a number of water saving measures you can take. Don’t leave taps running, have a shower instead of a bath and use a bucket instead of a hose to wash your car. All these things can save water and energy but also reduce your water bill over the year.
5. Start recycling.
   Recycling 1 plastic bottle can save the equivalent amount of energy needed to light a light bulb for 3 hours so bearing in mind that 60% of the rubbish in your bin could be recycled that’s a lot of light bulbs. Recycling as well as saving energy also massively helps the environment.

All these simple and easy steps together will reduce our own personal carbon footprint which together globally will make a massive impact on making the planet a better place for years to come.

Related posts:

1. Making Your Home More Energy Efficient
2. Fight the Recession With Energy Efficient Double Glazing
3. Building a Greener Home
4. Insulating Your Home to Prevent Drafts and Cut Energy Bills
5. Save on water by using kitchen and bathroom products supplied by Vitra