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For each of us, home means our house - and the planet. We're sure that, like everyone at elephant.co.uk, you're eager to protect it. You probably already recycle your paper, cans, bottles and cardboard, but what else will help?
Save the world, save cash
Energy prices are rocketing up; using less helps cut CO2 emissions and household bills. Here are a few suggestions.
- Insulation is one of the most effective ways to stop wasting energy in your home. For example, insulating an un-insulated loft could save you around £150 a year and reduce your carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions too
- Turn your thermostat down. Reducing your room temperature by 1°C could cut your heating bills by up to 10 percent and typically saves around £55 per year. If you have a programmer, set your heating and hot water to come on only when required rather than all the time
- Use energy saving lightbulbs. They last up to 10 times longer than ordinary bulbs, and using one can save you around £40 over the lifetime of the bulb. This saving could be around £65 over its lifetime if you're replacing a high wattage incandescent bulb, or one used for more than a few hours a day
- Consider a condensing boiler. These boilers are the most energy efficient on the market and upgrading to a condensing boiler and full heating controls could save up to £235 per year
- Always remember to switch appliances off standby when you've finished using them. Incredibly, £875 million worth of energy is wasted in the UK every year by people leaving appliances on standby.
Source: Energy Saving Trust.
It's a precious resource
We're talking about water. People (and elephants) love to bathe in it. Elephants have the advantage of a built-in shower attachment, and if we follow their lead, we'll use less water than having a bath.
Water bills are rising too, so what else can we do?
- Use a dishwasher. Modern dishwashers are now very efficient and generally use less water than washing dishes under a running tap. Always try to wash a full load though. A half load setting usually uses more than half the energy of a full load; so if you do two half loads you'll use more energy than doing one full one
- Talking of running taps, try not to. A running tap wastes over 6 litres of water a minute so turn off the tap whilst brushing your teeth, shaving or washing your face and use cold water where you don't need hot. And if any of your taps are dripping or leaking, A dripping tap can waste over 5,000 litres of water a year so make sure your taps are properly turned off and change washers promptly when taps start dripping. (and besides, it will stop that annoying dripping sound)
- If everybody in a four person family replaced one bath a week with a 5 minute shower, you could save between £5 and £15 per year off your energy bill. So, opt for short, refreshing showers on a daily basis and keep baths to a minimum
- Flush frugally. About 30% of all water used in dwellings is flushed down the toilet every day. Low-flush and dual flush WCs are specifically designed to reduce the volume of water used during flushing. These systems use up to 6 litres less water per flush than an old fashioned toilet – saving over 16,000 litres of water per year (enough to fill 7 red telephone boxes). Alternatively you could fit a hippo (not an elephant) which will save between 1-3 litres per flush. These are available for free from many water companies.
- Fancy a cuppa? Don't fill the kettle, just use as much water as you need
- A little less, a bit less often. Use a bucket and sponge to wash your car, rather than a hose. And perhaps leave it another week before you clean it. A few less washes a year won't hurt it, and could help you save a bucket load of cash
- Switch to a water meter. If your water supply isn't already metered, the water company will usually install a meter free of charge. Check the reading every week or so; being aware of how much you use will soon encourage you to use less. It could also help you save money
Source: Energy Saving Trust.
Waste not, worry not
We throw away a staggering amount of food each year. It's not just the household budget that's wasted; it's all the packaging, and the energy that's gone into growing, processing and transporting the food. So here's how to throw less away and feel better about it.
- Use the freezer more. Check the food is safe to freeze and store it until you need it. It's better than leaving it in the fridge, and discovering it going mouldy. Besides, the more you put in the freezer, the better it works. A freezer that's two-thirds full is more energy efficient than when it's two-thirds empty
- Think use-by dates. Check the dates when you're shopping, and if you roughly can plan the week's meals in your head, you'll only buy what you need. So food won't be past its date before you've had a chance to use it. For the same reason, buying in bulk isn't necessarily cheaper - you won't save money if your shopping ends up being binned
- Buy your fruit and veg loose. You can pick the freshest and best, and there won't be lots of plastic packaging to throw away
- Love drinking bottled water? When the bottle's empty, refill it from the tap and put it in the fridge. It will taste just as good, save you money and you've reused the bottle
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Trunkie tip
We've also got some great ideas for saving fuel and money when you drive: have a look at our green driving page. |
