How To Guides Being Green Without A Lot Of Effort

Date Published:

10/06/2008

You may think you know all the ways to reduce your carbon footprint and electricity bills, but why not check through our tips to see if there are any you might not have thought of?

Check your loft insulation - if necessary add another layer to bring it up to the magic 270mm to make a big difference. If you haven't got it, it can cost as little as £230, is easily done by yourself, and will save you about that much at least per year. Find out all you need to know from the Energy Saving Trust.

You know not to leave all your appliances on standby (and thus save an average £37 per year), but there are now handy sensor and transmitter gadgets which show you how much energy is being used in the house, just to remind you to check! If you see how much energy is being used it's much more likely you'll try to cut down. You can get one from www.naturalcollection.com.

Laptops save more energy than stand alone PCs, but if you are using a big one along with game consoles, printers and anything else, consider getting a special plug which automatically switches them all off when you turn off the computer. This is also available through www.naturalcollection.com.

Don't rely on the 'half-load' button when using the dishwasher or washing machine - it uses MORE than half the energy and water then a full load. Save up things like towels and sheets until you have enough.

Don't be too house-proud! If you vacuum once a week, stretch it to 10 days or even two weeks and equally spread out other energy-using chores such as clothes washing. Each one you 'miss' saves energy - and your time.