WHILE it’s great news that people across the globe becoming more eco-aware around the home, just emptying the recycling bin just doesn’t cut it anymore. There are plenty of other ways we can all do our bit to save the planet and some cash at the same time! The renewable energy experts at green share some top tips to help us all clean up our carbon footprint…

Home and Garden on Female First

Home and Garden on Female First

GET SERIOUS ABOUT WATER

Becoming a true eco-warrior means getting serious about water. You can start by flushing less water down the loo. By installing a Save-a-Flush water displacement device in your cistern it will reduce the amount of water used for each flush by around one or two litres. Carrying out spot checks around the home and taking time out to fix any leaks is also a great way to slash those bills. If you want to go one step further, you could also install a low-flow shower-head in the bathroom which has been proven to help a family-of-four save up to 160,000 litres of water.

SWITCH TO RENEWABLE ENERGY

There are times when we all fall foul of leaving the heating on. It’s one of the biggest ways that we use energy in the home, particularly during the winter months. The best way to combat this is with green’s new ground-breaking app. The new tool can be connected to a smart meter in homes across the UK which green will supply free of charge and features live chat, forecasting, payment insights, FaceID and TouchID. It’s a must for anyone looking to reduce their carbon footprint and save on their energy bills. The energy supplier’s experts will be able to provide you with analysis and ideas for how best to make changes to your home.

INVEST IN THE RIGHT LIGHTBULBS

A good way of making smarter savings is by investing in the right lightbulbs. More efficient LEDs are better than older, incandescent bulbs. They’ve been around a while but it’s taken a while for people to come around to the idea of using them. They use less power and last longer, so it makes sense to make the switch and save.

INSTALL SOLAR PANELS

Solar panels are a must for any eco home. You can sit back and relax safe in the knowledge that you have completely clean electricity. The upside is that you can sometimes even make enough energy to sell some back to the grid. The downside is that due to the cost it can take about 20 years to break even depending on where you live. Remember though it’s not just a monetary investment, it’s an opportunity to improve your green credentials.

EMBRACE NATURAL CLEANING PRODUCTS

There are so many products on the market now that we no longer need to use harmful chemicals which are bad for the environment. After all, we don’t want to wash them into our water supply. For most day-to-day cleaning tasks, natural products such as vinegar, citric acid from fruit and bicarbonate of soda can be used in place of caustic chemicals to leave our homes sparkling clean.

INSULATE

One of the best ways to improve our home’s eco-friendliness is to use as little energy as possible. Investing in good insulation is a great way to do this because it helps hold in the heat. The walls and roof should be insulated and it would also be smart to consider double-glazing any windows that don’t already have it. Rugs are also a cost-effective and stylish way to help insulate the home and prevent air from escaping through the cracks in your floors.

A NIFTY DEVICE FOR YOUR WOOD BURNER

The use of secondary heating such as wood burning or solid fuel stoves are more efficient at heating one space as opposed to turning up the central heating for every room. Firemizer is an eco-friendly and sustainable way to maximise fuel efficiency both in the home and outdoors, which also helps minimise pollutant emissions. The gadget allows you to reduce your carbon footprint and let your fire burn longer by spreading the heat evenly. By ensuring all of the fuel is burnt thoroughly it can reduce emissions by up to 72% and creosote emissions by 57%.

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