10 ways to make your house carbon neutral

tow children near wind turbineIt’s time to do something about global warming. Here we look at some very simple steps that you can do to make your first steps towards reducing your carbon footprint.

1. Look at where you go on holiday

Flying is one of the highest consumers of carbon. Reducing the amount that you fly will have the greatest impact on the environment. Avoid long haul holidays. You may want to consider even having a holiday at home. Longer holidays (e.g. 3 weeks) less often will typically use less carbon than going away for lots of short breaks.

2. Stop using your car so much

I know, easier said than done. The first step would be to try and get a job closer to home – or even better find a way of working from home. Also try to use your car less often – perhaps every other day. Using a bike will save energy and keep you fit at the same time. If you have two cars you could consider selling one of them.

3. Start wearing a sweater or pullover in winter

My dad used to say that we heat up the space around us, rather than heat ourselves up. If you start wearing a sweater or pullover in winter you will find that you will be able to turn down the controls on your central heating.

4. Switch your electricity supply to a green energy supplier

We are going to need new fuel supplies and I would prefer for them to be renewable than coal, gas or nuclear. Switch to a 100% energy supplier like Ecotricity and all of your money will be put into helping to develop renewable energy. (They are the company that operate the wind turbine on the M4 near Reading).

5. Subscribe to an organic vegetable box scheme

In most areas you can get a box of fresh organic vegetables and fruit delivered to your door. As well as cutting down on food miles, it will be healthy and will put you back in touch with the seasonality of your food. You could even consider growing some of your own vegetables.

6. Start burning wood

If you have a fireplace start burning wood. You can pick up wood that you have collected (make sure that it is not tanalised (or treated wood). Even better you could install a wood burning stove. Burning wood is carbon neutral as the tree took carbon dioxide out of the air.

7. Plant a tree

Trees absorb carbon dioxide and will help to make your more carbon neutral. Just make sure that you do not plant so close to the house that it will affect the foundations. Over time it could be a great source of fuel too.

8. Travel by train (or public transport)

Where possible try to travel as much as you cn by public transport (train, bus or coach) – particularly for longer journeys.

9. Start using the economy buttons

Most people do not realise that on their washing machines, dishwashers and toilets you will often find an economy seting that reduces the amount of electricity or water that you use.

Another great economy is only to fill the kettle with the actual amount of water that you need, rather than filling it up to the top.

10. Turn it off

The biggest saving though would be to hang you clothes on the line in a fine day, rather than using the tumble drier.

You shpuld also get into a routine of going around the house and unplugging any devices that do not need to be plugged in – particularly chargers, computers on standby.

10. Do all the obvious stuff

Make sure that you have done all of the obvious measures like insulating the loft and installing thermostats on your radiators and on the central heating.

Do you have any other ideas? Please add them into the box below. Thanks.

August 6, 2007 Filed under Money -

  

Ideas submitted by our readers on: 10 ways to make your house carbon neutral

energy efficient products

Thanks to Anonymous — September 27, 2007

buy energy efficet globes

Thanks to smart — June 19, 2008

insulate house

Thanks to smart — June 19, 2008

have a garden with large trees

Thanks to smart — June 19, 2008

place windows on north side of house

Thanks to smart — June 19, 2008

have a well insulated house

Thanks to SMARTER THAN SMART — June 23, 2008

Don’t buy stuff you don’t really need. Give your money to green charities instead (e.g. woodland trust). Almost all consumption relies on some use of carbon based fuels.

Thanks to Dave Candeland — July 1, 2008

close drapes or blinds at night to reduce heat loss

Thanks to wildernessbob — August 3, 2008

[...] Ten ways to make yourself carbon neutral [...]

Thanks to More Persuasive Speech Ideas — August 30, 2008

Carry your own bag (cloth) to stores Avoid plastic carry bag

Thanks to MK — October 10, 2008

Get a grid connected solar panel setup on your roof & create your own quiet & free electricity

Thanks to Max Power Electrical — January 24, 2009

tighten leaky faucetts… it will waste less water

Thanks to kaytee — January 28, 2009

yous your guter water, to water the plant not tap water.

Thanks to Edmund — February 9, 2009

grow your own food

Thanks to sheila — March 7, 2009

1) Use of Airconditioners at 24 degree celcius.
This reduce the emission of Chloro Floro Carbon.

Thanks to Rajkumar Jaiswal — March 24, 2009

use both sides of a sheet of paper

Thanks to jessica — April 29, 2009

dont use a lot of chemicals like windex.

Thanks to jessica — April 29, 2009

Invest in “Green” companies to offset carbon emissions, such as solar, wind, or geothermal power.

Thanks to Richard — July 23, 2009

invest in a motor scooter. This will definitly use way less gas. Plant a tree.

Thanks to Daniel Baxter — August 3, 2009

turn the elelctrical appliences off when you not using them

Thanks to alex — November 3, 2009

turn the electrical applience off at the switch :-)

Thanks to alex — November 3, 2009

[...] Ten ways to make yourself carbon neutral [...]

Thanks to More Persuasive Speech Ideas — November 3, 2009

install and use a half flush toliet or place a filled water bottle in the cistern to reduce the amount of water wasted in flushing

Thanks to hayley — November 25, 2009

don’t leave the tap running whilst cleaning your teeth.

Thanks to Karon — December 10, 2009

Fillament Bulbs should be banned. In its place use Chlorofloro bulbs. That saves 50% of electricity thus energy at the source. This will reduce green house effect

Thanks to P.S.Sindhu — December 20, 2009

Use reusable fabric bags. Do NOT ban filament light bulbs. People with bad eyesight NEED more light and can’t always afford chloro. bulbs. I think you will find that chloro. bulbs contain mercury and should be desposed of carefully – not many are aware of this.

Thanks to Mary Hassall — January 1, 2010

Fix all leaky fausets…Did you know,
If a faucet drips 30 times for one faucet on average, then in one day it will drip 43,200 drips per day which would equal out to about 3-4 gallons of water. To add to that, that would equal out to be 1,041 gallons of water per YEAR.

Thanks to Dylan Damm — May 7, 2010

Plant a green roof. It does not only save energy and insulates, it does also absorb CO2 and produces O2, reduces water run off and cools the city or twon.

Thanks to Uwe Paschen — September 5, 2010

Plant a tree with us at OxTreeGen within our Living Legacy Woodland within the UK

Thanks to Nick Thomas — January 5, 2011

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