Get Motivated

Home, Travel and Food: together they make up more than 60% of the average UK resident's carbon footprint. Here you'll find the latest news, research and ideas to help you cut their impact.

Save money on your heating billsPrint

Turning your thermostat down by 1˚C could help save up to 10% on typical heating bills. But why stop there?

A staggering 40% of the country's CO2 emissions result from our individual actions and choices around the home,[1] which means there are plenty of small changes we can make that will deliver significant differences.

The simplest way to save energy? Switching gadgets off at the wall rather than leaving them on standby. Try using programmed timers if you need to.

Swap all of your light bulbs for the energy-saving kind. They can save you up to £60 in electricity over their lifetime.[3]    

Although many brand-new products are more energy efficient than older models, it's not always true. Check energy labels when appliance shopping (such as the EU energy label which rates products from A++, good, to G, negative) to help you reduce your CO2 impact and save money.

Five ways to slash your home energy bills and CO2 footprint
1. Install loft insulation and prevent as much as 25% heat loss through your roof[4]

2. Change to double glazing, if you haven't already. Some manufacturers use an energy rating scheme with A-rated windows being the most efficient[5]

3. Upgrade your boiler and fit an insulating jacket around it.

4. Insulate your wall cavities. It usually only takes a couple of hours to install and can save up to £115 per year[6].

5. Install draught excluders wherever there are gaps to keep draughts out and help reduce heat loss.

Key facts

  • If everybody in the UK installed 270mm loft insulation, it is estimated that this would save nearly three million tonnes of CO2[7].
  • Loft insulation costs around £250 to install, but depending on how much insulation you currently have, could pay for itself several times over during its effective life[8].
  • If every household in the UK used an Energy Saving Trust Recommended kettle, we would save over £160 million of energy a year. This is enough electricity to power 70,000 homes for a year and enough CO2 to fill over 950,000 double decker buses.[9]

Mythbuster
Switching your phone charger off is a start, but it doesn't achieve nearly enough. The energy saved by switching your charger off for the whole year is the same as that used for a single hot bath.[10]

Sources

[1] Energy used in the home is responsible for more than a quarter of the UK's carbon dioxide emissions.
Information Source: Direct.gov, Insulation and Heating

[2] Energy saving bulbs also last around 10 times longer than traditional bulbs, meaning you could save around £40 before you need to replace your bulb - or up to £60 if you're replacing a very bright incandescent bulb or one used for more than a few hours a day.
Information Source: Energy Saving Trust (Under Spotlight on Savings]

[3] An uninsulated home loses a quarter of its heating through the roof.
Information Source: Energy Saving Trust (Under Stop your bills going through the roof)

[4] You could save around £115 on energy bills each year by insulating your wall cavities
Information Source: Energy Saving Trust (Under Insulate Wall Cavities)

[5] If everyone in the UK installed 270mm loft insulation, we could save around £520 million and nearly three million tonnes of CO2 every year. That's enough to fill Wembley Stadium nearly 380 times.
Information Source: Energy Saving Trust, Loft Insulation

[6] Loft insulation costs around £250 to install, but depending on how much insulation you currently have, could pay for itself several times over during its effective life.
Information Source: Energy saving trust, What could you save? (See table)

[7] If every household in the UK used an Energy Saving Trust Recommended kettle, we would save over £160 million of energy a year. This is enough electricity to power 70,000 homes for a year and enough CO2to fill over 950,000 double decker buses.
Information Source: Energy Saving Trust, Home Appliances (Under Kettles)

[8] The energy saved by switching your charger off for the whole year is the same as that used for a single hot bath
Information Source: Sustainable Energy by D.J.C. Mackay (2009), (Page 68)

Team Green Britain and London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Ltd (LOCOG) do not endorse any of the products, companies, organisations, opinions or websites that have been mentioned in this article. The content of this article has merely been provided as background to, or discussion on, various topical issues relating to the environment and it is not necessarily representative of the views of Team Green Britain and LOCOG. Further, any figures and calculations noted in this article are estimates (unless otherwise specified), and may vary in light of numerous factors and readers are advised to undertake their own research in relation to the facts and figures applicable to their particular circumstance. Certain facts and figures shown have been sourced from third parties. Team Green Britain has not verified information sourced from third parties and Team Green Britain cannot take responsibility for the accuracy of these facts and figures.

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