Your carbon footprint is your personal contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. This you do in two different ways, although you may not be totally aware of it.
By direct use: Burning fuel for cooking, driving a motor vehicle or consuming electricity.
By indirect use: From the emissions created by the manufacture of the products like plastic bags for groceries, or the fuel burnt to fly in mangoes from Northern Australia or Southern America.
Reducing our carbon footprint should be everybody’s business, especially now, when most of the world’s scientists agree that greenhouse gas emissions play a part in the dangerous, unnatural warming of the earth.
Reducing your carbon footprint is not only good for the environment, but it can also save you money, especially with regards to your direct energy use.
Two simple changes will make your Home more environmentally friendly:
a) Installing double glazing windows. This option will avoid drafts, helping insulate your home much better by keeping the warm air inside.
b) Installing solar panels. The advantages of solar energy are many.It would enable the use of solar energy powered combi boilers to obtain free hot water for your bathrooms, kitchen and swimming pool. Solar energy can be adapted to the already existing swimming pool heaters. It can also be used to heat up your house with radiant floor heating or other methods.
Also you could have solar powered small appliances, solar lights, and even start using solar powered garden lights outdoors.
All these actions can drastically reduce your gas and electricity bills, saving you hundreds each year.
Getting a home energy audit done
The most effective way to benefit from the advantages of solar energy and start reducing your carbon footprint is to first get a home energy audit done. You could do a simple audit yourself, either by taking weekly readings of your electricity meter, or by using a simple handheld power meter, which can tell you how much electricity is used by appliances plugged into your outlets, even when they are turned off. If you prefer, a professional audit can be done, giving you the benefit of their professional opinion on how to reduce your electricity usage.
Here are a few power saving tips:
- Turn off lights when leaving a room- make it a habit for the entire family.
- Switch to LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) and CFLs (energy savers) instead of regular light bulbs.
- Unplug appliances when not in use or turn them off at the wall.
- Unplug battery and phone chargers when not in use.
- Insulate your ceiling to reduce heating costs
- Use cold water to wash clothes.
- Switch to a gas boosted solar water heater when possible, but if not, ensure that your electric heater has an insulating blanket.
- Seal any cracks around door and window frames.
- Shade all West facing windows
These cost effective options are a good way to start reducing your carbon footprint. Once you get your home energy audit and have a better idea of how to further reduce your overall expenditure using the advantages of solar energy and you’ll be well on your way to huge savings.
