With repeated warnings from climate scientists, now more than ever it’s time to think about what changes we can make to protect our planet. Here are five simple ways to make your home greener and do your part in protecting the planet before it’s too late.
- Turn down the temperature
Whilst it’s true that we all want a warm home, turning down the thermostat by just a couple of degrees can save a massive amount of emissions. As a rule, you should try to keep the temperature at 18°C as a maximum. By throwing on an extra jumper or snuggling up under a blanket instead of jacking the heating up, you’ll be saving yourself a significant amount on your energy bills, too.
- Insulate your home
By taking steps to make your home more efficient by trapping in the heat, you’ll find that you’ll cut your bills and use far less fossil fuels. Investing in a draught excluder is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to keep your home warmer, but you could also consider insulating your home by researching cavity wall insulation near me.
Did you know that your landlord has a legal obligation to make the property heat efficient? Even if you’re renting, you can still do your part for the environment by requesting these from your landlord.
- Install low carbon heating
If you own your property and are willing to make a long-term change, you might want to think about what type of heating you use. The government offers grants through their renewable heat incentive if you’re looking to move away from relying on fossil fuels to keep your home warm.
Heat pumps are one of the main types of low carbon heating and use less fossil fuels than most other systems, making them a sustainable and low carbon source of heating. They work by absorbing heat from a source and transferring it to a fluid, which is compressed to increase the temperature further. The heat is usually transferred from the fluid into water, which is then used to provide hot water and heating.
- Install solar panels
Incorporating solar into your house is a great way to make your home greener by reducing your carbon footprint and cutting your energy bills.
Solar panels are more than capable of producing electricity, even on cloudy days. They just need to be exposed to daylight, which is capable of penetrating clouds no matter how gloomy it is.
Though it’s true that solar panels can be expensive to install, the initial cost should be considered as an investment for the future.
- Start a compost pile
There are so many benefits of composting including enriching soil, helping retain moisture and reducing the need for chemical fertilisers. Your scraps and garden waste will create a soil that’s perfect for helping your vegetable garden and flowers grow greener too.
You can start your pile from a fresh pile of leaves and grass clippings or even straw. It’s best to have something at least 2 feet deep so that more toxic materials like meat can be safely buried.