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How to reduce CO2 emissions

Last update: April Fri 20, 2007 (16:32 IST)

There are so many things you can do to help reduce your CO₂ emissions. In fact you’ll be amazed just how easy it is to save energy around your home – often without spending a penny. Here are just a few simple ideas to help get you started:

1. Only boil as much water as you need

Electric kettles consume nearly 30% of all the electricity an average household uses for cooking. To save energy only boil as much water as you need (but remember to cover the element if you’re using an electric kettle). If everyone in the UK did this we’d save enough electricity to power two thirds of the street lighting in the UK.

2. Don’t use your car for short journeys

Nearly a quarter of all car journeys are less than 2 miles and cars consume most fuel at the start of their journey when the engine is cold. Walking or cycling for short journeys is not only good for your health, but could also reduce the amount of CO₂ emissions that are released into the air.

3. Dry your clothes outside or on a drying rack where possible

In dryer weather, hanging your clothes outside rather than using the tumble dryer will reduce your CO₂ emissions. They will dry quickly and smell fresh too. If you have space, then a clothes drying rack inside your home will dry your clothes just as effectively. If you do use the dryer, try to make sure you fill it each time, rather than putting on a number of small loads.

4. Switch to energy-saving bulbs

Choosing energy-saving light bulbs is one of the easiest ways of cutting your energy use. Just one energy saving light bulb can reduce your lighting costs by up to £100 over the lifetime of the bulb - and they last up to 12 times longer than ordinary light bulbs. The cost of energy saving bulbs is now reducing - so no excuses!

5. Turn off your appliances instead of leaving them on standby

Across the UK we waste the equivalent of around two power stations’ worth of electricity each year simply by leaving appliances like computers, printers and TVs on standby mode, and leaving chargers for appliances like mobile phones and electric toothbrushes switched on when not in use. Mobile phone chargers left plugged in waste over £60 million and are responsible for a quarter of a million tonnes of CO₂ every year alone. So turn off appliances using the main on/off switch (not the remote control) and unplug chargers when they are not in use.

6. Turn down thermostat

If your heating bills are burning a hole in your pocket try turning down your thermostat by just one degree at a time. Each one degree drop can help reduce your bill by up to 10% and save you around £40 per year. We recommend aiming for around 19-20°C in your living room and around 18°C in your bedroom.

7. Cook in a microwave

Microwave cooking can make significant reductions in your energy bills as it is much more energy efficient than conventional ovens. You don’t even have to sacrifice your cooking skills as most microwaves these days allow you to do many of the cooking functions of a normal oven. Microwave ovens cook food faster than conventional ovens because the energy goes directly into heating the food and not into heating.

These are just a few of the things that you can do to reduce your CO₂ emissions and help tackle climate change. If you’d like to get more information look at our online guide to greener living. Check back here in May 2007 to calculate your carbon footprint and get personalised advice on how you can reduce your emissions even further.

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How to reduce CO2 emissions

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