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Climate impact

With household energy accounting for around 30% of individual emissions, reducing your consumption is a simple way to reduce emissions.  Most of the energy we use at home, and therefore most of the carbon dioxide we emit, is from burning gas to heat our homes (often c.70% in developed countries).

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A 40% reduction in home energy use, across gas and electricity, can reduce annual emissions by around 0.6 tonnes of CO2. See Tips & Resources below to learn how you can reduce your home energy use. See impact calculations.

Tips

1. Replace light bulbs with LEDs
2. Turn off lights and appliances when not in use
3. Wash your clothes at low temperatures and air dry them
4. Reduce your heating by one degree
5. Get a smart energy meter to see where you're using energy
6. Improve home insulation and reduce drafts

1. Light bulbs. LEDs are now the most efficient bulbs on the market. They use around 20% as much energy as traditional light bulbs and around 67% as much as low energy fluorescent light bulbs. They also last for an average of 25 years, compared to the 10 year lifespan of a traditional bulb and 2 year lifespan of fluorescent light bulbs [1].
 

2. Switching off. Switching off appliances at the plug and switching off lights is easy and saves you money. In the UK, around 9%-16% of our energy bills are spent powering appliances on 'standby' mode [2]. 

3. Clothes washing. Washing a load of clothes at 40 degrees and then tumble drying it uses 4 times as much energy as washing at 30 degrees and line drying it [3].

4. Heating temperature. Turning your thermostat down by one degree can prevent 320kg of CO2 emissions and save you £80, each year [4].

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5. Smart meters. On average people using both electricity and gas have lowered their bills by £32 per year after installing their smart meter [5].

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6. Insulation. Insulating your loft could save you over £200 a year and reduce emissions by almost 1 tonne CO2 [6].