Top Tips

Turn off lights when leaving the room
Contrary to some popular opinion the power used by turning on a light, even a fluorescent tube, is relatively small and you start saving power (and money) by turning off lights if you are going to be out of a room for more than a minute or so. When you replace bulbs try to use low power ones - the sooner you do this the sooner you start saving energy and money.

Turn devices off, rather than leaving them on standby
Many devices, especially the older models, consume nearly as much power in standby mode as they do when they are on! This means they are sucking up power, and costing you money, whilst you are asleep, at work, at school, etc. Turning them off at the wall socket stops this.

Keeping warm need not cost the Earth
Many folk have their homes heated all day at temperatures in excess of 20°C. If you can turn your heating down a few degrees you'll save a lot of energy and money - wearing a jumper over your t-shirt is a lot cheaper! Ideally see if your home heating can be arranged with controls in each room, so that you are only heating the rooms you are actually using rather than the whole house. Placing foil reflecting/insulating sheets behind radiators to reflect heat back out to the room rather than warming the wall behind them is another quick way of making the most of the heat that you have. Improving the insulation around your home, and making use of draught excluders, can also radically reduce your heating bills whilst making you feel warmer.

Reduce your consumption
Many folk look at the ‘waste' end of the consumer culture and try to ensure they get as much of their waste stream recycled as possible. Whilst this is good, it is often better to think a bit about the other end of the process and actually consume less in the first place. This means thinking carefully about purchases, even if you can afford them. Check your store cupboards and freezers before making your shopping list, don't be tempted by ‘two for one' offers on products you don't normally buy or that you can't consume before they spoil, and try taking only cash shopping rather than cards so that you aren't tempted to spend more than you need.

Say no to plastic bags
Try to take a bag or two with you when you go shopping, so that you can use them rather than the ubiquitous plastic carrier bag. If the shop assistant tries to ‘bag up for you' politely decline and use your own bags - don't worry, you won't be the first person to do this! Some stores are now realising the error (and cost!) of their ways and encouraging their customers to buy reusable long life bags and even hiding carrier bags out of sight.

Make packed lunches
Many of us get to lunchtime at work and then realise that we need to grab some food, which often comes packaged in plastic and is not necessarily as good for us as we'd like. Instead try to make an effort to bring in your own food for at least a few days per week. Also avoid bottled water as it is a very carbon intensive way of buying water and results in unnecessary plastic waste. Take a cup and/or a flask to work instead.

Recycle carefully
When you really do have to dispose of something, check carefully if you can recycle it. Different areas have different types of recycling available so it is difficult to give a ‘catch all' answer to this, so it's probably worth checking with your local council's recycling/waste department to see what they have on offer. Remember that even if the council does not offer recycling for your items itself, you might have access to recycling facilities elsewhere in your local area. For example, many supermarket car parks now sport recycling centres taking a wide variety or materials. If you do have kerbside recycling please make sure that you separate the recyclables out as instructed by your council: recycling ‘polluted' with the wrong materials can be next to useless and may actually end up having to be landfilled after all.

Check your transport options
Having a car sitting outside can make it a tempting choice for most trips. Sometimes, however, it might be worth thinking about other options. For example, a quick trip to the shops can often be nearly as quick by foot once you've found your car keys, got the car started, navigated to the shops, found somewhere to park, nipped in and then reversed the process. By walking you will also be reducing your carbon footprint whilst getting a bit of exercise - and it's much cheaper than the gym! Walking or cycling to work might also be an option for some people, even if it's only occasionally. For longer journeys look to see if public transport such as buses and trains could be used - whilst the ‘walk-on' tickets can often make these seem expensive look at advance purchase options or, for regular travellers, season tickets, especially when compared to car parking and congestion charging as well as fuel costs.

Compost if you can
If you have a garden, even if it's a little postage stamp sized patch attached to a modern starter home, try to find a space for a little compost bin. These are often available at a discount from your local council and can be sited in a corner out of the way. Vegetable peelings, fruit skins, shredded paper, torn up cardboard, egg shells, vacuum cleaner bag contents, annual weeds, small amounts of hedge prunings and chicken manure can all be put into the bin and will, over six months or so, turn into material that you can dig into your vegetable or flower beds.

Save water and money!
A running tap is a great way to waste water and push up your water bill if you are on a metered connection. Using a washing up bowl when washing dishes or cleaning veggies limits the amount of water you are using and it can be used to water plants later. Turning the tap off whilst cleaning your teeth is another quick and easy saving.