Most of us are aware of the importance of making eco-friendly choices. You carbon footprint is likely to influence which model of car you buy, which grocery brands you choose and even how you travel to work each day. While you may be making some positive steps towards reducing your carbon footprint, making some simple changes at home could have the biggest impact.
Minimize Your Gas Usage:
The gas needed to power your boiler and furnace is likely to be the largest percentage of your total gas use. This provides an opportunity to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of your home just by minimizing this usage. With some minor adjustments, you can reduce how much gas you are using, reducing your carbon footprint and your expenses. Some simple ways to accomplish this include using cold water for laundry and avoid running hot water unnecessarily. Most laundry detergent brands work very effectively even in low temperatures, so you need to consider whether you actually need a hot water cycle. Additionally, if you are rinsing dishes to go into the dishwasher, do they really need to be rinsed in hot water? Even these minor changes can have a significant impact over a year.
Boost Your HVAC Efficiency:
Even if you have an older HVAC system, you can still increase its efficiency and thereby reduce your carbon footprint. For example, adjusting your thermostat by two degrees could save up to 6% on heating bills according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. This is a massive saving considering you are not likely to notice such a small temperature difference.
You can also boost the efficiency of your system with some basic maintenance. Regularly changing air filters and having your system serviced will keep it performing at optimum efficiency and avoid wasting energy.
Reduce Your Electricity Use:
Most of us are aware of switching off lights in rooms we are not using to save electricity, but you can take this even further. You can reduce your electricity use with just a little care and planning. For example, not running your dishwasher or washing machine until you have a full load could save a significant amount of electricity and water. You can save even more electricity by skipping the drying cycle and allowing your dishes to air dry with the dishwasher open once they have been rinsed. You should also unplug any appliances or devices when they are not in use. Leaving devices on standby and plugged in will mean that they are still drawing power when they are not being used.
You can make further electricity savings by upgrading all the light bulbs in your home to energy-saving models. CFL or LED lights can last up to 25 times longer than a standard incandescent bulb and use 85 percent less energy.
Although upgrading your appliances to energy efficient models may not be viable all at once, it is worth considering when an older appliance does need to be replaced. While you can expect to pay a little more for the most energy efficient appliance models, this cost will be easily recouped with water and electricity savings over the lifespan of the appliance.