10 Ways to Make Your Home Eco Friendly

With global warming staring us in the face, it’s about time we all did our little bit to make our homes eco-friendly. We’re not talking lifestyle-altering changes here, but just small measures, which if added up, can make a world of a difference; and more importantly, a difference to our world.

1. Buying energy-efficient appliances is one of the most effective ways of saving energy. What’s more they are easily available and are not necessarily more expensive. New, energy saving bulbs consume as much as five times less energy as that used by older bulbs. Just replacing the bulbs in your house would be a small step for you, but literally a big step for mankind.
2. A typical home loses almost half its heat through its walls and roof. Insulating the roof and the walls could save you almost £400 in energy costs annually, which more than makes up for the relatively low initial cost of insulation.
3. Switching off an electronic appliance with a remote control merely puts it on standby and energy is still being used. Any appliance that is not in use should be put off at the power switch. This small act could save each household about £38 a year. Consider how much that translates to per neighborhood! Why not try using a plug in power meterto measure exactly how much electricity each household appliance consumes?
4. Installing an energy-efficient heating system in your house could reduce your energy consumption by 40 percent. Replace your old boiler with a more advanced model, which is designed to save energy.
5. Radiators lose a lot of heat from their rear. Placing reflective foil panels behind all radiators can help harness and use this heat. Foil panels are easily and cheaply available at most DIY stores.
6. While washing clothes in a washing machine you could save a lot of energy by running the machine with a full load and at a slightly lower temperature. As far as possible put your clothes outdoors to dry and avoid using the tumble dryer.
7. When boiling water in a kettle, boil only as much as you need. Boiling extra water is a waste of energy as well as time. If you use your kettle a lot, you may want to consider buying an eco kettle.
8. A smart electricity monitor is a clever little device that can break down the energy consumption of every appliance in the house and can give you your energy usage in real-time. Use it to help you ascertain which appliances are consuming too much energy and where you can cut down.
9. Turning down your thermostat just one degree can make a big difference to your total energy consumption while still keeping you comfortably warm.
10. Consider installing solar panels to create your own energy. One solar thermal can provide an astounding 50% of your annual hot water requirements. Mini home wind turbines are brilliant if you live in the open countryside. There are a range of portable solar chargers available that can be used around the house and in the garden to charge mobiles, mp3 players, etc.

                                                                                                                                                                                                       - eco-local