1

Only turn on heat and lighting in the room you are using.  Turn off heating in rooms not being used and close the doors. Heating our homes produces about 70% of its carbon emissions.

2

Set the temperature of the central heating at the lowest comfortable temperature.  The more clothes you wear the less heating you will need.   Every degree centigrade you raise the temperature, you are adding another 10% to the cost of heating your home and to the resulting emissions.

3

Ensure your loft has more than 300 mm of insulation installed and if you have cavity walls that they are also well insulated.   Over 11 millions cavity walled homes in the UK have yet to be insulated. Also ensure all windows and doors are draught proofed.

4

Only buy the most energy efficient (A++ rated) white goods (fridge, washing machine and dish-washer).  Replace all tungsten and halogen bulbs with energy saving bulbs and LEDs.  Energy saving bulbs cut 80% of your lighting emissions and the best rated washing machine will use less than 45% of the energy of an inefficient washing machine.

5

Install an aerating shower head in your shower and spray taps on your bathroom sink to cut down on wasted hot-water.  Have short showers instead of baths and never leave the tap running unnecessarily e.g. when shaving, washing your teeth or cleaning vegetables.

6

Use a bicycle or public transport wherever possible. Private car use contributes about 20% of UK emissions and the average driver emits about 3 tonnes of CO2 per annum, driving 8,000 miles.

7

Reduce your meat and dairy consumption.  A UN report states that meat production contributes nearly a fifth of global green-house gas emissions.  The meat consumed annually by an average meat-eating family has the same emissions as the average car. Ideally aim for a maximum of meat once a week.

8

Avoid flying and cruise ship journeys wherever possible.  Short haul flights emit nearly ten times more CO2 than the equivalent train journey.  Long haul flights to places such as Japan or Australia, consume more than a third of an average homes emissions for an entire year.

9

Ensure any wooden products that you buy are certified as coming from a sustainable source and avoid products containing palm oil.  Destruction of rainforests for wood and palm oil plantations accounts for nearly 20% of global green-house emissions.

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