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• Home energy – reducing emissions and saving money

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  With the weather turning colder, many of us are thinking of ways to be more efficient during the winter months.

  There are many things we can do at home to reduce our energy use and bills, in turn making our living spaces more climate friendly in terms of energy. The energy-saving ideas included here are ones we could all do quickly and easily, whether our homes are owned or rented.

  Switch off standby

  The Energy Saving Trust says we can save an average of around £30 a year by turning all our home appliances off standby mode. It might be convenient, but keeping items on standby causes unnecessary emissions and wastes energy. Fully turning off just one LCD TV for 18 hours a day will save about 5kg CO₂ a year. For many appliances, switching off at the plug will make no difference to their programming, but it’s worth checking if some items like digital TV recorders need to be left plugged in to keep their recording data.

  Don’t leave the lights on

  Turn off lights in rooms that you aren’t using and replace light bulbs with energy-saving bulbs. LED (Light Emitting Diode) light bulbs can save around 90 per cent of lighting energy costs compared to use incandescent bulbs.

  Hang out your washing

  Hanging the washing out instead of using the tumble drier will save about 153kg CO₂ a year and £52, based on 150 cycles annually. If it’s not dry enough or there is no space to hang washing outside, air drying in the home is an option if it can be placed it in a well-ventilated area to prevent mould.

  Put on your favourite jumper

  If we all turned the thermostat down by one degree throughout the year, we could make a financial saving of around £80 and save 320kg of CO₂ emissions. Find out about the home energy help available to eligible residents in west Cheshire.

  Boil what you need

  Only boiling the amount of water for a hot drink will save an average of 72kg CO₂ a year - that's £23 per annum. Tea experts advise that the perfect cup of tea needs freshly drawn water, so re-boiling water is damaging your cuppa as well as using up energy and creating emissions you could save.

  Spend less time in the shower

  Spending one minute less in the shower can save 23kg CO₂ and £8 a year (based on one shower a day and a 9kW shower). If a four-person household replaces an inefficient shower head with a water efficient one, they could save energy emissions and around £70 a year off gas bills and around £115 a year off water bills (if they have a water meter).

  Share your own tips on Climate Emergency Inspire hub
  
  If there are other actions you are taking to reduce your energy use, please share your tips and stories on the 'Your energy action' section of the Energy for Everyone site. Your information might just inspire others to make a change that will save them money and reduce their households carbon footprint.
  
  
  

  Information taken from
  energysavingtrust.org.uk and carbonfootprint.com

  Every effort has been made to that ensure the information used in all climate emergency articles is accurate. All information used to inform the articles has been taken from reputable sources and those sources are given at the end of each article. Data wil, however, change over time and some information across the internet and printed matters can be contradictory. If you have any questions or comments about any articles, please submit them below the article.