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Living in an eco-friendly home

LED lights – Historically, the problem with high-efficiency bulbs is that although they save you money, the light they provide is of poor quality and intensity. Enter LED bulbs. These babies use 90% less power than standard lights, last far longer and will provide you with high intense, high-quality light. The drawback is they are more expensive but all things considered; they will save you mountains of cash over normal and halogen bulbs and are eco-friendly to boot!

Insulation – The quicker your house looses heat through poor insulation the more electricity/gas you need to waste keeping it war. Insulating your home is a sure way to keep energy bills down in the winter and be kinder to the environment. There are some government subsidized programs that enable you to insulate your home for a greatly reduced price. It is worth checking with your local gas/electricity company to see if these programs are available in your area. Replacing sash-windows with double paned glass will also improve insulation but can be costly. It is worth mentioning though that this upgrade will increase the value of your home when selling as will proper insulation.

Create your own power – Wind turbines and solar panels have become popular in recent years due to government initiatives and their money saving, eco-friendly characteristics. Wind turbines can either be mounted on your roof or on a mast in the yard and can generate anywhere from 1kw up to 6kw. You can even connect this up to the power grid and make money selling your electricity back to them. Visit energysavingtrust.org.uk to see if these options may be right for you.

Switch off – The average UK home spends £47 a year on standby electricity alone. Simply turning off televisions and computers when they aren’t in use can save money and is good for the environment. There are several gadgets available which sit in between the TV/computer and the socket which will shut down items which haven’t been used for a designated period of time so as not to waste energy. You can find this and other information about efficient products here: energysavingtrust.org.uk

Energy suppliers – There are several companies all over the UK which produce their electricity solely through renewable resources (wind, water, solar). They charge a slight premium over standard energy companies but you can feel good about your supplier (how many previous energy suppliers have enabled you to feel good?). On the upside, if you have followed the previous steps it is likely that your energy bill is greatly reduced anyway making your total electrical cost remain roughly the same if not decreasing slightly.