Sustainability in your home

Sustainability in your home

There are many ways in which you can make your home more sustainable and reduce your outgoings:

• ​washing your clothes at 30 degrees Celsius saves you money and cuts Carbon Dioxide emissions
• showering for less than 10 minutes. 4 minutes is more optimal
• turning off and unplugging appliances can save up to £40 on the electricity bill
• air drying can save up to 90 kilograms of carbon per household per year
• using public transport, or walking or cycling to work not only reduces your carbon footprint but helps you to live a healthier lifestyle
• freezing your food before it goes bad - 36% of black bin waste is food waste
• buying second hand and donating unwanted items helps reduce landfill waste and supports charity work within our communities
• consider using cloth nappies instead of disposables - for general advice on using real nappies visit either The Nappy Lady or Reusable Nappy Week.

Financial benefits of sustainability

Heat can be lost through gaps around windows, doors or the floor. Loft insulation could save you up to £315 on your annual energy bills, according to consumer group Which.

In the UK, we throw away 6.6 million tonnes of food every year worth almost £400 each. Bad for the environment and bad for our wallets.

Just turning off your lights when you leave the room could save you around £15 a year on your energy bills. So just imagine how much more you could save by making sure you switch off everything when it is not in use! 

By off, we mean all the way off - leaving devices on standby can actually end up costing you an extra £35 a year.

It is estimated that in the UK we use 2 billion litres of water in the shower every day. We can all make a big difference to this number with small changes.

A dripping tap can waste 5,300 litres of water a year, and more if you have a leaky loo! These are both easy fixes for a plumber, or even a skilled and confident DIYer.

These savings may well be higher now due to the cost of living going up.

Additional sustainable ways to save money

Here are a few more easy money saving hacks:

• plan your meals to cut food waste and eat all that you buy
• use your local library for free books, internet and more
• buy reduced label food at the end of the day in supermarkets
• share and take free food at a local Community Fridge
• use Olio to pick up free food locally and borrow appliances to save buying new
• sell your unwanted clothes on second hand apps

Follow Sustainable West Northants on Twitter or contact us [email protected].

Last updated 27 August 2024