Creative Green Energy Services for Landlords
Growing tomatoes is a great way to eat healthy and take charge of the things that you eat, reducing household energy use will make us and future generations more sustainable, here are a few other great tips on how to conserve energy in order to live a more sustainable life.
At home…
- Turn off appliances and lights from the mains or use an adapter that keeps your appliance on standby but has its own built in battery
- Buy and use energy-efficient appliances, look out for A/AA rating on your new items.
- Use a programmable thermostat, set it to 18°c, if set higher set the days and times that you want it to on, it is known that you can save a noticeable amount on your utility bills by reducing the temperature of your home by 1° and turning your heating on a hour less each day (from settings used for the previous 12 months)
- Insulate your loft, walls, fit better quality double glazing
- Set your thermostat lower than usual in the winter and bundle up, wear fur lined indoor foot wear and an extra layer.
- Open windows to allow a natural breeze instead of using the air conditioning on balmy days
- Air dry clothes instead of using the tumble dryer. Try spinning the clothes twice before setting out to dry
- Fill your kettle only with the amount of water required
- Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs/lel)
- Close your oven when using the grill
eat and shop locally
So many local shops now buy from local suppliers and will carry produce that is in season and has not got the added cost of air freight or road transport attached to it. You may be able to walk or take public transport to your local shop saving your car from contributing to those damaging carbon emissions. Make a list and use it, avoiding those large supermarkets where the convenience items are hidden on long aisles which take you past tempting offers which are designed to make you leave with more than you need, shopping local in several shops is likely to ensure that you remain focussed only buying the items required. For perishable items buy the amount you need, use airtight containers to keep things fresh, plan your meals in advance, freeze the surplus in the quantities that you will use them.
get rid of the disposables
Throw away items seem very convenient but in the end they are very costly, costly due to dwindling resources, the cost of landfill and the damage to the environment. How many times have you seen disposable nappies discarded in the inappropriate places, plastic bottles that litter the hedgerow. Think of ways that the items you use could be used in more sustainable ways; avid water drinkers could drink from glass bottles that can be filled, washed and refilled countless times from a normal tap.
seeds of change
Grow your own food, you don’t need a big garden or an allotment, plant a few seeds in a container on a window sill in your bathroom or bedroom, patio or balcony. It could be a plant with chillies peppers, a tub of fresh assorted herbs, it will be an inspiration to your taste buds that might also motivate other ways for you to be sustainable.
know how…
Know where to recycle in your local area, recycle as much as possible at home on a daily basis! Separate your waste, rinse out containers that can be recycled and collected from doorstep, check with your local authority for what can be recycled and your collection day, if food is not collected separately consider having a compass in your garden. For other items, sell them via a local website like Craigs list, Ebay, Gumtree or Shpock, swap with family and friends, give items that are in good condition to your local charity shop, some charities will collect larger items, take the items to your local collection centre. You don’t have to be massively talented to up-cycle, fixing an item, giving said item a coat of paint or a new cover can extend the life rather than wasting money on new.
half a cup of water…
is an awful lot if you’re thirsty, best to sip it than gulp, seriously though we can all do a lot more to conserve water. Fit a dual flush toilet and use the short flush predominately, fill the washing machine with a full load (not overfull), use a short wash set at 40° and under, only fill the kettle with the actual amount of water needed (do not fill it up), cover pots when cooking, fit aerators to tap and shower heads that mix air with water giving the impression of a greater mount of water whilst being more efficient. Once you start thinking of ways to conserve water you will come up with lots of other ways.
don’t hickhike…
and I’m not advocating picking up hikers either, but we all need to have less reliance on our cars, with the current regulations being enforced on drivers with diesel engines, it is clear that the combustion engine has had its day and cleaner more sustainable modes of transport are required. If the distance allows, walk, plan ahead and travel with family, friends and work colleagues if going by car, plan your journey and use our great transport system which in parts of London include a super highway for bikes, tram, underground, light rail, cable car, ferry, train and road, plus numerous pavements, and actually the pavements are in places where the other modes of transport are not.