What You Can Do

There are lots of easy actions you can take at home to cut your carbon and energy use and also save money, as illustrated below.

Lighting - low energy light bulbs can make big savings. Replace one normal 100 watt lightbulb with an energy-saving one and you can save up to £10 a year. Energy saving light bulbs cost around £1-£15 and last for up to eight times as long as old style bulbs (check that the bulb you buy states that it will last for at least 8,000 hours). Also switch lights off in empty rooms.

Fridges and freezers - keep your fridge/freezer at the right temperature (2-3° C for a fridge and -15° C for a freezer), and make sure the door seal works properly. Allow air to circulate behind your fridge, clean 'fuzz' off the piping at the back and defrost your freezer regularly.

Electrical appliances - videos, stereos, televisions and other electrical items all use up electricity when on standby so switch them off at the plug each night. Run the washing machine with full loads on lower temperatures where possible and let clothes dry naturally rather than using a tumble dryer. In the kitchen only fill the kettle with the amount of water that you will actually use and cook with the lids on pans.

Water - lagging your hot water pipes should enable you to turn the water heat down a little. You can buy pre-formed foam tubing from a DIY store. Putting a jacket on your hot water tank means it doesn't have to use as much energy to keep your water hot. Ideally use an 80mm (3") thick insulation jacket from your DIY store that meets British Standards. It could cut your heat loss by 75% and pay for itself in a few months.

Insulation - insulating your home maybe costly at first, but you will start to feel the financial savings after a few months. In an uninsulated home the heat loss consists of:

• 35% through the walls
• 25% lost through the roof
• 15% lost through draughts 
• 15% lost through the floor
• 10% lost through windows

Your loft insulation should be at least 200mm thick - if it is not then top it up. Draught-proof your outside doors with a brush type hinged flap seal. The type of seal needed for windows will depend on the style of windows you have. A lot of heat is lost through walls, and if you have cavity walls then these can be filled and save you up to £90 a year on your heating bills.

Boiler replacement - if you need to replace your boiler then modern, energy-efficient boilers are good value. Condensing boilers are the most efficient and only lose about 11% of the heat up the flue, whereas a conventional boiler loses up to 30%. They are expensive, typically costing between £800 - £1,200; however, you should get your investment back in just three or four years. Next best is a high-efficiency, fan-assisted boiler. Both types of boilers are available as conventional or combination types. They cost £250 - £400 more than an ordinary boiler, but should save you £100 - £130 a year.

Energy efficient appliances - all new electrical goods should display an energy label explaining how much energy the appliance uses. Efficient appliances are often good value as they offer future savings. Appliances graded A (most efficient) use less than half the energy of similar models graded G (least efficient).

Green tariffs - one of the easiest ways to cut your carbon emissions is through a green tariff. When you sign up, all or some of your home's electricity will come from renewable sources, like wind power.

Energy savings - the table below illustrates the average cost and payback time of various energy savings you can make around the home.

Grants and financial support
Grants are sometimes available from energy companies and the government to help you make your homes more energy efficient. The best place to start is the Energy Saving Trust. Grants are also available from the government for a number of renewable energy technologies including solar water heating, wind power, micro-hydro, heat-pumps and wood burning stoves and boilers.

SAVE WATER

Here are a few useful tips for saving water both indoors and outdoors

OUTDOORS

A household with a garden can use up to 50% more water when it's hot outside, but there are many things you can do to still keep your garden blooming and save water:

Water the roots of plants rather than the leaves.

Chop the bottom off a plastic water bottle and insert it into the soil so that the narrow end is directed straight to the roots.

Pour water into the upturned bottle and down it goes to where it's needed Water plants in the evening once the sun has gone down. Less water will evaporate before it's had a chance to soak down to the roots.

When the soil is moist, apply a layer of mulch or organic matter (such as fermented grass cuttings or compost) to the surface.

Don't use a sprinkler, it can use up to 540 litres an hour. If you have to use a hose, use a seep hose, available from your water company. Fit a trigger-gun head to your hose so that you can turn the water off when you're not using it.

Don't cut the grass too short - longer grass keeps moisture in the soil and stays green for longer. Over-watering the lawn only encourages moss and even a brown lawn will turn green again when it rains.

Use water butts to collect rainwater from the downpipes connected to your house guttering. Rainwater can be better for your plants than mains water and it's free.

INDOORS 

Turn the tap off when cleaning your teeth.

Use a bowl of water to wash fruit and vegetables.

Use a bowl when washing up.

Turn taps off completely and fix any drips.

Only use washing machines and dishwashers when they're full, or use the economy or half-load setting.

When buying a new appliances check the efficiency label - the water consumption should be under 55 litres per cycle.

Think about how much water your shower and bath uses - a five minute shower uses about 25 litres, a bath uses about 80 litres and a power shower 120 litres of water.

Fit a water hippo, save-a-flush or eco-flush in your toilet. Toilets account for a huge 35% of domestic water use with older toilets using 9.5 litres each flush and toilets installed since 1993 using 7.5 litres.

WaterAid Campaign - Dine, drink and donate. You can still mark World Water Day by supporting Tap into WaterAid. Tap into WaterAid is an inspired way for restaurants, cafés, bars and their customers to help bring water to the 1.1 billion people worldwide who have no access to safe drinking water. It works simply by restaurants, cafés and bars suggesting customers make a small donation to WaterAid when they request a glass or jug of tap water.

As well as using water efficiently it is important to protect the quality of our water. Personal waste items such as tampons, sanitary towels, nappies, cotton buds, condoms and cigarettes can cause blockages in pipes when flushed down the toilet. This waste reaches the sewage treatment plant and any blockages that occur mean that the sewage will eventually end up in rivers and the sea. Put these items in the bin instead of down the toilet.

Bleach and chemical agents used in cleaning products may leave your home looking clean but they really make a mess of the water supply when they find their way into rivers. Detergents contain phosphates which, when released into our lakes and rivers, damage the eco-system and can kill fish and other organisms. Buy eco-friendly detergents, have a look at the range available at GreenGuide Online or think about making your own such as using distilled white vinegar for descaling limescale in kettles and cleaning toilets by using a dissolved quarter of a cup of baking soda and 50ml of vinegar in boiling water.

TRAVEL TIPS

Cars are not going to be dispensed with and most of us use them, but by following these driving tips you can reduce the impact on the environment of your car journeys.

Turn off your engine if your car is stationary for two minutes or more.

Inflating your tyres to the correct pressure can save as much as 5% on your fuel bill.

Remove heavy loads from the boot or roof of your car, they use more fuel.

Don't brake or accelerate sharply as it is bad for fuel consumption.

Park in the shade if possible, the sun on a hot engine increases emissions that can trigger asthma and other breathing conditions.

Car share - this can save on cost and stress as well as helping the environment. Visit www.nationalcarshare.co.uk or www.freewheelers.co.uk for ideas

Short journeys, before the car engine is warmed up, cause most pollution, so consider walking or cycling for these shorter trips. It's cheaper and the exercise does you good!

Consider alternative fuels, such as LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas), which now has over 1,300 refuelling sites in the UK. LPG emits less carbon dioxide and air pollutants.

Consider a hybrid car; these use both an internal combustion engine and an electric motor and are most efficient for short distances so think about what you need your car for.

Public transport - overall, public transport uses less than half as much fuel per passenger than a private car. If more people took public transport traffic congestion would quickly disappear. For example, a double track urban railway moves 30,000 people an hour. An equivalent road has 3000 - 6000 drivers on it. Using public transport can be tricky depending on where you live, but when it works it can be cheaper and more relaxing than taking a car.

Cycling - cycling is particularly good for helping you to relax and build your fitness, leaving you less than half as likely to suffer a heart attack. In large cities such as London cycling to work is often the quickest and cheapest way of getting there. Many companies are introducing cycle parks and showers into the workplace. For details on the National Cycle Network contact Sustrans . The Cycling Tourist Club has information on cycling routes and estimated travel times.

Walking - walking is great exercise, free and the most environmentally-friendly way to travel. For short journeys, walking is the ideal mode of travel. If everyone walked to work just one day a week, traffic congestion would be cut massively. During term time about a fifth of traffic in the rush hour is related to children being driven to school. If you have children and you don't live too far from their school, try walking, even if it's only one day a week.

Flying - air transport is a large contributor to the UK's greenhouse gas emissions and this looks set to grow. The Government seems committed to building more runways and getting more passengers in the air, whatever the cost. Currently, the European aviation industry receives about £30 billion in subsidies every year. Much of this is due to the fact that airlines pay only 18p tax on a litre of fuel while British motorists pay about 75p. If you're off on holiday, within the UK or beyond, where possible, think about travelling by boat or train instead of flying.

CHOOSE ECO-FRIENDLY PRODUCTS

Choosing products for promotional or everyday use which are made from recycled and biodegradable materials is one of the ways we can make a conscious decision to reduce the impact on our environment.

In our Eco-Friendly Range, you will find a wide variety of ideas for your business gifts and promotional items.