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1 Install solid wall insulation

C02 tonnes 1.34
Cost Greater than £2500
Effort Easy

CO2 based on UK average figures. See how we've done the sums.

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Most homes built before 1930 have solid walls with no insulating "cavity". They leak lots of heat, so insulating them can slash your energy consumption. A typical family could save around £300 per year on heating bills and more than two tonnes of CO2 - a third of household emissions.

In most cases, the insulation would be added inside your home - this means substantial redecoration and losing a small amount of space in each room. You should budget around £42 per square metre of wall , with a typical payback period of around 5-15 years.

2 Avoid long haul flights

C02 tonnes 1.21
Cost Less than £100
Effort Easy

CO2 based on UK average figures. See how we've done the sums.

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Sorry, we know you won't like to hear this, but one long haul return flight - such as London to San Francisco - has the same climate impact as the average UK home during an entire year. In other words, each hour you spend on the plane has a carbon footprint of more than two weeks' use of heating, lighting, hot water, TV or washing machines.

In most cases, the only practical alternative to flying long distance is picking a destination closer to home. That isn't always ideal, but it will help reduce your carbon footprint substantially.

 

3 Live in an appropriately sized house

C02 tonnes 1.20
Cost Less than £100
Effort Easy

CO2 based on UK average figures. See how we've done the sums.

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Most of the energy consumed in the typical UK home relates to heating - much more than lighting, appliances and gadgets combined. The bigger the space you're heating, the more fuel it will take to heat and the more CO2 will be produced.

If you are rattling around a house larger than you need, then moving to a smaller place would save energy. It might also help reduce the demand for new homes, the building of which causes substantial emissions.

If you can't or don't want to downsize, at least turn off radiators in rooms that aren't in use.

 

4 Don't drive

C02 tonnes 1.04
Cost Less than £100
Effort Easy

CO2 based on UK average figures. See how we've done the sums.

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We realise that this may seem impossible. But the use and manufacture of cars is a major source of greenhouse emissions. If we all stopped buying and driving cars, then we could reduce our carbon footprints by an average of around 10 per cent.

Even if you can't give up driving, try to follow the other car-related points in this action plan. And avoid buying new cars unless you have high driving needs and can opt for a high-efficiency model.

5 Save more, buy less

C02 tonnes 0.55
Cost Less than £100
Effort Easy

CO2 based on UK average figures. See how we've done the sums.

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It's tempting to spend all the money we have or can borrow, but almost everything we buy has a carbon footprint. The CO2 emissions may be emitted where the product was manufactured, in China for example, but they're arguably still the responsibility of the end consumer.

Cutting down the number of goods you purchase by a fifth can take around 5 per cent off your carbon footprint. It will help also you to save up for green investments such as better insulation or solar panels.

Of course, spending less won't be greener if you simply shift to cheap products that are likely to need replacing more quickly than higher-quality alternatives.

6 Turn down your thermostat by 2 degrees

C02 tonnes 0.50
Cost Less than £100
Effort Easy

CO2 based on UK average figures. See how we've done the sums.

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Turning down the thermostat is a bit of an environmental cliché, but only because it's such an easy and effective way to reduce energy use. Reducing the temperature of your home by just 1 degree can cut your heating bills by around 10 per cent - typically around £40 per year.

What's more, you probably won't even notice any difference. Reducing by 2 degrees, or as much as possible without making yourself uncomfortable, is even better.

7 Upgrade to an efficient condensing boiler

C02 tonnes 0.49
Cost Between £750 and £2500
Effort Easy

CO2 based on UK average figures. See how we've done the sums.

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If you're on the gas network and still use a hot water tank, consider switching to a "combi" boiler. These ignite only when you turn on the hot tap - much more efficient than heating a tank of water that you might not even use.

If you already have a combi boiler but it's more than ten years old, you could save more energy by upgrading to a high efficiency condensing model. These extract as much energy as possible from each unit of gas.

8 Insulate your loft

C02 tonnes 0.43
Cost Between £100 and £250
Effort Moderate

CO2 based on UK average figures. See how we've done the sums.

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If your loft has minimal insulation, then it's probably donating 10-20 per cent of your heat to the birds sitting on the roof. Upgrading to the recommended insulation depth of 270mm will save up to a tonne of CO2, and £110, per year.

Loft insulation acts as a blanket, trapping heat rising from the house below. Not only that, it can also keep your home cooler during the summer by blocking heat from the sun on your roof.

 

9 Replace windows with Low-E double glazing or better

C02 tonnes 0.43
Cost Greater than £2500
Effort Easy

CO2 based on UK average figures. See how we've done the sums.

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Old-fashioned single-pane windows do a poor job of keeping warmth where it belongs - in your home. Double glazing reduces this waste by around half, cutting overall home energy use by 8 per cent.

But not all double-glazing is equal. Low-emissivity (Low E) windows have a special coating that helps reflect heat back into your rooms. And triple glazing increases the insulation levels with another pane and layer of air.

10 Buy and sell second-hand

C02 tonnes 0.41
Cost Less than £100
Effort Easy

CO2 based on UK average figures. See how we've done the sums.

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Many of the world's carbon emissions are caused by the manufacture of goods - everything from tables to computers. Buying second-hand and selling or donating items you don't use helps minimise unnecessary manufacture, saving energy and resources.

If you bought 20 per cent fewer consumer goods (from newspapers to clothes), you'd cut your carbon footprint by around half a tonne of CO2 per year. That's equivalent to a return flight from London to Madrid.

 

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