How to reduce your carbon footprint

If you need to replace your heating system, you have a real opportunity to cut your carbon emissions. Most people heat their homes with gas or oil boilers and the obvious solution is to replace them when they fail.

However, think about switching away from gas or oil heating altogether. The lowest carbon option is to install a heating system such as an air source or ground source heat pump. Heat pumps are powered by electricity and are much more efficient than gas boilers.

Installing an air source heat pump could reduce your carbon footprint by 2,300kg a year in Great Britain (GB) and 3,300kg in Northern Ireland (NI).

If you’re not quite ready to make the switch to a heat pump, it’s still worth getting your home ‘heat pump ready’. This includes:

• Upgrading to radiators that have a larger surface area.
• Lowering your boiler’s flow temperature.
• Considering underfloor heating.
• Thinking about where you’d be able to put a hot water cylinder.

Over half a home’s energy is used for heating, so it’s important to make sure that the walls, roof and floors are insulated. This helps cut down on heat waste while also reducing your carbon footprint.

Insulating any exposed hot water pipes, as well as your hot water cylinder, is a great quick fix. Insulating the building itself will make an even bigger difference. Insulating your walls is a good place to start, as around a third of heat loss from uninsulated homes occurs through the walls.

The best insulation for your walls depends on factors like:

• exposure to the elements
• building regulations
• available space
• any historical features that need preservation

But the main consideration is your home’s construction. Most UK homes fall into one of two categories: cavity wall or solid wall construction.

Solar panels offer a way to substantially lower your CO₂ emissions as well as lowering energy bills.

Solar panels work by absorbing sunlight and converting it into electricity. They work all year round – even on cloudy days. A typical home solar panel system could save around one tonne of carbon per year. That’s the equivalent of driving 2600 miles in a car.

Solar panels are designed to last 25 years or more with proper maintenance. This makes them a great long-term solution to reducing your carbon emissions, no matter which part of the country your home is in.

Solar panels will improve your carbon footprint by 750kg a year in GB and 750kg in NI.

A simple way to reduce your carbon footprint is to take control of your heating. By making sure you’re not using more heating than you need, you can reduce your carbon emissions and your energy usage.

Heating controls are evolving rapidly. Investing in modern, easy to use controls is a great way to make sure you’re only using heating when necessary. To do this effectively for a central heating system, you’ll need a programmer, a room thermostat and thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs). You don’t have to install these all at once, though.

Smart heating controls with app connectivity are available for every type of heating system, including electric storage heaters. Some systems include automation features, which can help by working out exactly when to turn the heating on and off.

Installing a full set of heating controls reduces your carbon footprint by 300kg a year in GB and 440kg a year in NI.

Lighting is one of the big success stories of home energy efficiency. A modern LED bulb uses 80-90% less energy than a traditional lightbulb – helping to lower your carbon emissions and energy bills. If you replace all the bulbs in your home with LED lights, you could reduce your carbon emissions by up to 35kg a year in GB and 35kg in NI.

Choosing energy efficient appliances is an easy way to reduce your carbon emissions. The way you use your appliances is important too, as this affects how much energy they use.

According to UK Government stats, day-to-day home appliances typically account for 24% of an average household’s CO₂ emissions.

Making small changes to your habits can reduce your energy use and carbon footprint. These include:

• Using eco modes.
• Using your washing machine and dishwasher only when they’re full.
• Washing clothes at a lower temperature.
• Airing clothes on a line or drying rack instead of a tumble dryer.

When replacing appliances, choosing models with high energy efficiency ratings that meet your needs will cut down your home’s carbon footprint.

Switching some journeys to active travel will have a meaningful impact on your carbon footprint. Research has found that switching one trip by car to cycling per day saves each person on average 3.2kg of CO₂ emissions. That’s the equivalent of eating a serving of chocolate.

If you use a car to get around, consider switching to an electric car. Electric vehicles make zero tailpipe emissions, which helps to improve air quality, and means they produce much less CO₂ than petrol or diesel cars.

Reducing the amount you consume and recycling where possible can help to cut carbon emissions too. Recyclenow, managed by WRAP, has a tool that helps you recycle goods in your local area.

Your diet can also play a big role in your carbon footprint. Going vegetarian for a year could save as much emissions as taking a small car off the road for six months. Eating local, seasonal produce reduces the miles which food takes to get to your plate. This seasonal fruit and vegetable calendar shows you what food is in season throughout the year.

With 67 million people in the UK, even small changes can add up to a huge reduction in the country’s carbon footprint. Taking control of how you use your energy and reducing your own emissions is a positive step towards safeguarding the planet for future generations.

Sign up to Energywire, our monthly newsletter full of news, advice and tips on energy saving and low carbon energy options.

Sign up to our newsletter