How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint and Save Money on Electricity

The term carbon footprint is used to refer to the total of all the greenhouse gases produced as a result of your activities. It can mean the gases directly released by burning fossil fuels to produce the energy which runs your car and your home, and it can also include the gas released in the production of all the products you use, from the fuel burned to fly your mango in from Northern Australia or Southern USA, to the resources use to create that plastic bag you picked up at the grocer.

Why do you want to reduce your carbon footprint? Because the majority of the world's scientists now agree that the world is warming dangerously, and that greenhouse gases are at least part of the reason for it. As a bonus, reducing your carbon footprint will also save you money, especially when it comes to reducing your direct energy use.

Save money on your electric bill

Reducing your gas and particularly electricity use is one of the best ways to reduce your household carbon footprint. So how do you do this? Install solar panels on your roof? Switch to gas boosted solar hot water or other domestic solar power? Increase your insulation and double glaze your windows? Well yes, all of these things could make a huge difference. But there are plenty of quick and easy (and cheap) changes you can make too, which can all add up to significant reductions, and help you save money on your gas and electric bills.

The best way to begin is with a home energy audit.This is something you can do yourself or have someone else do for you. For a quick audit, and to give you a base line for your savings, check your electricity meter, write down the number, then check it at roughly the same time one week later. Subtracting the first number from the second will give you a base figure of your weekly electricity use.

For a more in depth power audit you will need to buy a handheld power meter, which allows you to check the electricity use of any appliance plugged into an ordinary wall power outlet. You might be surprised to discover how much power your appliances are using when turned off, but still plugged in!

Another option is to have a professional audit of your power usage. This way you should get not only information about how you are using power but how best to reduce your power and save money on electricity and gas use.

Some simple ways to reduce your power use

• Turn off your lights when you leave a room - surprisingly few people do this with regularity, and it does make a difference
• Switch to LEDs or CFLs instead of old fashioned incandescent light bulbs
• Turn off your appliances at the wall (or unplug them) when not in use
• Wash your cloths in cold water
• If you have electric hot water, plan to switch to gas boosted solar hot water, and in the mean time, make sure your electric hot water heater has an insulating blanket wrapped around it
• Insulate your ceiling - this is where most of your household heat probably escapes
• Shade any West facing windows
• Seal any cracks around door and windows frames, these too account for a surprising amount of household heat loss
• Always unplug battery and phone chargers when not in use.
  

Once you have had a power audit done you should be in a better position to reduce your carbon footprint, because you will know what the most cost effective options are for you. But in the mean time make sure you are taking all the simple, free energy saving options above.