How to Make Your Home Climate Friendly

According to MoneySuperMarket, the average UK household spends £1,277 on heating and power each year. What’s more, the average home uses 13 electronic appliances, which has driven up the average expenditure on household energy. As well as being costly, our consumption is damaging the environment and is one of the single biggest drivers of human-induced climate change. But what can you do to make your home more climate-friendly, as well as lowering those energy bills? Let’s find out. 

Turn off standby appliances 

Although you might not realise it, appliances that are plugged in but inactive are still using energy. When you’re no longer watching TV or listening to the radio, turn the device off at the plug socket rather than just via the button on the remote. This cuts the energy supply to the device and ensures it doesn’t consume energy in standby mode. Also, only charge your devices when required. Leaving your phone, laptop, and tablet on charge throughout the day or night is an unnecessary waste of energy. 

Install a smart thermostat 

Smart thermostats help homeowners save up to 31% on their annual energy consumption. They allow you to manage your heating from your phone, which essentially makes everything much more energy efficient. You can turn the heating off in rooms when it’s no longer required and manage your heating remotely, which is helpful if you forget to sort out your thermostat in the morning before heading to work. While they cost £150+ to install, they will typically pay for themselves after a year. 

Wash your clothes in cold water 

Approximately 90% of the energy your washing machine uses goes towards heating the water. The simple act of washing your clothes in cold water presents huge energy saving potential and enables you to do your bit for the environment and lower your energy bills. You’ll also see remarkable financial savings as a result of switching to cold water washing. Equally, you should try and dry your clothes naturally wherever possible as using the tumble dryer is incredibly energy-inefficient. 

Invest in double glazing 

If your home doesn’t currently have double glazing, then upgrading your windows is an excellent way to make your home more climate friendly. Approximately 18% of heat loss occurs through windows and heat loss through a single glazing window occurs twice as fast as heat loss through double glazing. Naturally, ensuring your windows are double glazed will return huge energy savings.

Upgrade old appliances 

Upgrading old appliances can result in significant energy savings. The UK has a sophisticated rating system for appliances, and the most advanced are those that are classified as A+++. Choosing an A+++ fridge freezer over an A+ model can save you as much as £320 in energy bills during its lifespan. While this is a significant saving from a financial perspective, it will also contribute to making your home much more energy-efficient from a climate standpoint. 

Make your home more energy-efficient today

Due to the worrying nature of human-induced climate change, we all need to do our bit to reduce our carbon footprints and prevent global warming. On top of that, the inevitable rise of energy bills over the past few years means that making your home more climate friendly will leave you with more cash in your pocket too.