With all the furore over the last few weeks about how hot it’s been, lowering carbon emissions and going greener have been back on the news agenda. Fires both here in the UK and Europe as well as across the pond in America, show this is not an isolated incident.
The Independent reported this month that the Earth is in danger of falling into a ‘hot house’ state:
“Even if greenhouse gas emissions are reduced, there is a chance human-induced global warming could trigger other processes which will lead to uncontrollable warming.”
While climate sceptics point to the heat wave of 1976 as evidence that this is just another hot spell, no more, the fact that high temperatures have been recorded virtually everywhere has worried many.
If you want to do something about global warming yourself, there are plenty of ways to make your life a bit greener.
Install Solar
Since the subsidy for solar was slashed back in 2016, there’s been a slowing down in the industry but solar is still the easiest way to reduce your carbon emissions and create green electricity. The Feed in Tariff subsidy is expected to finish completely next year so if you still want to get some payback for your installation, there’s time.
Installing a home solar system on your property has become a lot cheaper in the last decade and an array can last upwards of 20 to 24 years. All that time, you’ll be producing your own electricity and lowering the country’s carbon emissions. Combine your installation with battery storage and you might benefit even more.
Swap to a Heat Pump
Heat pumps take normal air or warmth from the ground and turn it into heating for your home, basically via a reverse of the process similar to your traditional fridge freezer. The Government is providing incentives for low carbon and renewable heating solutions at the moment because they need to meet their targets on emissions.
That means you can get financial payments from the Renewable Heat Incentive, a subsidy that pays you for every kWh your produce. While heat pumps can be expensive to install, they are cheap to run and have low maintenance costs.
You can find out more about heat pumps on our main site.
Buy an Electric Car
We’re looking to phase out petrol and diesel cars by 2040 and all car manufactures are now working on hybrid or fully electric cars. This is a major change in the way we drive around, more so because we also need to put in place a huge charging infrastructure.
The Government is now offering incentives for those who buy an electric vehicle and have a power point installed in the home or business. It’s another way going green can actually pay.
Discover how electric cars get charged.
Switch to LED Lighting
Not all your green changes need to be expensive. The next three are relatively simple to achieve and should cost you very little pain in the pocket. Switching from CFL lighting to LED is a good choice and much better for the environment because these bulbs use less electricity. It’s something you can do one bulb at a time if you are short of cash. It might save a bit extra on your next utility bill too.
Find out about the benefits of switching to LED lighting.
Switch Your Energy Supplier
More and more competition in the energy market has led to the creation of companies that get the vast majority of their power from renewable sources, including solar and wind. If you want to make sure that the future is renewable, changing your supplier is important and sends the right message. It’s also very easy to do. And it can save you money.
Switching takes just a few minutes when you go online at USwitch.
Get a Smart Meter
Finally, the other smallish thing you can do, of course, is reduce the amount of electricity and gas you use. That’s a lot easier when you can closely monitor your consumption. Contact your energy company about fitting a smart meter and you can start making a difference to how much you use and how much you spend while also helping to save the planet.
In the meantime, switch off those lights when you aren’t using them and turn your thermostat down a degree or two.
