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Easy energy saving tips
Submitted by admonkey on 23. July 2009 - 12:12.
Due to an ever-increasing concern about the environment it has never been more important to ensure you are doing everything possible to increase your eco-awareness and reduce your carbon footprint. Being eco friendly doesn’t have to involve dramatic changes to your life style; it is possible to make a difference through changes as small as walking to the local shops instead of driving your car or simply washing clothes at a lower temperature.
By making these minor changes you are not only helping to save the environment and protect the future of our planet but you could also save yourself some pennies in the process, a very welcome side effect in our current economic climate.
There are various ways in which you can help make a positive impact upon our environment many of which start in the home. By creating more of an eco home environment you will reap the benefits in the long term, not just from the peace of mind that you are making a difference but a recent survey showed that 52 per cent of people were prepared to pay more for Eco homes.
Top tips on how to save energy include;
• Turn Down The Heat – turn down the thermostat and ensure your home is effectively insulated, this not only does wonders for the environment but can reduce your heating bills by as much as £200.
• Clever Cooking – When boiling vegetables and pasta use a pan lid, it may sound simple but it cooks quicker this way ensuring you only use the water and electricity you need.
• Food Friendly – Buy organic, locally produced food whenever possible and select fresh, frozen or dried foods as opposed to those stored in tins. Organic produce is grown without the use of detrimental pesticides and additives and tin cans are not always eco-friendly to produce.
• Get Some Fresh Air – Many air fresheners are full of damaging chemicals, open your window instead.
• Be Art Aware – Use paints, glues and varnish that have a low VOC content or water based solutions.
• Environmental Insurance – In 2008 Kwik Fit Insurance hired an Environmental Manager to reduce environmental impact in areas such as waste management and water and energy use. It is vital within any home to ensure you are fully covered in the event of theft or damage so why not go with a company that is environmentally friendly? Find out more about Kwik Fit Insurance and get online car insurance quotes at kwik-fitinsurance.com
• Switch Off – Always ensure that you are turning off lights when they are not needed and switching electrical appliances off as opposed to putting them on standby.
• Clever Cleaning – There are now a large variety of eco-friendly cleaning products and cosmetics on the market such as shampoo, washing up liquid and household cleaners. These products are not only free from synthetic fragrances but come in recycled packaging.
Important Notice
NB Sadly we are shortly closing down the Ecomonkey Shopping Channel. Alas too few thought this was as good an idea as we did at the outset. In no particular order: Spammers, lack of consumer goodwill, lack of +ve press, greedy/incompetent consultants and advisers (they ate the marketing budget), lack of a patient sponsor, no big fat marketing budget have all conspired to make the project fall ell short of expectations.
The upside is that we built a robust system with small capital invested which withstood the challenges technically, which is no small achievement. All suppliers have been and continue to be paid (except the ones that failed or could not deliver.)
IMPORTANTLY Kiva and several hundred small businesses in the developing world have benefited to the tune of around $3000 invested or reinvested. This is a revolving fund and continues to get topped up, and gets reinvested at the rate of $100 every few months. That alone makes us happy.
