The momentum for positive action against climate change and being more environmentally aware has been in full motion in recent years. The push from considering it a fad to a genuine issue is now mainstream, and people are taking action. This is something that everyone understands, and that concerns us all and future generations.
Being eco-friendlier is one important aspect of the battle to reduce carbon emissions in the UK. The best thing about it is that it’s something we can all do as part of our daily routine without is being too complicated. At Anthony Ward Thomas, we understand that we’re part of the London community and are doing our part to reduce carbon emissions.
The Benefit of an Environmentally Friendly Home –
With COP26 underway, many people will be wondering how they can make changes that will positively impact the environment. While it’s true that the shifts must be done at top levels, we can all do our part in the battle against climate change. The first place you do this is in your home, but what practical options are available?
We’ll go through some hands-on tips on making eco-friendlier choices that everyone can achieve. Some changes will require cash investment, but the return will be relatively fast, and you’ll start saving money. Others won’t put much of a dent in your finances and are more about amending your habits and making better choices. Every suggestion we detail will have positive implications on your carbon footprint.
Even if you choose one or two recommendations from this blog, you’ll significantly reduce your carbon dependence. The only problem is, it’s not always clear how to go about this in practical terms. Luckily, we’re big fans of going green and will gladly provide as much information as we can on the subject. And part of this is passing on tips and tricks to our customers and followers.
Improve Your Current Insulation –
One area that causes a lot of energy inefficiency is poor insulation. Before you can look into this, you need to know what your home’s current insulation is like. A home energy auditor will be able to assess and identify areas where insulation is lacking, and air sealing is required. Furthermore, they’ll note any related issues where heat is escaping, which might be from loose roof tiles or other structural defects.
The primary benefit of dealing with insulation problems is decreasing energy waste. Whenever we turn on a light, turn up the heating or use an appliance, it has carbon consequences. The energy source in question likely burned a fossil fuel to create electricity, and you’re directly influencing this. Improving insulation will reduce your energy consumption, and your house will retain more heat.
You will be spending some upfront costs for the inspection and any improvements. However, you’ll likely see a return on investment relatively quickly when they reflect positively on your energy bills. That’s results in a better carbon footprint score and a more efficient, environmentally friendly home.
Replace or Repair Your Boiler –
An inefficient boiler that requires maintenance will increase your energy consumption, which is where the carbon footprint issues arise. If you replace or repair your boiler, you’re well on your way to reducing your carbon output. And if you want to go greener and improve the efficiency of your boiler, have a look into biomass and condensing boilers.
For anyone moving to a new home, it might be prudent to check your heating system. As many of us know, England has its fair share of cold weather, leading up to a significant percentage of energy bills from hot water and heating. If you install a new or refurbished boiler, your fuel costs could decrease by several hundred pounds a year.
A modern boiler will confine the heat to the specific areas of your house where you want it. Then you can program it so that the heating comes on and goes off at particular times. You can set different temperatures for each room in your home. You can look at the benefit of smart heating controls, allowing you to oversee heating remotely with a phone app. This means that no matter where you are, you can manage your home’s temperature.
Be Smarter with Energy Usage –
At times, we’re all guilty of leaving an appliance or light on when it’s not in use. By making some simple changes, you can reduce your energy consumption just by switching devices off. And remember – a TV or computer that’s on standby is still on and is using energy. You need to turn it off at the socket to stop the electric current entirely.
Remember to do this for any lights when you leave the room you’re in for the same reason. It’s pointless leaving appliances and lights on when they’re not in use, especially if you’re not even in the room at the time. It’s not easy as this is something that the whole family needs to be on the same page. As you’ll read in the next section, it’s worth investing in some LED bulbs instead of incandescent ones.
If you have small children, ensure you use socket safety plug covers. If you’re thinking of ways to get everyone on board, why not have a reward system for your energy-savers? A small treat for better energy usage would make it fun and help the cause when you implement your new routine. Eventually, you’ll see the positive impact when your energy bills go down.
Change to Energy-Saving Light Bulbs –
Replacing everything with energy-saving light bulbs is a simple but effective way to move towards a greener home. Most incandescent bulbs use a lot of energy, so replacing them with LED or CFL light bulbs will help to lower your overall consumption. And remember to switch off any lights when you leave a room to prevent unnecessary energy waste.
Light-emitting Diodes – LEDs for short – are the energy-efficient option when lighting your home. They use less electricity and last longer than the average incandescent lightbulb. An incandescent bulb will typically last between 750 – 2,000 hours. In comparison, an LED bulb can produce light for between 35,000 – 50,000 hours. It’s obvious why this makes them more energy-efficient and cost-effective.
Please keep in mind that the quality of the products will affect the lifespan of an LED lightbulb. Cheaper bulbs may only give you approximately 5,000 hours. However, that’s still over double the timespan from a filament option. That’s going to save you money in replacements, as well as a reduction in waste or recycling.
LEDs are more reliable due mainly to the lack of elements. There’s no filament or other components that can dislodge or burn out. LEDs have no problems in colder temperatures, whereas incandescent bulbs are prone to shorting out and exploding during sudden environmental changes. You’ll likely notice no loading period when using an LED light – it simply turns on and off.
A Greener Removals Company in London –
Anthony Ward Thomas has always worked towards our role as a greener removal and storage company. We try to reuse our removals boxes and any other packing materials for the next job. And the ones that are no longer usable are transported for recycling as we head to the upcoming relocation, making sure we’re mindful of our fuel consumption.
Our team will never throw anything away that we can reuse later or for another purpose. We make regular trips to recycling centres to ensure that any waste we do create avoids landfill sites. And our local upcycling companies and charity shops receive donations of furniture and appliances clients no longer want to keep.
Every removals job we undertake undergoes a thorough assessment process, and we plan every detail before the moving day. That way, we know that every relocation will be efficient, with lots of consideration about the carbon impact for each removal. If we can logically use one of our smaller man & van vehicles, we will do so if it’s the most efficient option. A single trip with one of our larger vans is usually more economical for larger loads.
Each Anthony Ward Thomas branch in London apply an energy-saving policy and procedures. Further to the reuse, recycle, upcycle, and donate process our teams work with, each facility uses electricity sparingly and has energy-friendly lightbulbs. We also request that our customers turn any electrical points off at the socket when they’re not in use.
Anthony Ward Thomas – Greener Thinking for an Environmentally Positive London –
The time for looking after our environment and reducing our carbon emissions is here and now. We’re only just beginning to understand the scale of the environmental issues we all face. This is why the move towards greener homes and workspaces continues to increase. Many positives are happening right now with things like the ban on single-use straws and a reduction in plastic production.
Additionally, if you install renewable energy or a new boiler, you’ll save money and improve your carbon footprint. Your investment is part of a long-term plan of reducing energy consumption, and you’ll soon see the financial results. Furthermore, you’ll be making a massive difference to your local environment.
Anthony Ward Thomas works with hundreds of domestic and business customers who are making positive environmental steps. Every process we undertake as a business promotes efficiency and recycling. We’re here to help London move further towards a carbon-neutral era.
If you’d like more information about our range of services, click here, and we’ll provide you with more information and a free quote. We’ll gladly provide you with tips on recycling points we use and any other energy-saving pointers.
