Protecting the world’s species and their homes lies at the heart of WWF’s mission to protect the natural world. Not a day goes by without using energy: you use energy at home every time you turn on a light, heat your home, boil an egg or work on your computer. Over a quarter of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions are from housing – cutting these should be a no-brainer – it would save householders money and improve unhealthy living conditions. And we can do it right now with existing technology.
We can reduce energy demand – making our homes more energy-efficient is a good start. And we can clean up the energy supply – using more wind, solar and wave power, and making sure remaining fossil fuel plants are as clean and efficient as possible.
Changing the way you use energy is relatively easy and something you can do every day as a lifestyle choice.
Here are some simple steps that can you can take to make Earth Hour much more than an hour. They’ll help your pocket as well as the planet.
- Buy energy efficient electrical appliances – look out for the Energy Saving Trust Recommended logo. The distinctive blue logo can be found on anything from fridges to tumble dryers, to dishwashers and light bulbs.
- Households in the UK are estimated to spend around 8% of their electricity bill just powering appliances in standby – switch off appliances when you are not using them.
- Heating and hot water consist of 60% of the average UK households fuel bill, so make these a priority in saving energy.
- Insulate your house: cavity wall insulation, draft excluders, double glazing, thick curtains, loft insulation all stop heat escaping and reduce heating bills.
- Wash your clothes at 30 degrees instead of 40 degrees – your machine will work just as effectively.
- Lighting accounts for 20% of the household bill: switch to energy saving lightbulbs (these use 80% less electricity).
- UK recycling saves more than 18 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year – equivalent to taking 5 million cars off the road.
