How To Reduce Your Carbon Footprint And Household Energy Bills

The last couple of weeks have given us environmentalists quite a scare. The Department of Energy and Climate Change has been dissolved, new fracking permits in Lancashire have been approved, and worst of all, the heartless imbecile that is Donald Trump — who has publicly stated on numerous occasions that climate change isn’t real — has continued to, well, just be Donald trump.

Nope, not good at all!

Western politics seems to be at a low point. But that doesn’t mean you or I, the average Joes, need to follow suit. Now is the time for the citizens of Britain to band together to ensure politics and industry doesn’t slow down the fight against carbon emissions.

In times like these we could all take a leaf out of the Scandinavian model. There’s a reason why Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark always rank so damn high on the Human Development Index! But that’s all big picture stuff. For now we need to get down to the bare basics and focus on implementing changes within everyday households.

Change to a Green Energy Supplier

There are plenty of energy companies out there that provide clean, green energy for little cost. Search Energy Company Numbers to find a supplier that ethically makes the grade. In terms of all-round service, Ecotricity, Good Energy and Ebico scored the highest in a recent poll conducted by the Telegraph. Ecotricity are also the cleanest and even spend an average of £265 per customer on building new sources of green energy.

Install PV Solar Panels

PV solar panels last for around 30 years. While they are a significant investment, they could reduce your electricity bills by up to 24 percent throughout their lifespan, which equates to a nationwide average of £300 per year. Over the course of 25 years (when a typical PV solar panel warranty expires) this works out to £7,500. Subtract the cost of maintenance, which is approximately £800, and the final figure stands at £6,700.

A few years ago it didn’t make financial sense to install solar panels as the average setup cost £10,000 to £12,000. However, as popularity increased, production costs got lower, and now they are only half the price, averaging £5,000 to £8,000 — and they’re getting cheaper and cheaper. In the best case scenario, when taking the installation costs, maintenance and savings into account, you will save around £1,700 throughout their lifespan, which works out to around £68 per year.

Bear in mind. None of these figures take tax credits into account, which are constantly changing.

Simply switching to a green energy supplier and installing solar panels will not only do wonders for your energy bills, but will significantly help the environment. Solar panels alone will reduce your carbon emissions by between 1,580 and 1,900 kilograms per year. That’s over 30 tonnes throughout a typical panel’s lifetime!

Going green gives you a voice and places pressure on both energy companies and the government to move in the right direction and do what’s best for the planet. When we band together the small changes really do make a huge difference.

For more tips about how to reduce your carbon emissions visit: COTAP.org