How to Reduce Your Carbon Print - By: Dave Sabri

Small changes can have a big impact. Climate change is happening all around us and we need to start thinking about ways of reducing our carbon footprint and ‘going green’.

In your home Although planes, offices and factories produce the vast majority of the country’s CO2, as individuals we contribute 40% to the UKs total greenhouse gas emissions and two thirds of this comes from our boilers.

You can however, reduced your CO2 emissions from heating by buying an energy-efficient boiler. These high-efficiency condensing boilers use the heat that usually gets expelled through the flue to turn more water vapour back into water. This makes sure as much heat as possible is transferred from the boiler’s burner and as little as possible is lost through the exhaust flue.

Add a complete set of heating controls like timers and radiator thermostats we can reduce the amount of CO2 we produce as a country by 1.4million tones and save over £275 a year.

To help you on your way, British Gas is offering discounts on replacing your old boiler for a new energy efficient one. In fact, if you buy and new or replacement boiler by 25 July you could save up to £852 including the boiler, free home care and free radiator and controls installation. So it’s well worth thinking about the winter now.

It is also important to get the proper insulation as half of all heat loss is through the roof and walls. This will save you around £365 on your heating bills because you won’t need so much heat and you’ll also get a tax rebate of £125.

Out and about Transport pollution is the biggest contributor to global warming. We can make a big impact if we reduce our car usage and walk or cycle on short journeys. When in cities make use of the public transport facilities.

It’s not just how often we drive, it’s the manner in which we drive. Less hard use of the accelerator and the brake you could make your fuel go much further, reducing your emissions and saving you around £200 a year.

At the shops Buy energy efficient light bulbs. These last on average 12 years longer than standard bulbs and over their lifetime can save you around £100.

Always reuse your shopping bags and buy recycled products such as toilet paper. Make sure food packaging also comes from a sustainable forest and is recyclable.

Small changes can have a big impact. Climate change is happening all around us and we need to start thinking about ways of reducing our carbon footprint and ‘going green’.

British Gas is not just a gas supplier. They can also provide you with a greener electricity supply and even help you to upgrade to a more eco friendly heating system.