In an ideal world, everyone would be able to use innovative technology to help curb the climate emergency. But the fact of the matter is, lots of the modern solutions designed to reduce our carbon footprints come at a significant financial cost.

For instance, we can’t all be driving around in electric cars whilst the solar panels on our roof are generating electricity for our homes. 

Fortunately, you don’t have to spend a fortune in order to flex your eco credentials. In fact, being more environmentally conscious could even save you money in the long run. Here, we investigate three ways individuals can clean up their carbon footprint without cleaning out the bank. 

Switch off appliances 

Reducing your carbon footprint always starts at home. Households globally consume 29% of the world’s energy supply, and are accountable for 21% of worldwide CO2 emissions. Whilst we’ll struggle to bring this figure down as individuals, if we collectively adopt better habits, we have the opportunity to make a significant difference for current and future generations. 

Switching off appliances when they’re not in use is not only free to do, it will in fact save you money on wasted energy. Studies suggest that around 23% of an average household’s energy consumption goes towards ‘phantom energy’, which is consumed by appliances that aren’t actually in use. Switch off the television, unplug your chargers and turn off the lights when you leave the room, and watch how both your bills and energy consumption come down. 

Draught-proofing

Heating is a huge contributor to household emissions, but there are so many ways we can make our systems more efficient. Beyond investing in innovative smart meters to regulate our heating habits, there are more cost-effective methods to make the energy in our homes go further. 

Draught-proofing is relatively simple to do and in most instances won’t require the help of a professional. The first step is to identify the areas in your home where draughts are likely to occur and heat will be escaping. These will be fairly obvious – typical examples include letter boxes, doors and windows. There are a range of products available for you to use depending on the source of the draught, from draught-proofing strips, to thermal curtains, to a letter box brush.

Just be careful not to limit ventilation in rooms where moisture is likely to build up, such as bathrooms or the kitchen. 

Travelling by bicycle 

We’re all well aware of both the health and environmental benefits that cycling can provide, but where can you feasibly switch out the car for a bike in your everyday life? The Bike Storage Company recently published a guide on the role of e-bikes in decarbonising transportation. The guide mentions how in England, 58% of car journeys made in 2019 were under five miles, which presents an obvious opportunity for switching out four wheels for two. 

Not only will you be saving money on fuel consumption, but you’ll also be cutting out the shorter journeys which are when cars are at their most inefficient. Consider regular trips you make that could instead be completed with a bicycle, such as commuting to work or visiting friends.