Things you can do

There are many small changes to choose from and people can make a positive contribution to help prevent climate change by taking simple or more difficult actions:

Simple steps

Hunt them down

Did you know that the average home has a dozen appliances on standby at any one time? Are your TV, radio, stereo and computer on standby and your mobile charger still plugged in? Hunt them down and turn them off – as well as cutting CO2 it would mean an annual saving of £22.

Consumer power

When buying a car or household appliance, look for the most efficient, low-carbon option available, saving CO2 and over the lifetime of the product, cutting bills.

Watch that dial

In the UK, 27% of our carbon emissions come from our homes. So, turn the central heating thermostat down by just 1 degree Centigrade. By doing this you’ll cut your family’s heating bills by 10%. Not to mention 250kg of carbon.

Pedal power

For journeys under three miles we save 2kg of carbon every time we leave the car at home. Why not choose to cycle instead and see how much carbon and money you can save? And feel fitter too!

Recharge your batteries

Rechargeable batteries are much better for your pocket - and the planet. Switching will save 10kg of CO2 a year. But perhaps even more importantly it will reduce the toxic waste going into landfill.

Make the switch

If every household replaced just three old-style light bulbs with low-energy light bulbs the energy saved would supply all the street lighting in the UK.