Simple ways to save money that will also help protect the planet

There are many simple, and largely free or inexpensive ways we can all be more environmentally friendly in the home and at the office.

They are subtle behavioural changes we can all make, if we’re not already doing them, and each one will save us money, lessen our environmental impact, and, if scaled up across the 25 million or so UK homes and 5.7million offices, would make a massive difference to UK energy use and its carbon footprint.

Just over 10 years ago, I featured in an industry article that described me as an environmental PR guru. The description was slightly dubious and made me laugh, but back then a lot of the messaging floating about that was connected to the environment was very much doom and gloom (there’s a strong argument that it still is!). My opinion was that it wasn't very inspiring if ‘change’ was the desired outcome of those messages. Which I think over the years has been borne out.

Possessing a positive mindset and a (foolhardy?) belief that humans are incredibly adaptable and innovative creatures, I wanted to buck the trend for doom and gloom messaging as far as the environment was concerned.

I had the idea for my then client, a green energy supplier, that the greenest energy of all is the energy you do not use. So, I set about creating guides for homes, offices and schools that we would distribute for free and which would hopefully make it easier for people to use less and save more. It worked, to a degree, and within months we started noticing other organisations had begun creating their guides to reducing consumption.

After seeing a journalist requesting 'green products' this week I was struck by the paradox of that and reminded of my guides and how we still perhaps need less and not more, so I tried recalling some of my original tips. 

The first that came to mind was painting walls white or a bright reflective colour and cleaning windows and removing obstructions from around them to allow optimum light to enter rooms. Do this and you’ll find yourself switching on lights later in the day. Add to this making sure you turn lights off as you leave a room and over the course of the year you should have used less electricity and reduced your bill. You may not have saved enough for a holiday, but hey, it's a start, right.

Do electrical items, the microwave, clocks, the TV box, printers, computers etc need to be on when not in use? A television in standby mode uses around 75% of the electricity it would when you’re sat on the sofa watching Netflix of iPlayer. Turn off at the wall and stop wasting energy. You wouldn’t stand on your doorstep throwing your cash into the street, so why leave electrical items when not in use on and give energy companies your hard-earned cash? 

This is particularly true for offices that leave photocopiers and printers on permanently. They use a huge amount of electricity when inactive. Turn them off. Only put them on when needed. Better yet, if possible, designate an hour each day for all printing and photocopying.

Batch cook meals and store to eat another day. This’ll reduce your bills, energy use and carbon footprint.

Harvest the sun with a solar charger for your mobile, other electrical devices and rechargable batteries. You can also buy chargers and devices that you can charge using your own power through winding them up. Watch those biceps develop.

Reduce time spent showering. Get in, wash and get out. Time the showers you currrently take and set yourself a challenge of halving that time. If you can do that you’ll dramatically reduce the amount of water you use, as well as the energy and money needed to keep your water warm. 

Look at how you use your heating. Just turning down your thermostat a few degrees will make a difference. Reaching for a jumper or extra layers rather than reaching to turn on the thermostat will also have a significant impact. Embrace the blanket. Do not fear it.

Put reflective foil behind radiators that are on external walls to bounce heat back into the room. Doing this prevents heat from travelling out through the walls and out to the street, which is ultimately a waste of money and energy. If you can, move radiators on external walls and position them on internal walls to ensure heat is kept in your home or office. 

If your radiators have heat control, turn them down a notch or two also.

You can buy paints that act as insulation. This will also help your home or office retain its heat. 

Carry out an audit on your home or office to identify where cold air enters (windows, beneath doors and around their frame, letterboxes etc) and fit appropriate draft excluding. This should keep your home or office warmer for longer without resorting to turning on the heating. 

Hopefully, if you’re not doing any of these you may a give a few of them a try and let me know how you get on.

If you have any simple ideas that save money and help the environment, share in the comments please. I, and no doubt others, would love to hear them.