How to lead a low-carbon lifestyle

Your ecological footprint may be larger than you think – but how can you live a low-carbon lifestyle? And how can you turn your house into a low-carbon home? Read on to discover how to have more of a low-carbon lifestyle and why reducing your carbon footprint can benefit your energy bill and the environment.

All of our fixed home energy tariffs are backed by zero-carbon electricity as standard and are backed annually.

Check out the different options on our tariff page.

How can I be low-carbon at home?

Reduce, reuse, recycle – this is a great mantra for low-carbon homes. Ensuring you are always as energy-efficient as possible will greatly reduce your carbon footprint. These three tips will help you be more energy efficient at home:

• Energy efficiency in your bathroom — take showers, fix dripping taps and don't leave water running unnecessarily
   
• Energy efficiency in your kitchen — only boil the amount of water you need. Microwaves can be more efficient than ovens (especially if you are warming up food) and keep a lid on pans (they will heat up faster)
   
• Another major way you can improve your home's energy efficiency is to insulate — insulation helps retain heat in winter and makes air conditioning units more energy-efficient in summer. Learn more about different types of insulation and how you can save energy and money
   

4. Low-carbon meals

• Don't put hot food in the fridge, as it will make the fridge work extra hard to try and keep it cold
   
• Buy locally-produced, organic food
   
• Eat less meat – producing meat requires more energy than vegetables. There are a few reasons for this – the main two being that much of the meat on our supermarket shelves involves high-intensity farming and farm animals produce methane
   
• If you're looking for tips on low-carbon cooking, check out these energy-efficient meal tips.

5. Low-carbon travel

Making low-carbon changes in your life can be easier than you think. Consider walking or cycling to work to reduce your carbon footprint. When you arrive at work, continue with energy-efficient practices by following our tips for the office. If you're planning a holiday, choose trains instead of planes as they are more eco-friendly. Despite being harmful to the environment, cars are still necessary for many of us when it comes to transportation.

These are our top tips for being an energy-efficient driver:

• Avoid sudden acceleration and heavy breaking – this saves you fuel
• When starting from cold, drive away immediately rather than waiting around to heat the engine. This will prevent wasting fuel and wearing your engine
• If you're stuck in a traffic jam, turn off your engine – this will save fuel and reduce emissions
• Avoid short journeys. Cycle or walk instead – it's better for your health, you'll save money, and it's better for the environment
• The most efficient speed depends on the car – it's typically around 55-65mph, but this will depend on the speed limit you're in
• Get your car serviced regularly to keep it running efficiently

6. Low-carbon energy tariffs

Did you know our tariffs are 100% backed by low-carbon generation? Check out the different options on our tariff page.

Learn more about how we produce our low-carbon electricity.