Thursday, June 07, 2007

Eco footprint still dropping

After completing all the questions I could, our eco-footprint is down to 1.68 planets, which is good, but not great in the grand scheme of things. Some interesting things that had a major effect on that figure included buying higher quality products that last longer - I think the fact my stereo is approaching 15 years old is proof of that! Possibly the best £300 I ever spent... Apparently if I keep to all my other pledges I can knock it down to around 1.34 planets, and once September passes I'll be able to remove the 12-24 hours spent on a plane to and from Canada from the list too.

Things I need to look at going forward:
  • Foil reflectors on the radiators on the outside walls
  • Shelves above radiators in rooms with windows
  • Cavity wall insulation - big one this, and I should stop faffing about and get it done, especially before the winter with a baby on the way
  • Shop at local farmer's markets, and change the "shop for local products" from sometimes to often. Hopefully we're already on the way to doing this with the help of the allotment.
  • Lag the hot water pipes (I need to double-check this as it may have already been done, but my gut instinct is that it hasn't)
  • Buy that energy saving plug for the fridge freezer - we inherited it from the previous owners, and while it's only a grade C energy efficiency, it seems wasteful to ditch it for a more energy efficient model, especially if this plug (costs less than £25) could help make a difference
  • Switch to a water meter. We're already careful with water, but I need to prepare two separate areas of the house before they'll come and fit the meter thanks to the fact the outside loo is on a different circuit to the rest of the house
These are all small, but achievable things - then I have to turn my attentions to looking at alternative sources of power. If money wasn't an object, I'd plump for ground-source pump for heating and solar for electricity. If money wasn't an object...

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