1. Weatherproof your doors and windows to prevent drought and heat loss.
2. Consider insulating your walls and attic. Use only eco-friendly insulation materials like cork, sheeps wool or recycled newspaper.
3. Install double-glazed windows if your house is not built in an overly wet place.
4. Install solar panels and/or wind generator on the roof. In some regions (depends on solar activity and wind speed) a household can produce enough energy to be independent from the energy supplier.
5. Also consider solar water heaters on the roof. It usually pays back within 5 years and lets you save several hundred pounds per year on heating bills.
6. Check if feed-in tariffs are available in your country. There are 60 countries around the world that have introduced feed -in tariffs. It means that you install solar panels on your roof and get paid for the green energy the house generates. Check with your local council for more information.
7. Raise your air-con thermostat in the summer by just one degree and save 2% on your electricity bill
8. Lower your heating temperature by one degree in the winter and save 5% on your heating bill.
9. Don't use a cooker or a grill to heat the room. It is inefficient and dangerous.
10. Don't set your boiler temperature too high. 60 degrees Celsium is sufficient.
11. Learn how to operate your thermostat or if it's not too flexible, change to a newer model.
13. Install the boiler as centrally as possible in your house so that you avoid long underfloor pipes. The shorter the pipes the quicker the hot water will reach its destination.
14. Insulate the hot water pipes properly.
15. During the night lower the temperature in your bedroom by 2 degrees. It is much healthier for your lungs to sleep in a cool (not too cold, though) place. 16 - 17 degrees Celsium is the best for good night sleep.
16. If shelled corn is readily available in your region, switch to a corn stove. It is a great way of greener and cheaper heating.
17. If the supply of corn is limited, buy a multifuel stove. You will be able to use shelled corn, wood pellets and self-made pellets in a multifuel stove.
18. Wait until you have a full load of laundry before operating a washing machine. You will stop wasting water and electricity.
19. Wait until you have a full load of dishes before operating a dishwasher.
20. Wash your laundry at lower temperatures. Using the modern washing powders or liquids you can get good result by keeping the temperature to 30 or 40 degrees.
21. Use only bio-degradable washing powers and liquids.
22. Try to use concentrated washing liquids. Those involve less packaging and are better for the environment.
23. If your laundry is not very dirty, use an economy programme on your washing machine.
24. Never use a tumble dryer. It consumes too much energy and produces poor results. It can even damage certain types of fabric or make them hard to iron. Dry your clothes on a line or on the radiators.
25. Dry your clothes outside when weather permits. It will help save energy on dehumidifiers.
26. Don't overdo with your laundry. If you keep good personal hygiene you don't really need to change the bed linen and towels more often than once a fortnight.
27. Buy only appliances with an A+ energy rating. You don't need to change your washing machine model every year just to please the advertisers. Replace your appliances only when necessary and replace them with A+ machines.
28. Vacuum the back of your fridge and the intake of your dehumidifier frequently. Thus you'll make those appliances work more efficiently.
29. Turn off the light when you leave a room.
30 . Introduce movement sensors on the staircases if necessary. They are dangerous when dark. On the other hand many people have developed a habit of leaving staircase lighting on permanently, which is very bad for the environment.
31. Collect rainwater in barrels and use to water the garden, flush toilets, wash cars.
32. Better yet install a professional grey water recycling system and make sure it can also take rainwater in.
33. Use a broom and a shovel to clean your patio and driveway. In this way you actually remove the dirt instead of just rinsing it into the lawn like you do when you use a hose.
34. Avoid using lifts and elevators and reduce your carbon footprint. Lifts are consuming a lot of electrical energy because they are run by powerful electrical engines. It is not necessary to use an elevator to travel a couple of storeys. Walking up and down the stairs is healthy and helps to train muscles and keep you fit.
35. Ask your energy supplier to perform a free home energy audit. Most likely he will start laughing but there's nothing wrong with trying.
36. Consider reading Electronic books to save trees. Sustainable energy directly from the source is the clean choice for a green future. Check Solar Powered Portable Readers. Carbon neutral, tree-free reading is here. By combining portable readers with solar chargers, you can learn about forests-without contributing to deforestation.
37. Unsolicited junk mail is bad. However, you can make it a little bit better by opening it and cutting the letters and envelopes in neat pieces and using them for making notes.
38. Don't use post-its and other ready-made note-paper bits. Reuse paper for notes and use the bluetac or plasticine if you really need to stick the notes on surfaces. Use a fridge magnet to attach notes to metal surfaces.
39. If building a new house or substantially rebuilding the old one, use green methods and eco-friendly materials. Although some of them might be more expensive than similar conventional materials, you'll make a great deal of difference for your health.
40. Clean or replace the air filter on the air con.
41. Use recycled glass tiles, VOC-free paints and reused wood when doing up your interior.
42. If you have some extra time, volunteer to make your neighbourhood cleaner. See if you can get your neighbours to join you for a local clean-up.
43. Share these tips with you family and friends.