Reduce your carbon footprint

Did you know fuel use in cars makes up approximately 50% of all household carbon emissions?

Reducing car trips is the best way to save fuel, but it’s not always convenient.

However, it is easy to practice eco-driving to be more fuel-efficient and limit transport emissions.

• Avoid idling and unnecessarily leaving your engine on.
• For manual drivers, shift through gears as quickly as possible.
• Keep your tyres inflated to the maximum recommended level.

While air conditioners are one of the most energy-intensive appliances in the home, it’s hard to imagine a summer without them.

Even setting your air conditioner one degree warmer can make a difference to your energy consumption and bills. Most people find a temperature between 24-27°C best in summer.

Remember: fans use a lot less electricity than air conditioners.

Energy and cost efficiency are some of the many advantages of LED light bulbs.

In fact, they use up to 75% less electricity than incandescent bulbs but produce the same amount of light. They also last significantly longer before needing to be replaced.

Lighting and appliances can add up to 20% to an average Australian household’s energy bills.

Did you know they can still consume energy when you’re not using them? Make a habit of turning off lights in empty rooms and switching off appliances at the wall to reduce energy wastage and unnecessary costs.

Taking shorter showers is the best way to save on water bills in the bathroom. Low-flow showerheads use air for high pressure and much less water than standard showerheads.

The Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) system makes it easy to choose a water-efficient showerhead.

The difference is impressive: a 3-star WELS showerhead will have a flow rate of nine litres per minute or less. Whereas an inefficient showerhead will use between 15 and 25 litres per minute.

Swapping out your showerhead won’t break the bank either – you can purchase a 3-star showerhead for $60 and the switch can save a household of four around $340 each year on water and energy bills.

Washing full loads means fewer washes overall, therefore reducing the amount of water and energy used.

If you run small loads because you’re worried about colours running onto your white clothes, use an eco-friendly colour catcher sheet to wash all your clothes together.

Most of the energy used by a washing machine is for heating the water. Washing your clothes in cold water can use up to 10 times less energy. So every time you wash using hot water, you’re increasing your energy bill – often for no better result. Saving energy is not the only advantage of cold water: clothing is less likely to shrink or fade.

Approximately 3% of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions come from organic waste going to landfill. Rather than throwing your food scraps in your general waste bin, collect them to put in your compost bin or worm farm.

Not only will this avoid emissions, you can also produce worm tea or nutrient-rich soil to make your garden or pot plants thrive.