What can householders do to reduce carbon emissions?

3.29.48pm UTC (GMT +0000) Sat 19th Apr 2008

Local Liberal Democrat Professor John Twidell advises - Householders can start by making their house 'zero fossil-carbon'. Always measure and monitor the energy you use, this always gives a 10% saving in practice. Then, in order of ease and less cost: (1) Change to a Green Electricity Tariff (Good Energy is the most committed), (2) fit heating controls, especially thermostats, and reduce internal temperatures to 16C hallways and 20C if occupied space(3) heat with biomass, e.g. pellet stoves and/or wood chip boilers (OK for urban areas). wood stoves (dry wood OK in urban areas); all OK in rural areas, (4) insulate lofts and cavity walls (standard with grants), (5) fit extra glazing, e.g. secondary glazing with K glass hardglaze, (6) fit a solar water heater (about £3,500 with grant), (7) fit photovoltaic solar electricity (grant, but still expensive) to unshaded south west, south to south east roofs, and/or, in exposed situations, a small wind turbine.