I already do this | I started this recently | Plan to take in next 12 months | Plan to take in the longer-term | No answer | |
E1-Get an energy monitor. | |||||
E2-Switch off lights in rooms that aren’t being used (6-11 pm during week and 8 am to 11pm on weekends). | |||||
E3-Switch off lights in offices that aren’t being used. (7pm-7am during the week and 24hours at the weekend) | |||||
E4-Change light bulbs to low energy bulbs | |||||
E5-Use a single lamp to illuminate only the area you are using, rather than lighting up the whole room or office. | |||||
E6-Maximise the use of natural daylight. Relocate work surfaces, desks and reading areas nearer to windows. | |||||
E7-Clean your windows to let in more natural light | |||||
E8-Paint your walls and ceilings a light colour next time you decorate | |||||
E9-Install occupancy sensors which turn lights on or off depending on whether there is someone in the room | |||||
E10-Unplug any chargers once they have finished charging. | |||||
E11-Switch all electrical equipment off at the wall when not in use. | |||||
E12-Use the off switch on appliances instead of standby. | |||||
E13-Switch your computer/monitor off every night AND every time you are away for a long period of time | |||||
E22-Switch off office equipment at night | |||||
E14-Use a 'power-down' plug: this device turns off all peripheral devices when you turn off your main computer unit, and starts them up again automatically. | |||||
E15-Ensure that energy saving features of your computers are activated. | |||||
E16-Use the stairs instead of the lift at home and at work | |||||
E17-Reduce the brightness on your TV. If you have a LCD TV, you can usually turn down the backlight | |||||
E18-Watch TV fewer nights per week, or less time each night - and do something active instead! | |||||
E19-When buying a new TV, buy a small one | |||||
E20-Turn dishwashers off at the wall when not in use | |||||
E21-Reduce the use of electric fans on hot days. | |||||
E23-When buying a new radio, buy an Energy Saving Recommended digital one. | |||||
E24- Use LED Christmas lights instead of the standard equivalent. | |||||
E25-Wear slippers instead of outdoor shoes in the house to reduce the need to hoover. | |||||
E26-Switch your electricity supplier to one that supplies green energy | |||||
E27-When boiling the kettle, use only the amount of water that you need. | |||||
E28-When changing your shower unit, purchase the most energy efficient shower you can. | |||||
E29-Defrost your fridge and freezer | |||||
E30-Clean the condenser coils at the back of your fridge | |||||
E31-Ensure your fridge/freezer are operating at the correct temperatures. | |||||
E32-Check for damage to the door seal on your fridge / freezer | |||||
E33-Keep fridges/freezers organised | |||||
E34-Avoid opening fridge/freezer door unnecessarily | |||||
E35-Try to position your fridge freezer away from a heat source, e.g. oven or radiator. | |||||
E36-When buying a new Fridge/Freezer buy one with an A+ or A++ rating | |||||
E37-When buying a new freezer buy one with an A+ or A++ rating. | |||||
E38-When buying a new dishwasher buy one with an A rating | |||||
E39-When buying a new Fridge buy one with an A+ or A++ rating | |||||
E40-Where appropriate, re-use any cups, glasses or dishes rather than taking a clean one every time. | |||||
E41-Only iron the clothes that really need ironing. | |||||
E42-Use a lower temperature wash on your washing machine. | |||||
E43-Try to reduce the number of times you use the washing machine each week. | |||||
E44-If you live in shared accommodation, consider filling the washing machine up with several peoples clothes rather than doing half loads. | |||||
E45-Pre soak heavily soiled clothes to decrease necessity to wash at high temperatures | |||||
E46-Wait for a full load before washing clothes. | |||||
E47-Dry your clothes outside instead of using a tumble dryer | |||||
E48-Allow frozen food to defrost before you cook it, rather than cooking from frozen. | |||||
E49-Put lids on pans when boiling water | |||||
E50-Turn your oven off ten minutes before your dinner is finished cooking. | |||||
E51-Choose the right size pan for the size of the food that you are cooking | |||||
E52-Place a saucepan on the cooking ring that best equals it in size | |||||
E53-Use a toaster instead of the grill for toasting bread | |||||
E54-Chop vegetables/meats into smaller sizes when cooking | |||||
E55-Avoid temptation to open oven as food cooks | |||||
E56-Cook on several levels using a steamer on one cooker ring. | |||||
E57-Consider buying an induction hob when replacing an electric hob | |||||
E58-Buy a pressure cooker | |||||
E59-Buy a slow cooker | |||||
H1-Put on warmer clothes instead of turning up the heating | |||||
H2-Turn heating down to minimal (or off) when away from home | |||||
H3-If your heating is set above the comfortable room temperature of 18-21oC, turn it down. | |||||
H4-Switch off heating during the night - use an extra blanket or thicker duvet. | |||||
H5-Switch the heating off 1 hour before bedtime | |||||
H6-Experiment with altering heating and cooling thermostats. As a guide, try setting no higher than 19oC for heating and no lower than 24oC for cooling. | |||||
H7-Turn the heat off in rooms that you are not using | |||||
H8-Shut the doors between rooms | |||||
H9-Draw all your curtains at nightfall | |||||
H10-Place insulation panels behind your radiators | |||||
H11-Install radiator thermometers | |||||
H12-Check that radiators are working properly | |||||
H13-Make sure there is no furniture in front of your radiators | |||||
H14-Only use air conditioning when it's really necessary. | |||||
H15-If you are using air conditioning, keep the windows and doors closed. | |||||
H16-Set the air conditioning thermostat at the highest temperature with which you are comfortable. | |||||
H17-Put draught proofing around doors and windows | |||||
H18-Find out if you have the recommended 270mm depth of loft insulation. If not, consider fitting it. | |||||
H19-Put cavity insulation in your walls | |||||
H20-Insulate your hot water tank and pipes. | |||||
H21-Find out if your boiler needs replacing and if there are grants available to help you. | |||||
H22-If you are a tenant, ask for a boiler maintenance certificate from your landlord or estate agent. |
I already do this | I started this recently | Plan to take in next 12 months | Plan to take in the longer-term | No answer | |
T1-For short journeys, try not to use a car. Walk or cycle instead. | |||||
T2-If you don't have a bike, consider buying one under the cycle to work scheme. Or buy a second hand one. | |||||
T3-When you decide to go on holidays, choose destinations reached by coach or train | |||||
T4-'Contact your local MSPs and councillors and campaign for improved transport and cycling infrastructure | |||||
T5-Reduce the amount of business flights you take, try to travel by public transport or lift share to get to a meeting. | |||||
T6-Try to reduce the number of internal flights you take a year | |||||
T7-Plan a local holiday rather than flying abroad | |||||
T8- If you are travelling to Europe for holiday or work, consider using public transport or driving | |||||
T9-Reduce flights by 25% | |||||
T10-Reduce flights by 50% | |||||
T11-Reduce flights by 75% | |||||
T12-Stop flying totally | |||||
T13-If you are buying a car, think about the energy and carbon used to produce it, as well as it's fuel efficiency when you are using it. | |||||
T14-Walk or cycle to work instead of using your car | |||||
T15-Use public transport to get to work. Find out about bus and train times. | |||||
T16-Use lift sharing when travelling to work. | |||||
T17-Talk to your organisation about lower carbon travel to work options | |||||
T18-Lobby your organisation to provide a bike pool for short work journeys | |||||
T19-Speak to your organisation about providing a shuttle bus service for employees? | |||||
T20-Turn off the engine when you are not driving (e.g., if you are waiting for someone or stuck in traffic) | |||||
T21-If you live near a supermarket, walk or cycle there to do your shopping | |||||
T22-Reduce your car trips to the supermarket - do one big weekly shop, or combine your shopping trip with another car journey. | |||||
T23-If you drive to the supermarket consider doing your weekly supermarket shop online | |||||
T24-Get your food shopping delivery at the same time as your neighbours. | |||||
T25-Take part in or set up a walking bus group for your children's school. | |||||
T26-Reduce the amount of meetings you travel to by using tele and video conferencing. | |||||
T27-Ask your organisation to provide advanced driver training and/ or eco-driving training to all those who drive company vehicles. | |||||
T28-Investigate eco-driving techniques. | |||||
T29-Accelerate slowly and smoothly, maintain a steady speed (within the speed limit!) and anticipate your stops and starts. | |||||
T30-Stick to the most efficient speed of your car to minimise fuel consumption. | |||||
T31-Ensure vehicles are correctly maintained. | |||||
T32-Ensure tyres at correct pressure. | |||||
T33-Remove roof racks / boxes and cycle racks from your car. Clear out any heavy clutter you might have in your car. | |||||
T34-Plan your journeys to avoid congestion. Use SatNav or similar IT applications to avoid traffic congestion and reduce the amount of wasted journey time. | |||||
T35-Convert to lpg fuel |
I already do this | I started this recently | Plan to take in next 12 months | Plan to take in the longer-term | No answer | |
F1-Try to buy food that is grown or produced locally | |||||
F2-Consider reducing the amount of meat that you eat by 50% | |||||
F3-Consider reducing the amount of meat that you eat by 75% | |||||
F4-Consider reducing the amount of meat that you eat by 100% | |||||
F5-Consider reducing the amount of dairy products you eat by 25% | |||||
F6-Consider reducing the amount of dairy products you eat by 50% | |||||
F7-Consider reducing the amount of dairy products you eat by 75% | |||||
F8-Consider reducing the amount of dairy products you eat by 100% | |||||
F9-Cook a vegetarian meal | |||||
F10-Cook a vegan meal | |||||
F11-Include some (20%) local organic food in your weekly shop. | |||||
F12-Buy fresh: avoid pre-prepared fruit and vegetables | |||||
F13-Try to remember all the low carbon food rules when shopping: local, organic, low-meat, fresh. | |||||
F14-Make use of the work / University canteen | |||||
F15-Investigate local food co-ops | |||||
F16-When eating out, choose a restaurant that uses local produce? | |||||
F17-If hiring catering for events or meetings, consider asking for low carbon catering. E.g. seasonal fruit and vegetables that are in season and grown locally. | |||||
F18-Become self sufficient in fruit and vegetables | |||||
W1-Install a water meter | |||||
W2-Have a the shower instead of a bath | |||||
W3-Reduce the time you spend in the shower. | |||||
W4-Set up a water butt and use the water in it to water the garden and houseplants. | |||||
W5-Don't leave the taps or shower running when you are not using it. | |||||
W6-Fix leaky taps | |||||
W7-Try to wear clothes for longer and reduce the amount of washes you do. | |||||
W8-Share a bath | |||||
W9-If you have a dual flushing toilet, make sure you use the right flush! | |||||
W10-Reduce water use when washing pots by washing the cleaner things first (glasses, cups), then moving on to the greasy things. |
I already do this | I started this recently | Plan to take in next 12 months | Plan to take in the longer-term | No answer | |
C1-Recycle your waste Label your waste and recycling bins so everyone knows what should go in them | |||||
C2-Recycle all glass bottles | |||||
C3-Recycle drinks cans | |||||
C4-Recycle your old bike | |||||
C5-Organise a clothes swapping night | |||||
C6-Use reusable items instead of disposable ones | |||||
C7-Reuse or recycle your ink cartridges | |||||
C8-Buy refilled printer cartridges | |||||
C9-When conventional batteries wear out, replace them with rechargeable ones | |||||
C10-Donate unwanted items to charity shops or community projects instead of binning them | |||||
C11-Use waste packaging for craft activities | |||||
C12-Make notebooks from scrap paper | |||||
C13-Try to get clothes repaired instead of buying new ones | |||||
C14-Swap or recycle children’s toys | |||||
C15-Re-use shredded paper, e.g. when packing products. Or compost it. | |||||
C16-Make a Christmas or Birthday card or present instead of buying something? | |||||
C17-Buy items with less packaging | |||||
C18-Buy food with less packaging. | |||||
C19-Make your own lunch instead of buying sandwiches | |||||
C20-Plan your meals in advance to help you avoid food waste | |||||
C21-Consider starting a home, school or work composting scheme | |||||
C22-Use recycled or Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper | |||||
C23-Buy envelopes from recycled materials whenever possible | |||||
C25-Buy recycled paper stationery and filing products. | |||||
C26-If you have a child in nappies, consider using reusable or semi-biodegradable nappies instead of disposable ones. | |||||
C27-Avoid buying one unnecessary household/personal appliance - laptop, new mobile phone, mp2 player, printer etc. | |||||
C28-Make sure your old mobile phones and other gadgets don’t end up in the bin. Take them to a charity shop or recycle them. | |||||
C29-Have your old computer fixed and upgraded rather than buying a new one | |||||
C31-Change computer / printer / photocopier settings so that double sided printing happens automatically. | |||||
C32-Print or photocopy internal forms and notices onto the back of one sided used paper, until no one sided paper left. | |||||
C33-Write to organisations to stop them sending junk mail to you. | |||||
C34-Register with the Mailing Preference Service to reduce junk mail | |||||
C35-Go through the mail being sent to you/your business and think about whether you need to receive it | |||||
C36-Register to opt out of the post office's Door to Door service | |||||
C37-Use online services | |||||
C38-Buy music online and use an MP3 player instead of buying CDs. | |||||
C39-Send celebration e-cards or texts. | |||||
C40-If you use disposable cups and plates in your workplace, replace these with biodegradable alternatives, or join a local plastic cup recycling scheme | |||||
C41-Remove disposable cups from your drinking water dispenser. Use glasses instead. | |||||
C42-Replace bottled drinking water dispensers with a water cooler / filter | |||||
C43-Try to exchange bottled water for tap water | |||||
C44-When you buy new desks etc for the office, consider getting good quality second hand ones | |||||
C45-When doing home DIY use timber that is reclaimed, or that is Forest Stewardship Council certified (FSC). | |||||
C46-Avoid the use of patio heaters. |