All over the world, we have seen a growing concern in the changing climate. A very large part of the world’s emissions actually come from individual homes and actively reducing your amount of emissions can help us beat climate change!
To do this you have to ask how eco-friendly is home, how big is my Carbon Footprint at the moment and in what areas to improve, below we will let you know what in your home emits the most C02 and easy ways that you can reduce your own emissions.
Where do my emissions come from?
According to the government, Australian households are responsible for 1/5th of our nation’s entire greenhouse gas emission and on average generate 7 tonnes of emissions(our carbon footprint). There are four main culprits for our heavy emissions- the largest comes from heating and cooling, things like your air conditioner and heater, they contribute to 40% of your emissions. Water heating contributes to 21%, running appliances including your fridges and oven contribute to 33% and finally, lighting contributes 6%.
There are even more areas that we generate emissions from such as transport from your cars and public transport, wastes from landfills, agriculture such as animals, land use from housing developments and mainly industrial processes and product use. In fact, manufacturing your common goods is where most of the world’s emissions are generated plus the extra emissions for transport and shipping.
At the end of the day, there are too many areas where we are constantly generating enormous emissions, but every person and household is different. To give you more perspective on the effects of your actual lifestyle on our environment, take the carbon footprint calculator quiz at http://www.footprintcalculator.org/.
How do I lower my household emissions?
There are so many ways that you can lower your household emissions starting from easy tasks such as switching your traditional incandescent light bulbs with eco-friendly LED’s that also use less electricity. Another way is to constantly unplug or turn off appliances and extensions cords that you aren’t currently using, or incorporate smart wiring or master switches to help turn all non-essential items on or off as you enter or leave the property or go to bed at night.
In the winter use less electricity to warm yourself up by opening blinds and letting the natural heat of the sun warm you up, you can also add more carpets or rugs to your home as studies show it reduces energy bills from 4-6%. You can even reduce your hot water usage by washing your clothes in cold water and always make sure to turn the tap off if you’re not using it. The most important is to regularly service your heating/cooling devices to make sure when used they are as efficient as possible.
The most common way households have been reducing their emissions is through the use of renewable energy such as solar or wind power. At Camtec we have worked on many projects involving solar power and know how much they benefit not only the environment but also your electricity bill. By using renewable energy your impact on the environment is significantly reduced and because we live in the sunny nation of Australia there is no shortage of solar energy coming our way!
If you are interested in making a difference contact us today to see how we can help with your homes energy management or information on how we can help you, your carbon footprint and your wallet!