Washing powder is one of those long-time stalwarts of marketing and advertising – alongside toothpaste, beer, cigarettes and foreign travel. Detergents were always “new & improved” giving you “whiter whites” and “brighter brights”.
Things have come a long way since the Mad Men mid-century era and before. The 21st century eco laundry detergent buzz words are now ‘plastic free’, ‘refillable’, ‘ocean friendly’, ‘biodegradable’ and ‘cruelty-free’. We’ve never had so much choice! Furthermore, we don’t even have to go to the shops to buy those bulky, heavy boxes of washing powder. Light-as-a-feather laundry strips can be bought on subscription, popping through our letter boxes on a regular or flexible basis.
Having a more efficient home is a terrific way to save money on utility bills. Most people want to reduce their carbon footprint and their monthly utility bills by taking steps to increase their home’s energy efficiency. Here are 7 ways to work towards making your home more energy efficient and lower your utility bills.
Add insulation
Did you know that about a third of the energy used to heat the average home escapes through the walls and ceiling? So, what should you do?
Adding insulation to your ceilings, walls and floors is a terrific way to reduce your energy bills and make your home more comfortable year-round. Lack of proper insulation causes heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer.
There’s a wide variety of materials available that can be used to effectively cut down on heat passage through walls, ceilings and floors through insulation. Because it slows the transfer of heat, insulation makes it so that less energy is expended heating and cooling your home.
If you’re curious to find out more about this topic, a good idea is to look into this page: https://thehighperformancehome.com/, so you can make your home the perfect money-saving residence.
Fix your heating system
While new, high-efficiency boilers are the most energy-efficient option, even older units can be upgraded to improve their performance. Not everyone has the financial means to purchase a new boiler, so they “got to do what they got to do” and make do with the one they currently have.
The first step is to have it professionally serviced each year. In addition, to keep air flowing freely into the unit and to extend the life of your boiler, you should replace the filters at least once every three months; more often if you have pets or have recently renovated.
Switch to different lights
When it comes to lighting, the easiest method to save money is to turn off lights when not in use and replace outdated bulbs with light emitting diode (LED) bulbs, which are far more energy efficient.
LEDs have a longer lifespan than compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), and they consume less energy. LEDs, as is the case with all newly introduced technologies, may cost more than CFLs. However, the cost of production, and consequently the retail price, are constantly decreasing.
Although initially more expensive, LED bulbs can last anywhere from 35 to 50 times as long as incandescent bulbs and 2 to 5 times as long as fluorescent varieties.
Tighten duct seals
Most of us are aware that when ducts have gaps in them, hot air can seep out. As a result, the rooms on the upper floors of your home won’t be heated, while an unfinished basement will cost you money to heat. Putting heating-vent tape over all the obvious cracks may help in this situation. Discover more relevant info on this page.
Check your doors & windows
To avoid spending excess money on heating and cooling, make sure all the windows and doors in your home have airtight seals.
Moreover, a burning incense stick or candle can be used to detect drafts around door and window frames. A draft exists if the flame or smoke flickers. Install new weather-stripping, a door sweep and caulk any exposed frames. Exterior window film is very effective in boosting efficiency during the winter months.
Automate usage
You can save up to 20% on your heating and cooling bills by installing a smart thermostat. The system is effective because it adapts to your routine and preferences. If you always lower the thermostat around the same time prior to going to bed, a smart thermostat can be set to do this automatically.
A smart thermostat also allows remote control of your central heating via an app while you’re away from home. So even if your plans change at the last minute, you can still manage your HVAC system with ease using your smartphone.
Light automation is another cost-cutting measure you may use. You can save money on lighting by installing motion sensors, dimmer switches and timers.
Phantom power consumption
Connect all your counter-top electronics to a power bar and set it to turn off automatically when you go to bed. Keep in mind that electronics such as TVs, cable boxes, PVRs and game consoles still consume power even when turned off. Since they’re all connected to the same power strip, turning them off after everyone goes to bed is a breeze.
It’s coming up to the time of year where people are beginning to think about post-Christmas and planning for 2023. I mostly do this with the help of virtual, online calendars that sync between my smart phone and laptop. However, I’ve always liked the idea of embarking upon the new year with a fresh A3 diary or bullet journal.
One of these plantable calendars would make the perfect Christmas present for an eco-conscious or gardening friend or family member. At the end of the year, rather than filing it away or putting it into the paper recycling, the pages can be planted up in the garden or into pots where they transform into wild flowers, salad or vegetables.
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In the past few decades, we’ve become aware of ethical and/or sustainable food and fashion; but what about ethical sustainable jewellery?
We’ve heard of the many thousands of litres of water that it takes to manufacture a single pair of jeans, but what about the amount of greenhouse gas it takes to mine a diamond? Or what about the use of child labour? Or the profits from the mining and sale of precious metals & gemstones going towards funding civil wars?
The pieces listed below are certain to have been created without negative impact on the environment or local communities.
Hand cut Lapis Lazuli gems set in gold plated silver settings by the men and women artisans of the Turquoise Mountain Foundation in Kabul. Training and employing young people in meaningful creative jobs is vitally important now in Afghanistan when the young desperately need hope and a sense of purpose in a beautiful country tragically caught up in violence and conflict.
Each carat of mined diamond has a footprint of over 100kg of carbon dioxide and over 500kg of greenhouse gases in total. In contrast, a one-carat Skydiamond has a footprint of minus 4g of CO₂.We take rain water and split it into oxygen and hydrogen using electrolysis – powered by the wind and sun of course. We then combine these gases to create methane, which we feed into our Diamond Mills.
shop ethical sustainable jewellery
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