Why It’s Time to Start Thinking About Making Changes to Your Home

Posted under Blog by Ruth

You have probably recently heard talk of ‘zero carbon’ homes. This might sound futuristic, but the truth is that the time is now when it comes to improving your home and its energy efficiency.

Last year the UK government committed to reducing carbon emissions by a massive 80% by 2050 – the first government to make such a decision. This is to help us do our part to reduce climate change, but it means quite a few changes in our lives.

To meet this large target, Britain’s homes are going to have to be almost carbon emission free. Our homes make up a huge portion of the energy Britain uses as a whole, including heating, heating water, our appliances, lighting and cooking.

Not only is the planet suffering, but so are our bank balances as fuel prices continue to rise, and are set to continue doing so year after year into the future.

By 2015 the government has stated that all British homes must be zero-carbon – which could be quite difficult for many of us to achieve given that we have draughty old windows, and heat escaping from every angle. However, if we do take measures, we could lower our emmissions by a massive 40%.

The government is helping us to take it gradually, and starting with just energy saving light bulbs could mean we save £1bn a year.

However, bigger measures such as double glazing and loft insulation could really make the difference when it comes to keeping the heat inside the home, saving CO2 and money over time.