2024 was officially the warmest year on record. As the BBC reported in early January, the European Copernicus climate service confirmed it was the first calendar year to pass the 1.5 degrees celcius global warming limit, as well as the world’s hottest year on record.
The year was one in which we saw storms, wildfires, and droughts throughout the world. And we weren’t spared here in the UK, with many of us having experienced the negative impact of some pretty extreme weather over the past few months. The Met Office reported that Storm Daragh for instance, the fourth named storm of the season, brought strong winds and heavy rain to the western part of England and Wales in early December, resulting in loss of power for over 2.3 million customers and resulting in major incidents being declared in many areas.
Recent bad weather conditions have highlighted the impact that climate change is having. And a recent YouGov survey found that nearly half of those surveyed (49%) think that the threat of climate change isn’t being exaggerated. So in this blog, we’re going to look at what we can do individually to minimise the damage we do, reduce our carbon footprint, and make a contribution to reduce our impact on the environment.
Carbon footprint explained
Carbon footprint is a measure of the total amount of greenhouse gasses released into the atmosphere by a person, an organisation or an activity, and is usually measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2). Emissions are caused by all of us on a day-to-day basis by all the activities we undertake.
Why reduce your carbon footprint - the benefits to us all
As well as lowering greenhouse gas emissions to help slow global warming, air quality, which can impact health problems such as respiratory diseases and heart conditions, improves. It benefits us all, plus there are savings to be had by reducing energy consumption and reducing waste.
Let’s take a look at our top tips for reducing your impact on the environment.
Reuse and recycle
Recycle paper, cardboard, plastic and glass wherever possible and compost food scraps such as vegetable peelings, eggshells, and coffee and tea leaves to help reduce landfill waste, lower methane emissions and create nutrient-rich soil for our garden and indoor plants.
Choose carefully from who and how much you buy
Reduce waste by buying only what you need. Choose products with little or no plastic packaging, ideally opt only for things in recyclable packaging or take your own refillable containers where possible. And take your own reusable bags when you shop, as plastic bags made from non-renewable fossil fuels take hundreds of years to decompose, and can be harmful to wildlife.
If you’re in the market for a new electric appliance such as a new washing machine, dishwasher or television, opt for one that uses less energy.
Home appliances are given an energy rating label from A to G, with A being the most efficient, and G the least efficient. According to the Energy Saving Trust, choosing an appliance with a higher rated label can significantly impact your energy bills whilst reducing your impact on the environment and your individual carbon footprint. Also remember to dispose of old appliances carefully. Many stores will take your old item for you or take it to your nearest recycling point. Recyclenow, the national recycling campaign for England and Northern Ireland, has a host of information on where to recycle, how to recycle, and what to recycle.
Make smart transport decisions
It’s easy to grab the car keys when you need to pop out for a pint of milk, but making smart transport decisions can significantly help you reduce your carbon footprint. Walk or cycle more, use public transport, or car-share for your journey to work (it can also help you save money on fuel and parking costs).
And if you’re thinking of changing your car, consider hybrid options and electric vehicles.
Be energy efficient at home
According to the Government’s heat and buildings strategy, heating the 30 million buildings in the UK contributes to almost a quarter of all UK emissions. The benefit of being energy efficient at home is a win-win! It doesn’t just reduce your carbon footprint, it also lowers your energy bills.
There’s a lot you can do – some things costly such as loft and wall insulation, some that are very inexpensive or cost nothing yet can make a real difference such as unplugging appliances when not in use.
Switch to LED light bulbs, switch off lights when you leave a room, insulate your doors and windows with draught excluder tape to prevent heat loss, use a programmable thermostat to optimise your energy usage, and don’t overfill your kettle. Plus use water sparingly – turn down your water temperature on your boiler, take a shower instead of a bath, and don’t leave the tap running when you clean your teeth.
It’s also important to look after your boiler, whether you use heating oil, LPG, electricity or any other fuel source.
Having your serviced every year will keep it working in tip-top condition and operating safely, improving its efficiency and preventing energy wastage so it uses less fuel and reduces CO2 emissions.
And if you are one of the many households throughout the UK that uses heating oil or LPG, as a member of the Northern Energy Premium Package for oil customers, and our LPG package for liquid petroleum gas customers, we automatically offset your energy usage, helping each and every customer improve their carbon footprint, all as part of our service.
One way to reduce your carbon impact is to switch to renewable energy. The great news is that for off-grid heating oil and LPG users, renewable fuels are on the way which will allow you to reduce your carbon emissions even further. Heat pumps are not suitable for many homes, plus they are expensive to install and usually require costly property improvements, whereas these renewable environmentally friendly choices are drop-in solutions so there is no costly outlay to install a new system. Whilst LPG is already one of the cleanest fossil fuels available, BioLPG and rDME are renewable gases which can make significant carbon savings of up to 90%, and hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) is also on the way, a fossil-free drop-in solution that reduces CO2 emissions and is just as efficient as traditional domestic heating oil.
Building a sustainable future together
The great news is that, as concerns surrounding climate change become more and more relevant, by all of us making small changes to our actions every day, it all can add up to long-term progress.
So, in addition to the government’s commitment to Net Zero, it’s assuring to know that there are environmentally friendly future heating options for off-grid homes in rural areas throughout the UK so we can all do our bit.