Impact – Reducing your energy bills is a great way to cut down on your carbon emissions, on average, each household could save 1.1 tonnes of CO2 (the equivalent to the weight of a great white shark).

You may not know, but there’s a direct link between the energy we produce in our homes and the climate crisis. By developing positive habits using our top tips below, we can all make a positive difference to the environment.

Carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are just some of the by-products that are produced when using energy in your home. Carbon dioxide is the main culprit and is a greenhouse gas – this warms our atmosphere and has devastating effects on our planet. This then causes drastic weather changes, drought, higher sea levels, smog and acid rain.

Effort – Little effort is needed to reduce your carbon footprint, simple changes like using a tiered steamer when cooking or avoiding using a tumble dryer. Find out how you can make a difference using our resources below.

Cost - Saving on energy can come at no cost at all - sometimes making changes means you can even save money. On average, up to £280 could be saved by every home in the UK if more energy efficient changes were made.

Simple, low-cost ideas to help you start saving energy today.

Homemade double glazing - No double glazing? No problem. Try some secondary glazing film to reduce heat loss and condensation. You could even use cling film!

Kitchen foil isn’t just for the kitchen - Putting kitchen foil behind radiators reflects more heat back into a room. Just mount some foil on cardboard (with the shiny side facing outwards) and you’re all set.

Close the gaps with a draught excluder - Stop cold air coming in through gaps around doors with an easy-to-make draught excluder. Closing your curtains will also help keep the heat in.

Switch it off - Appliances on standby still consume electricity, so switch them off completely when not in use. You should also avoid charging laptops and mobile phones unnecessarily.

Turn heating down a degree - We all agree that the most important thing is to keep warm in winter, but turning your heating thermostat down by just 1°C could reduce your heating bills by up to ten percent – around £80 - £85 a year.

If you go away for a few days during the winter months, leave the thermostat on a low setting to avoid damage from freezing such as burst pipes.

Wash at 30 - Wash your clothes at 30 degrees, modern detergents now work just as well at cooler temperatures. Try to always wash a full load too; one full load uses less energy than two half loads.

Boil what you need - When boiling the kettle, only boil the amount of water you plan to use.

Watch your water use - Consider washing dishes by hand and replace or repair leaking taps to avoid wasting hot water.

Low energy lighting - Energy saving lighting, such as LEDs, use less energy and last longer, saving on both running and replacement costs.

Be sure to visit The Environment Centre's (tEC) website for even more energy-saving tips.

Save money and help tackle climate change with these useful information leaflets:

• Top Tips - The average UK home could save £280 and 1.1 tonnes of CO2 by being more energy efficient. Everyone has their favourite top tip for making savings, here are some of ours...
• A Bit of Hot Water - heating the hot water in your home will, on average, account for 23% of your heating bill, around £160 a year.
• A Changing Climate - what is climate change and what does it mean in Hampshire.
• Electricity - Even the small things add up, by making lots of small changes you could shave hundreds of pounds off your electricity bills. Just to light a home in the UK costs an average of £85 per year.
• Feeling the Heat - Understanding how your home is heated will help you reduce the amount of energy you use in your home.
• Heating your Home with Electricity - Many UK homes are heated with electric storage heaters. They are designed to heat up overnight and release the heat gradually during the day.
• Insulating and Draft Proofing Your Home - Warm air in a room cools quickly when it hits cold walls or windows. Insulation and draught proofing are great ways to save money on your heating bills!
• Renewable Energy Choices for the Home - Reducing your dependency on fossil fuels in your home is good for the environment and saves you money. Here are some of the options available to you.
• Transport and Travel - Reducing your weekly car mileage by 5 miles a week could save you £40 and 85kg CO2 per year. If everyone in the UK did this, we would save £1.1 billion and 3 million tonnes of CO2.
• Water - Each Briton uses about 150 litres of tap water a day, but if you include the amount of water embedded within products, our water consumption increases to about 3400 litres a day.
• The Environment Centre (tEC): The Environment Centre (tEC) is an independent charity working with local authorities across Hampshire to offer impartial advice and information to residents, landlords and tradespeople.

You can take steps to improve the energy efficiency of your home, you'll get a better energy efficiency rating and have a warmer, cosier home and reduced bills! 

• Hitting the Cold Spots offers Hampshire residents a wide range of advice and support. Their dedicated local Advice Line is open 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday on 0800 804 8601 / 023 8033 6172, or see their website.
   
• Use a Thermal Imaging camera to find our where heat is being lost from your home. Some town or parish councils have them, or you can borrow one from WinACC - knowing where your home is losing heat will help you address it. Email homes@winacc.org.uk for more information
   
• Own your own home? You can do an online assessment on the government's website, advising what you can do to improve your home 
   
• If you have a historic or listed home in a conservation area - check out our guide to planning permissions and making your historic building more energy efficient