What else can I do?
As well as switching to renewably sourced electricity, there are plenty of other simple ways to cut down on your greenhouse gas emissions. And most of these will also save you money!
Our ten top tips:
- Walk or cycle more. Each year, the UK’s cars produce over a tonne of carbon dioxide for each person in the country. Every journey under 3 miles that you don't use the car for will save about 2kg of CO2 – and help keep you fit.
- Have your house insulated. You can get grants to pay for much of the cost, and it will bring huge savings on your heating bills. Find out more by calling the Cornwall Energy Efficiency Advice Centre on 0800 512012.
- Put a lid on pans when you’re cooking – they’ll boil quicker and you’ll use up to 90% less energy.
- Draw curtains at night to keep heat in your home.
- Don’t overfill your kettle – why boil several cups of water if you only need one?
- Replace your light bulbs with low-energy bulbs. These are much cheaper than they used to be, and you’ll save about £10 per year for each 100 watt bulb that you replace. Start with the ones you use most often.
- Turn off TVs, videos, computers, mobile phone chargers etc. if you’re not actually using them. If everyone in the UK did this rather than leave these devices on standby, they’d save over £230 million a year on the nation’s electricity bills.
- Check your central heating thermostat - does it really need to be set so high? Heating costs rise by 8% for every 1°C increase.
- Turn off radiators in rooms you’re not using – it’s just wasted heat.
- Drastically reduce or stop flying: in terms of greenhouse gases, it's the most damaging means of travel per mile.
If you’d like to put pressure on government to do more about climate
change, why not join a campaigning organisation such as Friends
of the Earth or Greenpeace?
Both have local groups active in Cornwall.



