Seven ways to make your home more sustainable

If you want to take action for climate to help tackle the climate crisis, thinking about your own lifestyle and home can be a great place to start.

If you need some pointers on how to make your home more sustainable, here are a few changes – large and small – that you could make to help get you started and potentially save you money in the long term as well.

1. Generate your own renewable energy
2. Reduce the amount of waste your home produces
3. Upgrade your boiler with an air source heat pump
4. Switch to an electric vehicle
5. Install a smart meter to monitor your energy use
6. Insulate your home to help keep the heat in
7. Use less water around your home

You can look at generating your own clean, renewable energy with solar panels and solar battery storage. The solar panels work by converting the sun’s energy into electricity that you can use to power your appliances, lights and more. The battery then lets you store this electricity and use it at night or whenever is most convenient for you.

If you already have solar panels, why not consider getting a solar battery as a next step so you can benefit even more?

Look at how you can minimise the amount of waste your home produces. There are many things you can do – for example choose products with zero waste packaging or no packaging at all, recycle more and opt for reusable water bottles and coffee cups rather than disposable ones.

If you have a garden, consider making a compost heap and putting your food and garden waste to good use. 

Many of us need to drive in our day-to-day lives, whether it’s a quick trip to the supermarket, the school run or commuting to work. But how we travel has a big impact on the environment, and in 2021, cars produced over half of all greenhouse gas emissions emitted from transport².

By switching to an electric vehicle, the average UK household could reduce their carbon footprint. For example, when driving from London to Glasgow, the average petrol car emits over three times more CO2₂e than an electric car². And you could save around £500 a year on fuel costs when driving an electric vehicle compared to a petrol or diesel car³.

When it comes to charging your new electric car, it’s easy to get an electric vehicle charger installed at your home if you have off-street parking. You’ll not only benefit from more flexibility when charging your car, but you’ll boost your home’s sustainability credentials too. 

With the right insulation, your home can hold heat inside for longer. That means less work for your boiler or air source heat pump. Insulating wall cavities, installing loft insulation and even insulating floors can help reduce heat loss and lower your heating bill too. And check if you’re eligible for free of part-funded cavity wall insulation as part of our support for the Great British insulation scheme.

Draught proofing your home is another easy, efficient and inexpensive way to keep heat inside. Check your home for draughts – particularly around your windows and doors – to see if any heat is getting out and cold air is getting in. You can fix draughts with low-cost draught excluders or by caulking any gaps in your window seals. 

Saving water can increase the sustainability of your home and it can be as easy as turning the tap off when you’re not using it or waiting until you have a full load before washing your clothes. And consider washing your clothes at 30^oC to save energy too.

If you want to go even further, you can cut down on the water that you use from the mains with a rainwater collection tank. There is a range of systems you can choose from, allowing you to do everything from watering your garden to washing your clothes.

In summary, there are plenty of ways you can make your home and your lifestyle more sustainable and take action for climate so why not act today.

^{1. Based on an air source heat pump installed by E.ON.}

^{2. Gov.uk: Transport and environment statistics 2023}

^{3. Climate Change Committee: Sixth Carbon Budget}