5 sustainability tips for Autumn
Autumn is officially here. We’ve pulled together five sustainability and energy saving tips for you, as you navigate colder weather, boiler switch on and shorter days.
Save energy on heating and hot water
It’s officially boiler switch on season (although, they never really turn off). And saving money on our energy bills is on everybody’s mind.
The most effective way to save money on your heating bills is to ensure your home is well insulated. Installing loft insulation can pay for itself through savings in your bills in as little as two years – and the time to do it is now ahead of the colder months.
There are also quicker tips that can all add up to big savings – including being more careful with how you use hot water, refining your heating schedule and ensuring you close thermal curtains as night falls to keep the chill out.
Grow, buy and cook with seasonal foods
Autumn brings warming, hearty foods into season – like squash, carrots, parsnips and pears. Eating foods that are in season in the UK can really lower your carbon footprint, as it means they have been grown locally rather than flown in from warmer climates.
Make your dinner plate even more sustainable by batch cooking. Could you double the quantities of roasted butternut squash soup or lentil stew and store portions in the freezer? Could you make this Dorset apple cake into muffins to defrost as and when you need a sweet bite to eat?
Not only does batch cooking make best use of your oven or stove while it’s on, it can stop you reaching for plastic-wrapped convenience foods another time.
Shop sustainably for more layers
Are your jumpers wearing out? Have your children or grandchildren suddenly outgrown their winter coats? Are your winter boots leaking?
Buying clothes doesn’t need to cost a fortune. It’s the perfect time to hit the charity shops or to shop online for second hand clothes. And if you want to buy new, make sure the company you’re shopping with is truly sustainable, not just greenwashing.
Some of our favourite clothing brands include Rapanui and Finisterre. This is because they’ve designed the products they sell with circularity in mind – from sourcing the materials , offering repairs and buying your worn-out clothes back off you again.
Get sustainable in the garden
It can be really tempting to tidy up the garden ahead of the winter, but leaving parts un-pruned is important for wildlife and biodiversity.
Leaving a thin layer of leaves across your lawn and flower beds will nourish your soil, while protecting plants against cold weather. You could rake a larger pile into a corner to provide a great habitat for insects.
Likewise, leaving seed heads on flowers that have gone over will provide food for birds over the winter.
Power your home with renewable energy
Using renewable electricity at home is a cost-effective, easy way to cut your carbon footprint. When you switch to Good Energy, we commit to matching 100% of the electricity you use at home directly with electricity sourced from our growing community of 2,000+ independent renewable generators.
What’s more, we aim to match our customer usage with generation on an hourly basis – showing that Britain really can get all its electricity from low carbon sources and storage.
We also install air source heat pumps and solar panels – two great ways to cut your carbon footprint and your energy bills too.
