solar mcewan

solar mcewan

When you hear the gloomy environmental predictions for the future don't feel too disheartened, think about ways that you can help instead. While the world faces many challenges when it comes to creating a better and greener future for everyone, the good news is that every little helps. This means that you can make a difference by making some small changes to your day-to-day and enjoy knowing they will have a bigger impact on the world at large.

When it comes to cutting your carbon footprint, one of the first things that people think about is minimizing air travel. But there are a lot of people who only travel in this way rarely and therefore end up regarding the endeavour as something of a moot point. However, there are many other contributors to your carbon footprint and things like car emissions and excessive energy consumption in the home count too. By reworking and relearning some of your behaviours when it comes to your personal life, you can rest assured that you're cutting your carbon footprint at no detriment to your lifestyle.

There are many changes you can make around your home that take a very small amount of time and energy on your part. Start off by making sure you are using all of the white goods and kitchen appliances you have in the most efficient way. For example, only fill the kettle with the amount of water you plan to use, don't run your washing machine when it's only half full and don't put hot food in your fridge - this makes the machine work much harder and therefore means it uses more energy to do its job properly.

Other quick and simple things you can do is make sure that you switch off all of your electrical goods at the wall when they are not in use, turn your water and central heating down one or two degrees and check that your timers are set properly as there's no point heating the house if you're going to be at work, for example.

Small investments can also pay dividends when it comes to cutting energy consumption in your home. For example, buying energy saving light bulbs will save you money and energy in years to come, as will investing in thermostatic valves for your radiators. On the other hand, making sure that your house is well insulated is a good way to cut down on your energy use, as is installing double glazing or blinds to keep heat in.

If you're looking to cut your carbon footprint in a larger way, then there are plenty of opportunities for you to make your home greener with a little additional investment. For example, wind energy turbines for homes can help you generate your own clean energy and therefore have a considerable influence on the way your life impacts on the environment. Choosing to install solutions such as these cuts the cost of energy consumption too and is a choice you can make independently. The more people consider making small changes to their lifestyles, the less gloomy the environment's future will look for everyone.

Harvey McEwen is an expert in renewable energy and wind energy turbines for homes.

Ian McEwan on his new book Solar