Going Green – Take steps to ensure your entire home is always draft free Bedford News

Last article by Angela Terry

Angela Terry, green activist and consumer expert, separates climate change fact from fiction and explains here how you can take simple, practical steps to help save the planet. Follow @ouronehome and visit https://onehome.org.uk/ for more advice.

Start with your thermostat.

A comfortable indoor temperature for most people is 19 degrees Celsius.

If you increase it, you will pay too much for your bills.

Obviously, if you have vulnerable people at home, you may need to keep their room a bit warmer. Please consult their doctor.

As soon as it gets dark, the temperature drops, so make sure all your windows are covered with blinds, curtains or shutters.

Blackout blinds and thermally lined curtains are the best options.

If your curtains aren’t lined, use curtain hooks to add an extra layer of fabric.

In the UK we have the most leaky houses in Western Europe.

Many of us pay for valuable heat to escape into the atmosphere around our homes.

That’s why it’s a good idea to find where all your drafts are and block them.

The best time to do this is on a windy day, with water on the back of your hand.

You can buy inexpensive foam strips at any DIY store.

They have tape on the back so you can easily use them to seal gaps around your windows.

As for the spaces under the front and rear doors, you can block them with a brush wind blocker that you place at the bottom of them.

Or, if you prefer, you can use an old-fashioned pudding made from scraps of old fabrics.

If you have rooms you don’t use often, like a guest bedroom or dining room, make sure their radiators are turned down to minimum.

Heat rises, which means that 25% of the heat in your home escapes through the roof unless you insulate it properly.

Mineral wool is the recommended insulation.

If you have existing insulation and it is not thick enough, supplement it.

This is a relatively easy DIY task that many people can do themselves.

Alternatively, you can pay to have a craftsman do it for you.

They can also install boards over the insulation, so you can still use your attic for storage.

Keep an eye on your energy consumption by taking regular meter readings. This way you can verify that you are getting the best rate you can find.

As the energy crisis continues, even celebrities are running out of gas. Loose Women star Stacey Solomon has swapped her beloved old gas AGA for a modern electric one to save energy and the environment.

As she expands the £1.2million Essex home she shares with actor Joe Swash and their children, she shares updates on social media.

In one, she says she loved Audrey, the black AGM that came with the house, but still sent it back to the manufacturer to be reused and upgraded to an electric model .

Buy a water catcher and try to avoid using your garden hose.

As global temperatures rise, heat waves are becoming more frequent, leading to more and more watering bans.

Anticipate and invest in a water cistern and store rainwater. It will reduce bills if you have a water meter.

Friday, April 22 is Earth Day.

Launched in the United States in 1970, it is a world day of education on environmental issues.

It was the brainchild of Gaylord Nelson, a senator from Wisconsin, who had long worried about air and water pollution in the United States.

The first Earth Day was a landmark event.

On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans – ten percent of the US population at the time – took to the streets to demand a new way for the environment.

It gave birth to the modern environmental movement and also led to the passage of landmark environmental laws in the United States.

Many other countries soon adopted similar laws.

In 2016, the United Nations chose Earth Day as the day to sign the Paris Climate Agreement.

Each year, Earth Day has a different theme.

This year, it’s Investing in Our Planet, emphasizing that a green future is a prosperous future – and that we all have a part to play in it.

On the day itself, you can listen to Earth Day Live on the earthday.org website.

During this online event, experts will discuss ways to protect our common home.

Topics include climate restoration, regenerative agriculture, plastic pollution, food security, green economy and universal climate knowledge.

In-person events are also taking place all over the world, including across the UK.

There is a map on the Earth Day website.

You can even organize your own event and submit its details to the official site in advance.

Suggestions include a community environment discussion group or a talk by a local climate expert.

You can also participate in the linked Great Global Clean-up.

A global campaign to remove billions of litter from neighborhoods, beaches, rivers, lakes and parks, it’s about reducing litter and plastic pollution as well as improving habitats and preventing damage to the environment. wildlife and humans.

You can download a toolkit to host your own event or join an existing cleanup.

The Earth Day website is full of ideas on how to take climate action on different levels.

Whether you’re new to the world of green or a seasoned eco-warrior, there are ideas for everyone.

Of course, if you want more UK-specific ideas, you can also visit the One Home website!

Low temperature washing does not make clothes clean. Fake! Washing at 30°C is suitable unless the clothes are stained. Then try a higher temperature. Washing at 30°C uses 38% less energy than washing at 40°C.