Helping home owners
WWF is working to make it easier for people to get access to advice and information about how to reduce the environmental impacts of their homes and lifestyles. The first step in reducing our impacts is in understanding where they come from and what options are open to us. WWF has developed an ecological footprint calculator which provides information about the amount of resources we use to live our lives and provides tips to reduce it.
There are many easy steps that can be taken to improve our home energy efficiency, from making sure the loft is properly insulated, to preventing draughts that let heat drain from our homes. We can then try and meet our remaining energy needs from renewable sources such as solar or wind power. Many of these measures to cut carbon emissions, such as insulating cavity walls, are relatively inexpensive and will also result in reduced energy bills. However there can often be a high upfront cost of installing some technologies, such as solar electricity panels.
The How Low? report echoes WWF's ongoing work to lobby government to provide a wide range of fiscal incentives to help people install measures to cut carbon emissions from their homes.
Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) are an easy way to understand your home's energy efficiency. They provide an environmental rating for your house, on an A to G scale similar to that seen on fridges or washing machines, and also give recommendations on what should be done to your own property to reduce its impact.
Want to reduce your impact?
- Measure your footprint and find out how you can reduce the impact of your home and lifestyle.
- An Energy Performance Certificate will tell you how to maximise your home's energy efficiency.