How We've Reduced Our Carbon Footprint: What Next?

Earlier this year I described how my family's managed to cut our annual carbon footprint to just 2.68 tonnes per head, or about 10.7 for the family. That is about a quarter of the average in the UK.

This hasn't been done by spending a small fortune on things like solar panels or by going out of our way to be green (like giving up our car). It's been done by a series of simple and cheap steps that virtually anyone could do themselves. So cheap, in fact, that those steps have paid for themselves very quickly through savings on gas, electric, and petrol.

The bottom line is that we not only have a small footprint, but we're also saving hundreds of pounds every year into the bargain.

But what now? Can we make any more progress?

To be honest, there was only one cheap and simple thing left to do: Insulate our loft.

That's done now, probably taking another 0.5 to 1.0 tonne off our total, and should pay for itself through savings on the heating bills within 1 or 2 years.

After that, well, it all gets a bit expensive. Stuff like solar panels, air source heating, or wood pellet stoves would take up to 10 years to pay for themselves. Maybe I will, maybe I won't.

The point is I've shown that it is possible to cut your family's carbon footprint down substantially, with few sacrifices in your lifestyle, whilst actually saving money.

Give it go, you might surprise yourself.