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Ecover © Healthy Homes

There are many bonuses to making simple ecological actions - most of them can save resources and reduce unnecessary chemicals in your home.

Heating & Ventilation

Make sure your home has adequate insulation. Efficient loft insulation alone can save you up to £100 on heating costs a year.

Are your hot-water tank and pipes lagged properly? A good tank jacket can save twice its cost in just a year.

Don't forget to check the lagging on cold water pipers as well - a burst pipe in wintre will lose a whole load of water and create a fantastic mess too!

Check that thermostats in your home are set correctly - notching back your heating by only 1ºC can save 10% on your heating bill and cut a third of a ton of your annual CO2 emissions.

Seal and caulk around windows and doors - 40 to 60% of heat loss can be due to air leakage.

On bright days open curtains and shutters to let the sun warm your home for free. Even on cold winter days, sunlight streming through a window into a room can raise the temperature by several degrees.

Choose electricity and gas suppliers who offer green energy resources.

Draw your curtains at dusk when it's cold outside to stop heat escaping through windows.

Turn off radiators in unused rooms, keep doors closed.

Turn off your water heater and turn down the radiators when you are going on a long trip.

Saving Water

Use water wisely - a running tap lets about 5 gallons of water flow every 2 minutes.

Fix any leaky taps, toilets or water pipes. That little drip doesn't look like much but it will add up to a whole load of waste water and money over time.

Install water saving taps or converters.

Other items of interest

Avoid Chemicals

Don't tip toxic household wastes down the drain. Paint, thinners, car oil and battery fluid can all be taken to local council facilities for proper disposal or recycling.

In the summer, save money on artificial air fresheners - open windows to freshen your home.

Use castor or mineral oils to lubricate squeaky hinges and the like, instead of lubricants containing solvents.

Keep drains clear - there are two simple rules: never pour liquid grease down a drain and always use a drain sieve.

If you get a blockage - don't reach for the chemicals, a bit of elbow grease and a plunger will usually do the trick.

Use this preventive measure to keep your drain open and odour free: Every so often, mix 1 cup baking soda and 1 cup salt. Tip a quarter of this mixture into the drain (keep the rest for later). Follow with a pot of boiling water and flush with cold water.

Check out the labels for ingredients adn the amount of sustainable and recycled materials used.

Switching to Ecover is one way of eliminating unnecessary chemicals from your home...

Save Energy

Turn off lights and other electrical appliances like televisions and radios when you're not using them. It's pretty obvious, but surprising how many times we forget.

Unplug your chargers and transformers when they're not being used. All those little power supplies to charge cell phones, digital cameras, cordless tools and other personal gadgets are burning energy when they're not in use.

The electricity consumed by any device that's plugged in but not being used is known in the trade as 'leaking electricity', which accounts for around 5% of residential electricity use - unplugging saves you money.

A computer monitor alone left on standby can cost you £30 a year.

Change conventional light bulbs for new energy efficient ones. They can last ten times longer and keep the equivalent of half a ton of CO2 out of the atmosphere over its lifetime.

If you don't like coming back to a dark house invest in a couple of energy efficient sensor bulbs that turn themselves on when it gets dark.