Don’t let your home get away with it!

National housebuilder Bellway Homes is encouraging all its new homeowners to be energy conscious and has published a ten-point conservation charter detailing easy to follow energy saving tips that will reduce the amount of carbon produced by the average home.

Bellway divisional sales director, Maria Seed said: “We are all aware of climate change and the effects that it is having upon our environment. The average person is responsible for around 11 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year, equivalent to filling about 12 hot air balloons, so anything that we can do now to reduce that must be a good thing for the environment.”

Specifically, Bellway is advising:

Recycle It takes lots of energy to make newspapers, aluminium cans, aerosols and plastic bottles. Recycling these items uses less energy than it takes to make them. Sixty per cent of household waste can be either recycled or composted.

Heating By reducing your heating by one degree (as long as you feel comfortable) you could cut up to 10 percent off your fuel bill.

Washing By using a 40°C washing cycle instead of a 60°C cycle you will use a third less electricity and modern washing products work just as well at low temperatures.

Laundry Wait until you have a full load before using your washing machine, or use the economy button.

Unplug appliances Most idle appliances - TVs, VCRs, DVDs, cassette decks, cordless phones and microwaves - continue to consume energy when switched off and account for 5 per cent of total domestic energy consumption.

Lighting Use energy efficient light bulbs. They use around a quarter of the electricity and last up to ten times longer than ordinary bulbs.

Kettles Boil your kettle half full instead of full four times a day and you could save enough money to run your TV for four hours.

Water If possible save water by installing a water butt under down pipes. Use this to water your garden in the cool of the evening to reduce evaporation.

Gardening Wild flowers belong in the wild. Check that the plants, seeds and bulbs you buy are from cultivated stock. Ask your garden centre for peat-free products and use reclaimed stone. Try to incorporate a wildlife element such as a bird box and ensure that there are a good variety of plants that will attract insects and birds.

Turn off lights Ten percent of the average home’s electricity can be saved by the flick of a switch.