Act on CO2 at Home In the UK 27% of the carbon emitted is from our homes. It is very very difficult to make a home carbon neutral – but we can all do a few things to help bring down that percentage.

There are many ways you can reduce the electricity you use by making some minor changes to the way you do things at home. Below is a list of small measure you can take - and just watch your electricity bill go down!

• Only use the heat and light appliances you really need – switch light off when you leave a room

• Don't leave TVs or videos on standby

• Switch off this PC screen when it's not being used

• When cooking choose the right pan size for the food and the cooker, cut food into smaller pieces and put lids on pans as the food will then cook a lot quicker and not use as much power

• If you are defrosting food, or just warming things up, then microwave ovens are ideal as they use much less electricity than conventional ovens.

• Regularly defrost your freezer and try to keep it packed full, even if this is with scrunched up paper to avoid wasting energy.

• If you don't use the freezer much - don't have one it is a big electricity consumer

• Check the seals on your fridge/freezer to ensure no warm air is getting in - the seals should be tight enough to hold a piece of paper securely when closed.

• Try to have full loads when using the washing machine and use the lower 30°C wash. With today's washing powders this temperature is more than adequate to clean clothes and will save you up to three quarters of the cost of the hottest cycle

• You also don't need to have your domestic water heated to a scalding temperature either, for most people setting the thermostat to 60°C/140°F is quite adequate.

• Avoid using tumble driers and radiators to dry your clothes; on nice sunny days clothes can be dried outside.

• Try using manual tools in the kitchen instead of electric appliances - bread making, weighing food and whisking can be done by hand - consider the manual version next time!

• Purchase solar lamps and water fountains for the garden - they save energy and look great

• Don't leave the iron on when not continuing to use it - the iron consumes lots of electricity

• When you can let your hair dry naturally - the hair dryer consumers loads of electricity, and it's better for your hair