10 New Year’s Resolutions to Live More Sustainability in 2021

Our community has done so many things to live more sustainably, we thought we’d share 10 to inspire you for your New Year’s Resolutions in 2021.  And what better resolutions could there be than to be healthy, save money and the environment at the same time?  With some of these you can do all three!

Go back to work on a bike

You may have loved cycling during lockdown, now take it on your commute!  If you pledge to cycle to work you get health benefits but there are also incredible benefits to the environment.  Daily personal travel is 17% of your carbon footprint if you drive. 2021 could be the year that you prove your commitment to tackling climate change by getting out of the car and on the bike!

You can go electric with your choice of bike or just peddle every step of the way – check the links to get some great advice!

Start ethically investing

It’s all the rage.  Environmental, social and governance investments have shot through the roof in 2021 to over 1 trillion dollars.  The time is now to move your money to where your mouth is.  Afterall around 30% emissions are related to infrastructure and companies which only your money can affect.

Why not start by setting up an ethical ISA with Abundance or energize Africa through an investment with Ethex.  You could also move your pension to Impax or get advice from financial advisors that specialise in this space such as John Ditchfield or Hugo Sparks, members of Better Century.

Reduce consumption of meat/dairy 

Reducing meat and dairy are sure ways to cut your carbon footprint by a quarter, whilst also reducing the amount of growing space to feed you.  This environment win-win-win, which also reduces water consumption and tackles biodiversity loss, is heralded as one simple way is which everyone can help.

You needn’t be a vegetarian or vegan, you can just eat less meat and dairy.  That’s a habit but is massively affected by purchasing choices.  A good way to start is to pledge to cut meat out of a number of meals.  Think about getting a veg box and learn new recipes.  

Cut out single use plastic

With gyres collecting mile wide Islands of plastic waste in the ocean and with marine life being severely affected by plastic particulate in digestive systems, it’s time to cut down on single use plastic.  It was a hugely popular movement after Blue Planet so 2021 could be the time to reinvigorate change by making simple resolutions – to cut out single use plastics.

The key ways our members have found to cut out single use plastics is to use new providers; like Milk and More who deliver milk and veg,  The Funky Soap Shop that provides awesome soaps, shampoos and conditioners, or Green People, who do all types of beauty products and reusable cups and the suchlike.  Why not pledge to reduce your single use plastic through our community pledge and get inspiration from dozens of others doing the same!

Switch energy supplier

Switching energy suppliers can (debatably) make a difference.  Around 10% of your carbon footprint comes from electricity usage – so if you move to 100% renewable then you can make that reduction?  Yes – if you pick the right supplier you are helping build renewable energy and are decarbonising our economy.

View our pages on renewable energy supply and learn about suppliers here.  There are also some great initiatives like Ripple Energy which allow you to invest in a wind farm and pay much reduced rates for energy, or Octopus Energy where you maximise upon flexible rate renewable energy tariffs – slashing bills to those with electric vehicles or heat pumps.

Decarbonise your home

Heating your home is 15% of the average carbon footprint.  Insulate it properly in the roof and put in some draught proofing, and you’ll save hundreds a year.  Go further and insulate walls and hot water systems, upgrade windows, and install thermostatic radiator valves, and you’ll save 40% on bills and footprint.  If you want to go the ‘whole hog’, then install a heat pump, and use just renewable electricity to heat your home, making it arguably zero carbon.

Whilst the Green Homes Grant will pay for two thirds of the bill of these measures, then it makes sense in 2021 to make this resolution.  To learn more about energy efficiency and renewable heating, click on the links!

Buy eco clothing

Sustainable fashion is becoming very fashionable!  It’s because of the incredible environmental impact fashion has through sourcing, processing and disposing of clothes.  An average pair of jeans uses 7,000 litres of water in production, 60% of clothes are made from synthetic materials and the majority of clothes get thrown away with an average use of 5 wears.

If you buy eco clothing, it’s cool, it lasts and it is made from recycled or renewable sources.  Why not just buy sustainable clothes in 2021!  Check out Vivobarefoot for shoes, Bamboo clothing or Lofte Sustainable Luxury Clothing.  There are loads of other community recommendations through our sustainable fashion tag.

Buy an electric car

Well, it’s the time isn’t it?  New Diesel and Petrol car sales will be banned by 2030, you don’t want to be behind the curve.  It’s time to trend set and buy a car that can dramatically reduce expenditure on motoring, whilst reducing carbon emissions.  If you’re an average driver you’ll save around £1,000 a year moving to electric, and if you drive a lot more, then that number just keeps on going up.

With loads of options for financing and leasing electric vehicles, and with such dramatic savings, 2021 could be the year it makes sense for you.  Read all you need to know on our eco resource, and find yourself a great vehicle for 2021!

Holiday without flying

Hopefully when we’ve all been vaccinated, we can move around freely once again.  Instead of joining all the holiday makers abroad why not continue to enjoy your country in 2021 or go to Europe in an electric vehicle?  There’s so many options available to you.

Check out EcoBnb for sustainable locations for staying in 2021, get a log cabin in the Cotswolds next to a lake, or check out Darwin Escapes across the UK.

Make your garden nature friendly

We’ve all loved our gardens during lockdown, now’s the time to make nature also love your garden, and for you to be surrounded by abundance of life!  Whatever size your garden you can encourage nature to come there, by taking some simple steps; growing pollinator friendly plants, putting up a bird feeder, composing, making a hole in the fence for hedgehogs or making a small water source.

Make a resolution to bring wildlife to your garden this year by doing something.  Here’s a great guide of things you can do to make your garden nature friendly!

28th December 2020 Better Challenges, Better Homes, Better Living, Better Money, Better Transport Comments Off on 10 New Year’s Resolutions to Live More Sustainability in 2021

How to Apply for the Green Homes Grant – All you need to know in six steps

This time-restricted grant scheme slashes the cost of installing measures that will save hundreds in bills every year.  Learn what you need to do in some simple steps to maximise upon this grant scheme.

Every homeowner or landlord is eligible to receive up to £5,000 to install insulation or a new heating system..  A third of the bill has to be covered by the owner, meaning you will receive £7,500 worth of improvements for a £2,500 spend.  

When you can save up to £700 in energy bills every year this is a pretty great deal

1. Know what you need

Surveyors can tell you what you need to do in your home, but all are being inundated with requests and often place an initial charge on doing a survey.  If you know what you need it can endear professional support and save your money.  A simple way of doing this is to look at your Energy Performance Certificate (EPC).  If you don’t want to dig through paperwork click here to use the government tool.  Check the video below to learn how to use it.  You may also want to check that your eligible for the grant – click this link and take the government test.

2. Choose insulation or heating system

To get the grant you have to install insulation or a new heating system (heat pump or solar thermal system).  If your EPC is below D a new heat pump will not be effective so you will need to insulate and/or install a solar thermal system to help heat hot water. If you are a C or above then getting a new heating system could be your best option, but will require some significant capital outlay.  Both of these options will add value to your property with measures that increase energy efficiency ratings improving property value by up to 10%.

3. Insulate and get the best bang for buck

Think top to bottom when you’re thinking about insulation – heat rises right!  Most houses need more insulation in the roof and draught proofing.  If you’ve got uninsulated cavity walls (many houses built 1945 – 1980), then go for bead blow insulation.   Pipes and hot water tanks, alongside heat control systems are next on the list.  If you need to upgrade windows get roof insulation and then double/triple glazing as a secondary measure.  You can go as far as external or internal wall insulation but that’s expensive.

Here’s come combinations to consider but do read more on energy efficiency here.

Primary MeasureSecondary MeasuresCost to youGrant PayoutAnnual Savings
Roof insulationPipe and water tank insulation, and draught proofing £650 £1,350£250
Roof and Cavity Wall InsulationPipe and water tank insulation, and draught proofing £1,000£2,000£700
Roof insulationUpgrade windows to double/triple glazing£2,500 £5,000£550
Roof and Underfloor insulationPipe and water tank insulation, and draught proofing £1,200£3,600£500
Solid Wall InsulationDraught Proofing£2,500 – £7,000£5,000£450
Learn more through this useful table of measures on our community site.

4. Get the right heating system for your home

A heat pump or solar thermal system can be installed under the grant scheme as a primary measure, but conditions need to be right for their installation.  Both of these systems are also eligible for another grant called the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) which pays out over a 7 year period.

Solar thermal will heat your hot water, with a heat pump offering an alternative to combi boilers.  Both systems take heat from the external environment and condense it to heat your water internally.  Solar thermal will work on any house but you need to have room for an additional tank.  Heat pumps will function on well insulated houses.  To learn more read about Renewable Heating Systems on our Eco Resource.   

A solar thermal system will cost around £1,200 (£2,400 from grant), giving £200 saving a year as it heats about 60% of all your hot water.  An air source heat pump will cost around £2,500 (£5,000 from grant), with savings of around £400 a year and payment of £300 a year from RHI.

5. Find a supplier

Once you’ve chosen what you want to install then you need to source a supplier to deliver the measures.  Most by now will be registered with TrustMark (for energy efficiency measures) or will be registered with the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) (heating systems).   Better Century lists recommended suppliers on our Energy Efficiency and Renewable Heating System pages – this is a great place to start!

You need quotes from these suppliers to claim the voucher for the grant, which will be time consuming.  Each will need to visit to give a quote and you will need a quote for each measure to claim your voucher.

6. Claiming the grant and commissioning the work

Pick one supplier for each of the measures you wish to have installed.  Then make an application for the voucher using this government application system with the quotes provided.  You will then receive the voucher by email, which has to be claimed in 3 months and can only be used with the suppliers selected, so make sure you make friends!

Once the work is complete to your satisfaction you need to redeem the voucher using this system.  The supplier is paid for their part directly from the government and you then need to pay the remainder of the invoice.  

You will now have a nice warm home, which will save you money year on year!

Need more help?

Check out community discussions on energy efficiency and renewable heating.

Contact Tom if you need practical support to identify measures and arrange suppliers by emailing tom@bettercentury.org.

14th December 2020 Better Homes, Better Money Comments Off on How to Apply for the Green Homes Grant – All you need to know in six steps

Is money for or against climate change?

Will climate breakdown affect where money is invested, and how can markets create carbon neutral economy? #BetterMoney

There are theories developing that the risk associated with climate breakdown will affect the markets, and change the flow of money. There are also incredible solutions available to investors to help create a carbon-neutral economy.

We are discussing this subject as part of our series of digital events so individuals and organisations can best understand what role their money can play in creating a carbon-neutral economy. Should we wait for markets to catch up or will our choices make a significant difference?

The questions we’ll look to answer in this webinar are:

  • How will the markets change as a result of these forces?
  • Can we rely on markets to respond to tackle the climate and ecological crisis?
  • What can we do to push financial markets to support a carbon-neutral economy now?

Click here to find out more and book your place.

22nd November 2019 Better Money No comments yet
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