The energy-experts guide to having a sustainable Christmas this year

The energy-experts guide to having a sustainable Christmas this year

It comes as no surprise that the Christmas period is one of the most expensive times of year – not just for the abundance of presents and gift-giving but for homes in terms of energy-used, transport and commuting costs and food and drinks costs. According to EDF energy, in the UK, we use almost £66 million of electricity on Christmas day alone and in total, amounts to 30% more energy waste than we do on any other day of the year. This year, sustainability and money-saving have become a necessity for many and not a choice. The nation’s leading sustainability and money-saving consultancy platform, SaveMoneyCutCarbon, have outlined the ways in which families can ditch overconsumption and traditional habits and instead invest in an eco-friendly Christmas.

1. The Ledvance Smart+ Plug will be the perfect addition to this year’s Christmas decs. Simply plug the smart plug into the wall socket and control your lighting from anywhere using your mobile or push-button manual control. Or, for tech-savvy people, pair it up with Amazon or Google and you can control it with voice controls. For even more sustainable savings – swap your Christmas lights to LED lights. Upgrading to LEDs could save you money, and will give you an impressive 25,000 hours of festive glow (compared to 1000 hours if you stick with incandescents).

2. Reduce single-use plastic: UK residents send around 114,000 tonnes of plastic packaging to landfills instead of being recycled. Kirsty, the Head of Sustainable Living at SaveMoneyCutCarbon says: “Generally avoid using any virgin paper, especially when it isn’t FSC labelled which isn’t ideal as it means cutting down trees and not replacing them.

There are several wrapping papers on the market that you can’t always recycle for example those printed with a foil or glitter finish and sometimes those coated with a varnish (shiny) finish.

If you want to choose traditional wrapping paper look out for the recycling symbols on the packaging, and if it’s affordable buy sheet wrap that’s not plastic-wrapped. You can use beeswax wraps; you can buy large sheets and rolls you can cut to size. You can use a cotton material tote bag (doubles up as an extra gift) or even a vintage silk scarf. Starter packs can be found on our website here!”

3. Eco-friendly or second-hand Christmas gifts: The WWF estimates that just under half of UK adults get gifts every year that they don’t want and may never use. Try to think of quality over quantity for a sustainable and personal gift. For example, test out your DIY skills and try making a soy wax candle. Traditional candles aren’t good for the planet because they’re made from paraffin wax, a by-product of petroleum. SaveMoneyCutCarbon’s selection of Cosy Aromas and Scents of Humour are hand-poured in the UK, meaning you’re supporting a small local business and not adding to your carbon footprint when buying your loved ones Christmas gifts.

4. Radflek radiator reflector foil sheets are one easiest and most cost-effective ways to save energy in your home. The foil sheets reflect 95% of the wasted heat energy from the rear of your radiators back into your room. Radflek helps to lower your energy bills – you can get and keep your room to the desired temperature quicker by reflecting the heat that’s usually wasted.

5. DIY Christmas Decorations: Serving as a fun activity and a planet-friendly alternative to newly bought decorations – making your own decorations is becoming an increasingly popular festive activity. For example, dried orange slices. Add some colour and scent to your home with this homemade dried orange garland. It would look brilliant trailing along your fireplace, beams or bannister. The best thing about this is that you can reuse the dried oranges each year if you keep them in an airtight container afterwards.

6. Artificial trees are not sustainable: Contrary to popular belief, the fact that they are manufactured in factories, made from plastic and shipped to stores and homes all over the world makes them responsible for around two-thirds of their carbon footprint, according to the Carbon Trust. A 6.5ft artificial Christmas tree has a carbon footprint equivalent to 40kg of greenhouse gas emissions. On the flip side, with 8 million real Christmas trees sold each year in the UK, it seems counter-intuitive to say that real trees are more sustainable than an artificial (thus reusable) tree. However, forestry experts argue that real trees are more beneficial to the economy as they preserve farmland and jobs.

Real trees are grown as a crop with the purpose of being cut down – they are grown on land that is unsuitable for farming other crops. If you were to buy a 6ft real tree, it will have been growing for about 8-10 years. That’s 8-10 years of that tree absorbing carbon from the atmosphere and benefiting wildlife.

Additionally, disposal is much easier and greener than artificial trees, as you can home compost them and use them as fertiliser in your garden throughout the year. If you’ve not got a compost system, most UK local authorities now offer collection services for real trees – they’re collected, shredded, and used on gardens, parks, or even mulch for fertiliser.

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Education Technology Day must be extended to prisons

Education Technology Day must be extended to prisons

Typically thought of as being an easy to clean area of the home, hard floors have risen in popularity in recent decades. Globally, hard floors are the most common floor type,2 and research released today by Dyson has uncovered poor cleaning habits that mean hard floors are likely to be harbouring an array of hidden nasties. This comes as 32% of Brits – equating to 21.6 million people in the UK – will use the same dirty mop head for six months or more before replacing it. What’s more, one in 20 also admit to keeping the same mop for a year or longer, and one in 10 think it is acceptable to use the same mop 100 times, spreading dirt around their floors every time they use it. Cross contamination is a primary issue for most common and traditional mopping methods with germs and bacteria further being unknowingly spread around homes as Brits use dirty water to clean floors.3 45% only change the water to new water between rooms, whereas 41% wait even longer until it looks dirty. This could mean that floors are being washed with dirty water, adding more dirt rather than taking it away. Surprisingly, almost one in 10 (9%) even admit to not changing the dirty water at all when mopping. Over a quarter (28%) admit to mopping their floors once a fortnight or less while over half (53%) admit they don’t regularly clean behind appliances and leave dirt to build up for as long as six months at a time. image002.jpg On how to achieve a perfect barefoot clean feel after mopping, Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert offers their top tips for eliminating dirt around the home: 1. Create a cleaning schedule to stay on top of dirt build-up. In the last year, there has been a 15% global reduction in the number of people who maintain regular cleaning schedules. 47% of the British public admitted to only being motivated to clean when they spot visible dirt or dust.4 Regular floor cleaning with a wet hard floor cleaner like the Dyson WashG1™ removes more stubborn dirt than vacuuming alone. It is important to have a debris free surface, clear any clutter from the floor or other surfaces. Choose the right machine: Different vacuums are designed for different floor types and home sizes. Some machines will be engineered with hard floors in mind and will struggle on thick pile carpets, for example. Choosing the right machine for your home will make a big difference to the ease and speed with which you’re able to clean your home. Clean your floors ‘little and often’. Washing your floors frequently in areas that receive more foot fall will help to stop dirt building up and getting trodden into your floor. Using a dedicated wet floor cleaner on hard flooring such as the Dyson WashG1 is helpful for this, as the versatile format means it vacuums and washes the floor simultaneously. Cleaning schedules have also become less regimented. In recent years only 41% of people claim to have a regular cleaning schedule, and 60% admit to cleaning reactively; being motivated to clean only when there is visible dirt or dust5. It’s perhaps not surprising, that a fifth of people are still concerned their floors are dirty after they’ve mopped them (22%) and one in four6 feel extremely worried about indoor dust at home. Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert reveals why it is important to change the way we mop: “Cleaning your hard floors properly and regularly is important for maintaining a healthy environment around your home. Without a proper cleaning routine, dirt may unknowingly build up and spread around your home. It is evident from our research that current mopping habits mean British households aren’t cleaning their floors as effectively as they should. “From ignoring problem areas where dust and debris build up, cross contamination with dirty water to not replacing mop heads or inconsistent cleaning, current mopping behaviours may be making floors dirtier as opposed to cleaner. Moving away from traditional methods, wet floor cleaners like the Dyson WashG1 simplify the floor cleaning experience and provide a modern efficient and hygienic solution” To help take the guesswork out of mopping, the brand new WashG1 is Dyson’s first dedicated wet floor cleaner that tackles wet and dry debris in one go. Engineered for hygienic cleaning and maintenance, the WashG1 is revolutionising wet floor cleaning, removing the need for multi-products and multi-steps to achieve a barefoot clean feel around the home. To put the product to the test, Dyson have cleaned one of London’s most iconic landmarks The Victoria and Albert Museum. From cleaning the grand marble floors housing the most prestigious exhibits, to cleaning up leftover food in the Gamble Room Cafe, the WashG1 had a dirt busting tour of the museum leaving it spotless. Images can be found here. The WashG1 introduces Dyson’s engineering expertise to cleaning hard floors. With a 1 litre clean-water tank to cover flooring up to 290m2, the Dyson WashG1 uses a combination of hydration, absorption, and extraction technologies to remove wet and dry spills and stains simultaneously. The Dyson WashG1 is available to purchase now from Dyson.co.uk, retailing at £599.99.

Typically thought of as being an easy to clean area of the home, hard floors have risen in popularity in recent decades. Globally, hard floors are the most common floor type,2 and research released today by Dyson has uncovered poor cleaning habits that mean hard floors are likely to be harbouring an array of hidden nasties. This comes as 32% of Brits – equating to 21.6 million people in the UK – will use the same dirty mop head for six months or more before replacing it. What’s more, one in 20 also admit to keeping the same mop for a year or longer, and one in 10 think it is acceptable to use the same mop 100 times, spreading dirt around their floors every time they use it. Cross contamination is a primary issue for most common and traditional mopping methods with germs and bacteria further being unknowingly spread around homes as Brits use dirty water to clean floors.3 45% only change the water to new water between rooms, whereas 41% wait even longer until it looks dirty. This could mean that floors are being washed with dirty water, adding more dirt rather than taking it away. Surprisingly, almost one in 10 (9%) even admit to not changing the dirty water at all when mopping. Over a quarter (28%) admit to mopping their floors once a fortnight or less while over half (53%) admit they don’t regularly clean behind appliances and leave dirt to build up for as long as six months at a time. image002.jpg On how to achieve a perfect barefoot clean feel after mopping, Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert offers their top tips for eliminating dirt around the home: 1. Create a cleaning schedule to stay on top of dirt build-up. In the last year, there has been a 15% global reduction in the number of people who maintain regular cleaning schedules. 47% of the British public admitted to only being motivated to clean when they spot visible dirt or dust.4 Regular floor cleaning with a wet hard floor cleaner like the Dyson WashG1™ removes more stubborn dirt than vacuuming alone. It is important to have a debris free surface, clear any clutter from the floor or other surfaces. Choose the right machine: Different vacuums are designed for different floor types and home sizes. Some machines will be engineered with hard floors in mind and will struggle on thick pile carpets, for example. Choosing the right machine for your home will make a big difference to the ease and speed with which you’re able to clean your home. Clean your floors ‘little and often’. Washing your floors frequently in areas that receive more foot fall will help to stop dirt building up and getting trodden into your floor. Using a dedicated wet floor cleaner on hard flooring such as the Dyson WashG1 is helpful for this, as the versatile format means it vacuums and washes the floor simultaneously. Cleaning schedules have also become less regimented. In recent years only 41% of people claim to have a regular cleaning schedule, and 60% admit to cleaning reactively; being motivated to clean only when there is visible dirt or dust5. It’s perhaps not surprising, that a fifth of people are still concerned their floors are dirty after they’ve mopped them (22%) and one in four6 feel extremely worried about indoor dust at home. Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert reveals why it is important to change the way we mop: “Cleaning your hard floors properly and regularly is important for maintaining a healthy environment around your home. Without a proper cleaning routine, dirt may unknowingly build up and spread around your home. It is evident from our research that current mopping habits mean British households aren’t cleaning their floors as effectively as they should. “From ignoring problem areas where dust and debris build up, cross contamination with dirty water to not replacing mop heads or inconsistent cleaning, current mopping behaviours may be making floors dirtier as opposed to cleaner. Moving away from traditional methods, wet floor cleaners like the Dyson WashG1 simplify the floor cleaning experience and provide a modern efficient and hygienic solution” To help take the guesswork out of mopping, the brand new WashG1 is Dyson’s first dedicated wet floor cleaner that tackles wet and dry debris in one go. Engineered for hygienic cleaning and maintenance, the WashG1 is revolutionising wet floor cleaning, removing the need for multi-products and multi-steps to achieve a barefoot clean feel around the home. To put the product to the test, Dyson have cleaned one of London’s most iconic landmarks The Victoria and Albert Museum. From cleaning the grand marble floors housing the most prestigious exhibits, to cleaning up leftover food in the Gamble Room Cafe, the WashG1 had a dirt busting tour of the museum leaving it spotless. Images can be found here. The WashG1 introduces Dyson’s engineering expertise to cleaning hard floors. With a 1 litre clean-water tank to cover flooring up to 290m2, the Dyson WashG1 uses a combination of hydration, absorption, and extraction technologies to remove wet and dry spills and stains simultaneously. The Dyson WashG1 is available to purchase now from Dyson.co.uk, retailing at £599.99.

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