The Great 'Energy & MoneySaving' Hunt 26 November 2007 at 2:03PM edited 30 November -1 at 12:00AM in Green & Ethical MoneySaving 129 replies 175.2K views

MSE_Martin

Sometimes going cheap can hurt the environment but equally, things that protect the planet can keep more cash in our pockets too.

So I thought I'd tap MoneySavers knowledge to come up with ideas on how to save money at the same time as saving the environment.

Some ideas for starters:

• Get an environmental grant. This is a main area to grab cash at the moment, as we are encouraged to reduce our impact on the environement. Energy saving heating and insulation will make your house warmer and save you cash. More info: Grant Grabbing

• Cut energy use & get a green tariff. Using less energy always cuts bills at the same time as helping the environment. Add your ideas below plus for More Info: Cheapest Gas & Elec

Ken68

Grow your own produce and go foraging. You will never need to go into a supermarket ever again, and if you do, repeat this mantra.........no pesticides, no fat, no sugar and minimum food miles.
And WALK there and back.

Ken68

The biggest single gain for the environment and your pocket at the same time is to pack up your car.
Not for everyone, especially rural workers.
£1000's to save every year plus a cleaner planet.

Ken68

A solar cooker will also cook water, up to 20litres a day in my case, more than can be used.
The downside is that it is a manual system, has to be put outside in the morning and emptied late pm.
But tis FREE and capital cost about a fiver. as against a roof mounted heavily sold overpriced solar water panel with integrated whatnots and pipes costing thousands.
Use the hot/warm water to soak the clothes overnight and use a quick wash in the machine as a rinse.
Another downside is nowt in the winter.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_cooker

Ken68

What could save money, Martin, and aggravation to millions of people in this country would be the introduction of unit pricing within the energy and phone industry.
The unit pricing for groceries in supermarkets must have been campaigned for originally, perhaps by WHICH or maybe from the EU.
The multiplicity of tariffs is beyond comprehension, forcing users to the comparison sites at a cost of millions.

nij420

Not sure how much of a difference this will make - if any at all - for both the environment and the wallet.

Recently, Before I go to sleep, I switch of from the socket the TV, video, Phone and bathroom extractor fan. Again, not sure if this will make any difference at all, but I thought it might save electricity at night, and also cut my electrical bills.

I was also thinking, does a double plug use the same amount of enrgy as a single plug?

lovemystudentloan

As nij420 says, not sure how much it saves, but I always charge my phone, batteries etc during the evening. That way I can switch it off when it's done without leaving it on all night needlessly. I probably heard about it on MSE! I am very worried about energy saving bulbs though. They contain mercury which IS NOT environmentally friendly so I wonder what will happen years from now when people have to throw these away. Will they go into landfill sights and leach mercury into the land?

steam_dan

If you have to drive, drive at a sensible speed. I have found that I can increase my mpg from 48 mpg to 52 mpg ,averaged for a full tank of petrol, simply by making a conscious effort not to exceed 55mph for short journeys. Personally, I think that the environment is a strong case for reducing the national speed limit to 65mph. This, together with strong enforcement, will do more to tackle the environmental issue of motoring than simply increasing the taxes on fuel.

zarazara

Iwant a solar cooker. where can i buy one from please?

Ken68

zarazara wrote: »

Iwant a solar cooker. where can i buy one from please?

Put Solar Cookers into Google, Zara, and information is on the left and sellers on the right.
The Centre for Alternative Technology might help will look a link and post seperately. Payback time would be quite a bit if you bought. Can be made easy enough tho.

Ken68

http://www.cat.org.uk/index.tmpl?refer=index&init=1

But did a search they don't do them, but the google info should throw up a lot.