Archive for the ‘Eco Tips’ Category

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Energy Efficient Washing Machine? We just Sust-it

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

Energy Efficient Washing MachineAfter a good old innings our hand-me-down washing machine finally threw in the towel last week and retired from service.

Being fans of all things second hand and vintage we did ponder initially on searching Freecycle or Ebay for a cheaper, older model but soon came to the conclusion that a new energy efficient machine was the wisest long-term move in terms of saving energy and money.

Having gone on about Sust-it on here before and to friends over the years, this was the first time I personally had the opportunity to use the site for advice on making a purchase.  The conclusion?? Fantastic, Sust-it is in my opinion, a highly useful resource for anyone looking at electrical purchases.

465 washing machines are in the database and all are ranked in terms of their energy efficiency.  Best available prices are listed on everything also so you can match your budget to the most energy efficient model.

To be honest, having not made a major new electrical purchase in several years we were a little worried our cash-strapped January budget wouldn’t stretch to a very efficient model but after browsing the site for a while we opted for the BEKO WM7335 which is ranked 5th out of 465 in terms of annual running costs.

Sust-it gave us a full comparison of the environmental and financial running costs – litres of water used, power used, annual CO2 emissions and running costs per year.  The BEKO WM7355 has annual CO2 emissions of 103.01 kg based on 250 cycles.  The old machine (which was very old indeed) was taken away for recycling and was a Hoover model not listed on Sust-it.   The best performing Hoover washing machine on there emits 120.18 kg CO2 a year so at a rough estimate we’re at least 15% more efficient at washing clothes than we were last year.

Gone but not forgotten – before waving him off to recycling heaven, we also managed to do a spot of recycling ourselves and transformed the old glass door into a handy bowl for all that fruit we’ve resolved to eat in 2010.

Washing Machine Fruit Bowl

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Posted in Carbon Footprint, Eco Tips, Eco Websites, Energy Saving, Green Living, Recycling, Water Saving | No Comments »

Kickstarting 2010 Eco Style

Saturday, January 2nd, 2010

10 eco websites for 2010As a New Year and new decade commences, many of us, myself included will be thinking of change and how we can strive to do that little bit more towards reducing our carbon footprint.
Over the past few years, we’ve tried to incorporate as many affordable changes as possible at home with extra insulation, switching to a green electricity supplier and changing our heating to a new multistove wood burner having the biggest impact on our carbon footprint.

Some of the changes we made were expensive and some of them cost nothing at all apart from a few minutes of my time online.  Whatever your budget is for ‘green living’ in 2010, we can all choose to make a difference every week over the coming year with small, lifestyle changes that cost nothing but all add up to make a big difference.

If you need help kick-starting your year into positive action, check out my website recommendations below and if you have any further useful suggestions, drop us a comment at the end.

Here’s wishing everyone a happy, healthy and sustainable 2010!
- Sign up to a green electricity supplier or green tariff.  It takes a matter of minutes and is one of the single biggest things you can do to improve your carbon footprint in 2010.  Green Electricity Marketplace allows you to compare tariffs for your particular postcode to get the best deal.

- If you eat meat, try to cut down and go meat free one day a week.  Meat Free Mondays is a site dedicated to helping people have at least one day a week totally free of meat.

- Petrol is reportedly going up by 15p a litre in 2010.  If you drive, try a low car diet by joining up to the ranks of Liftshare.

- If you can’t avoid using the car then check out these Eco Driving Tips from the AA.  Simple things like ensuring your tyre pressure is correct will help ensure you are driving efficiently and could save you more than 10% on your fuel bill.

- Sign up to a green newsletter.  Websites like The Nag and Friends of the Earth Daily Tip will keep you informed and inspired to take action throughout the year.

- Think about sourcing more food locally, supporting local business and reducing the transport miles of your food.  The 100 Mile Diet includes 12 Reasons for Eating Locally and the Big Barn is the UK’s no.1 local food website, helping people to find good, safe, accountable food from local sources.

- Give your home an energy check up with the Energy Savings Trust and you could save up to £300 in 2010.

- Did Santa bring you a new mobile for Xmas?  If so, make sure the old one does’nt end up in landfill this January.  Envirofone is just one of many websites which allow you to trade in your old mobile phones for cash, saving you money and just as importantly avoiding landfill.

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Top 10 Winter Warmers…

Friday, November 20th, 2009

Top 10 Winter WarmersChilly, wet and windy…thats the weather round-up for the next few days and now that winter seems to have settled in, this list of Top 10 products may be some assistance in keeping homes warm and energy efficient over the winter months.

  1. If you have floorboard draughts at home, prevent them with the Gapseal Floor Filler which will fill the gaps between floorboards and make rooms more heat efficient.
  2. Draughty, noisy letterbox?  The Ecoflap acts as a draught excluder for letterboxes. When the wind blows, it will actually blow the Ecoflap shut and it will then never blow open making it completely draught proof.
  3. If you have an unused fireplace at home, heat from the room could be escaping up and out the chimney.  Prevent this with a Chimney Balloon which once installed will help keep cold air from entering the room, and warm air from escaping up the chimney.
  4. Radiator bleed keys are a thing of the past with the Aladdin automatic radiator bleeder which works by automatically removing air from radiators ensuring only hot water remains.  No dealing with black gunk or rusty water, once fitted you never need to worry about bleeding radiators again.
  5. The Radiator Booster uses miniature 12-Volt electric fans to suck the heat up from the radiator and send it out into the room.  This reduces heat loss through the wall and as it heats the room quicker it allows the heating system to shut down sooner, saving you energy and money.
  6. It is estimated that as much as 70% of the heat from radiators is lost by heating the wall behind the radiator. The Ecosavers Radiator Reflector Foil and Heatsaver Radiator Panels avoid this heat loss by bouncing the warmth back into the room and preventing it being absorbed into the wall.
  7. Banish door draughts with a funky snake draught excluder.   Not only will it have you going all nostalgic for the 70’s, they are also one of the most tried and tested ways of plugging the gap under doors and stopping cold air getting in.
  8. When bed time calls this winter, snuggle up with an organic, super-soft and luxurious hot water bottle cover made using organic merino wool.
  9. When the inevitable nasty winter cold sets in, stick on the Eco Kettle and treat yourself to a nice hot whisky.  Always does the trick for me!
  10. Okay so I’m struggling to reach number 10 and this one wont save you any money or energy but it will perhaps make a night in during the dark winter months that little bit cosier, our recycled glass candles are made using sustainably sourced soy wax and bring a warm, ambient glow to your surroundings.

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What’s in your bin? Reducing Food Waste….

Monday, August 17th, 2009

Food Waste - Reduce Leftovers

Earlier last week, Boris Johnson joined forces with several celebrity chefs to urge Londoners to use leftovers from meals for tasty recipes rather than letting this perfectly good food go to waste.  An important message as in the UK alone 6.7 million tones of food is thrown away every year and wasting this food costs the average family around £420 per year.  If we all stopped wasting food that could be eaten, the CO2 impact would also be the same as taking 1 out of every 5 cars off the road!

If you’re looking for inspiration on reusing leftovers, the Recycle for London website has all the celebrity chef recipes for cooked food which we often end up chucking out like bread, meat, fish, rice and potatoes.  In our home, leftover risotto balls are a tasty regualr at meal times and I’m very intrigued to have a go at Hugh Fearnley-Whitingstalls Roast Potato Gnocchi next time we go a little overboard on the Sunday roasties.

To reduce the amount of leftovers at meal times a few simple steps such as planning meals, shopping in advance and keeping meal portions to the correct sizes will all help. We also have a few products on the website which can help keep food fresh for longer and out of the bin.
The Ethylene Gas Guardian (£3.99) absorbs the gas given off by fruit and veg which in turn helps to keep them fresh for longer.  The Count On It food freshness labels (£1.99) are designed to tell you at a glance if food is still fresh and safe to eat helping you to get the most out of it whilst the Eco Cooler (£69) uses natural cooling properties to store fruit and veg at the optimum temperatures keeping them fresh for longer.

To pick up a few more tips on keeping food out of the bin check the Lovefoodhatewaste website and for some more tasty recipes like these simple banana bread ones (great for blackened bananas!) take a look at MyDish, a new website which some people might have spotted on last weeks Dragons Den.

Posted in ECOutlet Products, Eco Tips, Sustainable Food | No Comments »

Top 10 Water Saving Tips for Summer…

Tuesday, June 30th, 2009

Top 10 Water Saving Tips

Summer has well and truly arrived this week and with the warmer temperatures comes an increased pressure on water resources across the country.  Here in the UK, the average person uses around 150 litres of water per day in their homes, much of which is accounted for by wasteful and inefficient practises.

Taking a few simple steps to increase water efficiency around the home however will not only save more of this precious resource, it will also lead to savings in energy bills and the CO2 emissions associated with them.

There are numerous items you can buy for the home which will help save water such as Water Butts, Shower Timers or Water Saving Shower Heads but there are also plenty of ways to save water which cost nothing so we’ve put together our Top 10 Water Saving Tips so everyone can do their bit over the thirsty summer months.

1. Don’t leave the tap running while brushing your teeth, shaving or washing your face.

2. Take a short shower rather than a bath.

3. Only use a dishwasher or washing machine when it’s full.  A half full machine wastes water and energy.

4. Fill a saucepan of water for washing vegetables rather than leaving the tap running.

5. Once it has cooled down, use left-over water from cooking to water plants around the home and garden.

6. Check the toilet for leaks by putting a little food colouring in the toilet tank.  If colour appears in the bowl within 30 minutes and after no flushes, there is a leak which should be fixed.

7. If you are on a water meter, use it to check for leaks.  Take a meter reading, avoid using water for 2 hours and if after checking the meter again there is an increase, you have a leak.

8. Use a bucket of water and sponge for washing the car rather than a hose.

9. Water outdoor plants and gardens early in the morning which will slow evaporation of moisture and is also a good defence against slugs and garden pests.

10. Place a layer of mulch around trees and plants which will slow evaporation of moisture and reduce the need to water them.

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My Green Lifestyle….

Tuesday, June 9th, 2009

Mygreenerlifestyle

For anyone looking to pick up a few additional tips on leading a more sustainable and healthy lifestyle make sure you check out online magazine My Green Lifestyle.

Mygreenlifestyle is a digital publication (no paper – so very eco friendly!) with a new issue going live on the website at the start of every month.   It features lots of seasonally themed lifestyle topics each month – June is strawberry picking and picnic time and there are monthly give-aways and reader competitions.

We’ve been visiting the website for a number of months now and and it’s a really informative and pleasurable read – best of all it’s completely free, you don’t need to register, simply click on the magazine cover to get your monthly dose of green living tips!

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Top 10 Free Energy saving Tips….

Wednesday, May 6th, 2009

Energy Saving Top 10

We recently added the new Efergy Elite Electricity Monitor to our energy saving category which is a device that allows you to track how much power the electrical devices in your home or business are using.   This in turn helps users to adjust their electricity usage by learning which devices are power hungry and where electricity is being wasted or can be saved.

For me, this is one of the best energy saving devices on the market as it educates users on the relationship between switching on electrical appliances and the electricity, cost and carbon emissions associated with that action.  Over time you soon learn where to make savings and how much savings you are making, the average user knocking between 3 and 15% of their electricity bills.

There are other, simpler and free ways we can all save energy and below is a list of our Top 10 ways to save energy in the home for free!

1. Let the sunshine in – clean windows and pull back curtains during the day to benefit from as much natural light and warmth from the sun as possible.

2. Defrost your fridge and freezer for greater energy efficiency.

3. Descale your kettle so it will boil faster.

4. Cleaning the coils at the back of the refrigerator will also help improve efficiency.

5. Leave the car at home and walk or cycle to work – saves energy and allows you to enjoy the warm weather.

6. Clean your oven door – you’ll be able to check on food without opening the oven door.

7. Adjust your thermostat to account of the warmer weather or better still switch it off altogether.

8. Check the arrangement of furniture so that they don’t block any heating sources and waste energy.

9. Take a shower rather than a bath.  It saves water and the energy associated with transporting and heating that water.

10. Turn off the tumble dryer and let clothes dry outdoors in the warmer weather.

Posted in ECOutlet Products, Eco Tips, Energy Saving, Water Saving | No Comments »

Shiply – The UK’s online transport marketplace…

Saturday, February 28th, 2009

Shiply

If you’ve ever spotted a piece of vintage furniture on Ebay but were put off bidding by the costs and logistics of transporting it across the country, there is now help at hand in the shape of new website Shiply.

In simple terms, how Shiply works is – if you have something that needs transporting like an Ebay item, you list it on the Shiply website and then receive bids from thousands of haulage companies who are already making similar trips across the UK or Europe (in effect working like a reverse auction).

The benefits of using Shiply are two-fold – you get the best price for the job and can make significant savings of up to 75% off your bill and its better for the environment too as you’re helping to make use of the 25% of all lorries which travel empty on British roads every day.

Clever and green – Shiply makes a lot of sense – we like it!

Posted in Eco Tips, Eco Websites, Energy Saving, Green Travel | No Comments »

Eco Cooler and E.G.G. – Helping reduce food waste…

Thursday, February 19th, 2009

Eco Cooler and EGG helping reduce food wastage

In the UK we throw away an estimated 6.7 million tonnes of household food waste every year which accounts for around a third of all the food we buy.  Approximately half of this domestic food waste is edible food which translates into a financial cost of £250 to £400 a year for every household.

By adapting a number of simple measures such as planning when to shop for food and only making necessary purchases, food wastage can be reduced considerably.  Food storage is also an important factor and proper storage eliminates premature aging of fruit and vegetables which in turn reduces the amount of wasted food.

Queue two new products just added to the ECOutlet store, the Eco Cooler and E.G.G……

The Eco Cooler is an innovative hand made terracotta fruit bowl and root vegetable store with natural cooling properties.  Water poured in the bottom plate is absorbed by the terracotta.  As the water evaporates it cools helping to create the ideal cool, damp, dark environment to store potatoes, onions, garlic, swede and other root vegetables inside.  Fruit like to be slightly chilled but stored in the open air and light, so Eco Cooler also has a bowl on top which cools fruit just a couple of degrees.

The E.G.G. Ethylene Gas Guardian is a little egg shaped device which absorbs the ethylene gas given off by ripening produce in the fridge.  Although harmless to people, much of the fresh produce in fridges is sensitive to even small levels of ethylene and it’s presence can accelerate the decaying process.  By keeping an EGG on duty in your fridge, a very low presence of ethylene is assured allowing you to enjoy crisp, fresh produce for longer whilst saving money at the same time.

Some food waste is of course unavoidable but rather than sending it to landfill these can be recycled with a Bokashi Home Composting Bin.  Every time there are scraps of fruit and vegetable peelings to be disposed off, place them in the Bokashi Bin along with a sprinkling of bokashi bran.  When the bucket is full, leave for two weeks and then either dig the resultant Bokashi in the garden or add to the compost heap.  As the Bokashi is ‘composting’ in the bucket, a nutrient rich liquor is also produced which can be used as a plant feed for the garden.

Posted in ECOutlet Products, Eco Tips, Sustainable Food, Waste Reduction | No Comments »

Winter warming thoughts…

Tuesday, January 6th, 2009

ECOutlet Eco friendly winter warmers

It could have been a nicer welcome back to the office this week but just like everyone else across the country we’re feeling the chill here at ECOutlet central as temperatures drop to below freezing. No fear though, we’re made of sturdy stuff and have contingency plans in place which we’re happy to share so everyone can keep cosy eco-friendly style over the next few months!

  • Dress for the season, long-johns and an extra layer on top are winter wardrobe staples in the ECOutlet office and are magic for keeping you warm during chilly snaps.
  • Hot Water Bottles are the snugly, old-fashioned option and taking one to bed means you don’t have to rely on keeping the bedroom radiators on all night.
  • Up to 20% of all heat loss from a typical home is through ventilation and draughts. Draught proofing and draught excluders are an easy and cost effective way to avoid this heat loss.
  • Keep curtains and blinds open during the day so the sun can naturally warm your home and closed at night to keep the cold air out and warm air inside.
  • Bleed your radiators regularly to release air trapped inside and increase efficiency. Fitting a radiator booster or radiator panels will also increase efficiency by helping to circulate the warm air out into rooms.

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