Buying a heat pump, an electric car, or using renewable electricity are all big impact steps, which require planning. But they’re also something that will become normal for everyone, and we what we all need to do in the next ten years to have a 1.5C world.
Earth Day is an excellent trigger to commit to these planet-saving steps, so we’re going to focus here on low-carbon technologies that cut your carbon footprint and support cleaner technology.
Green Power
When asked, ‘which is the most impactful step you can take to cut carbon that is also easy to do’, this is the one. You can cut your electricity carbon footprint by over 90% if you use 100% renewable electricity. This is a huge carbon saving. You only emit a small amount of carbon because it takes energy to get the electricity to your home. You’ll have to go off-grid to get to zero!
The more people switch to renewables the clearer the signal to build renewables and not coal and gas plants. As if that wasn’t enough to persuade you, green electricity prices are now comparable. This removes a big barrier to switching.
Switching to renewables can lead to a big reduction in your carbon footprint and is one of the most important steps everyone can make.
Install a Heat Pump
Heating and hot water are a big part of most people’s carbon footprints. Heat pumps offer a way to dramatically reduce carbon emissions because they are so efficient at turning electricity into heat.
This is a hardcore step in Giki, but worth it. Running a heat pump can be cheaper than many alternatives because they are so efficient. Compared to a new gas boiler you can save over 2 tonnes of carbon every year by installing a heat pump.
The fact is, we cannot heat our homes with fossil fuels and reach Net-Zero. Heat pumps are key long-term options to provide low or no carbon heating and hot water.
Electric Motor
If you need a new car make it electric. Electric cars have zero carbon emissions when you drive if you charge them with renewable electricity and don’t emit other harmful pollutants. Over the whole life of a car, and including embedded carbon, electric vehicles (EVs) emit 65% less carbon per km than petrol cars, and with renewables, it’s 80% less.
Switch to EV next time you buy a car, and you can save money over the lifetime with lower fuel costs and even the ability to charge at times of day when electricity is cheaper. Every year the price of electric cars versus their fossil fuel predecessors gets closer and closer.
Petrol and diesel cars can be a large contributor to individual carbon footprints, and with petrol and diesel cars slowly being banned around the world anyway, we’ll all be making this planet-saving switch.
If you’re not ready to switch to EVs yet, we get it. It is a hard step to take and for all kinds of reasons, you may not be able to do that yet. Instead, consider how you drive. Driving more efficiently will not only emit less fumes, but you’ll also be saving fuel and money.
In this decisive decade, we’re looking forward to the most impactful Earth Day ever. If you or your organisation would like more support to think carbon, cut carbon, check out our Earth Day 2022 resource hub or get in touch and find out how we can help support your colleagues on sustainability.
