Environment Monday - Five money saving eco tips that cost nothing and save the planet!

Think global, act local. How can you save money and help the environment with minimal effort? Here's a few tips.

1. If you want a cup of tea, fill a cup and pour it into the kettle. This will mean you use exactly the amount of energy you need to get your cuppa. The average kettle holds enough water for five cups of tea. This costs 2.5p to boil. If you have five cuppas a day with a full kettle. thats £45.62 a year. Using just one cup costs £9.12 a year. That's £36.50 a year extra in your wallet. If everyone did that, it would make a massive difference to the CO2 output of the country.

2. Dry your washing on the washing line.
According to Confused About energy, using a tumble drier five times a week costs £105.95 a year. If you could use a washing line twice a week, that would be a saving of £42.38 a year. Yes, I know that many in the Borough of Barnet live in flats, all the more reason to go back to homes with gardens!

3. Fill up your freezer.
According to B-Line Services, a Fridge Freezer uses £110 a year in electricity. The fuller that a fridge or freezer is, the more efficient. Putting liquids in a fridge mean that it uses more energy, putting a box of cornflakes or a towel, which are largely filled with air, will use less. If your freeer is usually half full, putting towels on top of the produce will massively improve efficiency. It will also mean that if there is a power cut, the food will stay frozen for longer. It also means that when you open the door, less energy is used bringing the temperature back down to the operational level. This should save you around £25 per year.

4. Get up an hour earlier in Summer
Relatively cheap electric lighting has changed our behaviour. People used to work their day around daylight hours. Now we simply switch on a light. Each 60 watt lightbulb costs around .7p an hour to run. It is estimated that when we are up and around, we have a minimum of four lights on in a house. If you went to bed an hour earlier in the dark and got up an hour earlier when it is light for the six months of summer time, you would save around £25 if you use four less light bulbs worth of electricity. With watch again, just watch BBCQT or whatever you enjoy before you go to work over breakfast.

5. Make a commitment to walk/cycle for all journeys of under a mile.
In the UK, 23% of car journeys are less than a mile. The shorter the journey, the less economical. If that is three car journeys a week, at £1 a journey (rough estimate probably on the low side), that's £156 a year and you'll be fitter and healthier to boot.

So how much can you save with some rather minor changes? Around £280 a year. Not bad for nothing is it?