Today, governments all around the world are putting immense effort into reducing their individual carbon footprint in order minimize the level of impact on the natural environment which has led to critical issues such as the green house effect and the depletion of the ozone layer. But the fact is, unless the households of a country makes an effort to reduce their carbon footprint as the basic building block of the community, those international efforts would all be in vain. There are various steps that can be taken by a household to become greener and more energy efficient which will in turn bring down their specific carbon footprint and hence that of the nation. Here are a few such steps that might interest you.Greener doors and windows Traditional doors and windows are made for the purpose of simply keeping any unwanted people off the house whereas modern doors and windows are manufactured in such a way that enables them to keep the unwanted heat from entering the house as well. Replacing your windows with UPVC double glazed windows will keep the inside of your home warm during cold winter days and cool during hot summer days. This is done by a layer of insulating gas enclosed between two glass panes that is capable of maintaining a constant internal temperature despite the conditions outside. You can check out more by visiting http://www.ardglasswindows.com.au/windows. Insulate your walls Wall insulation works in a method similar to double glazing in windows but instead of air, various other insulating materials are used. This technique is especially effective for closed walls and four most commonly used insulation methods are foam injection, roll fiberglass installation, loose-fill-blow-in insulation and blow-in-blanket system. Each of these have their own pros and cons and the investments required will vary greatly. Insulating the walls will certainly keep the inside of your house comfy and cozy during harsh weather conditions and thereby reduce the workload on the heating or cooling system and bring down the energy costs. Unplug!Energy vampires is the term used to define appliances that are plugged into plug points when not in use as they quietly consume about 0.26 watts of energy. Note that all this will add up to the electricity bill at the end of the month and the aggregate of all such unattended appliances will end up eating right through your wallet. Therefore be mindful about such wastages and unplug all equipment when not in use. Time to bid farewell to you desktop computer
