no cost/easy actions
- Talk to Council’s free Eco Building Design Advisor if building or renovating
- Switch to a carbon-neutral electricity company
- Turn lights off when not needed & use daylight rather than electric lighting whenever possible
- Turn appliances off at the wall rather than leaving them on standby
- When doing the laundry, wash full loads & use cold water – use the eco cycle on washing machines & dishwashers where possible
- Dry clothes on the line rather than in a dryer
- Close windows & curtains at dusk in winter
- Open windows instead of using air conditioning in summer
- Have shorter showers
- Check your hot water thermostat is set at 60 ⁰C (no less, no more)
- Attend a Council Nelson City Council Create Your Own Eden or a Tasman District Council Create Your Own Eden workshop on growing vegetables
- Write to your MP asking for national action on Climate Change
some cost/ medium effort actions
- Measure your carbon footprint
- Use a Power Monitor to monitor your energy use
- Conduct an online home energy audit to reduce your energy use
- Change your five most used lightbulbs to low energy compact fluorescent bulbs
- Fit draught stoppers to external doors and windows
- Insulate your hot water cylinder (unless it’s a Grade A) & hot water pipes (especially the first 2.5ms)
- Fill any gaps in your ceiling insulation & plug cracks around apertures, utility switches & outlets
- Buy locally produced food and products
- Choose organic food products where possible as production methods involve a lower energy footprint
- Use a push mower rather than an electric or petrol mower
more cost/more effort actions
- Get your existing ceiling, walls and floor insulation checked out by an expert for effectiveness – contact Council’s Eco Building Design Advisor for advice & information on subsidies
- Install solar hot water heating
- Paint walls and ceilings light colours that reflect the light
- Install energy efficient heating e.g. heat pumps
- Replace old appliances with energy efficient appliances that have a high energy star rating
- Grow your own food in your garden