Demand for help making homes greener and cheaper to heat has doubled in Fife since the cost of living crisis took hold.
Households across the country are looking to tighten their belts.
But some may worry how to marry that with the need to reduce their carbon footprint.
Expensive measures such as installing solar panels or buying electric cars are likely out of the question for most.
So what can we do to go green while driving down household bills?
Turns out, quite a bit.
For Earth Day, we spoke to Andrea Elder, communications and events coordinator with charity Greener Kirkcaldy.
She gave us the lowdown on what you can do today to tackle the cost of living crisis – while staying environmentally-friendly.
Making your home warmer for cheaper
There are a number of easy ways to make homes more energy efficient, Andrea said.
These include ensuring electronic items are not on standby and using a slow cooker rather than the oven.
“A oven is not particularly efficient because of its size,” Andrea said.
Reducing your energy consumption is the best tool you have to keep the bills down.
Our energy advisors can provide a range of advice to help you do this.https://t.co/nLxnvf6S0w
— Cosy Kingdom (@CosyKingdom) April 5, 2022
“A slow cooker or microwave is smaller, so they’re not heating up so much empty space.”
Reducing energy waste will lower household bills, but it will also help the environment by cutting unnecessary emissions.
Andrea said it can be “win-win” with many tips to tackle the cost of living crisis going hand-in-hand with going green.
Greener Kirkcaldy offer handy tools such as thermal curtains and reflectors that sit behind radiators, which can reduce heat loss.
However, demand for these are at an all-time high, Andrea said.
Their waiting list is now two to three weeks. It used to be around a week, prior to the cost of living crisis.
“There have been headlines right now saying ‘heat the human, not the home’.
“It’s got that brutal.”
Eating on a budget
We all need to eat, so it may seem like cutting down on this expense is nigh-on impossible.
Especially if you want to cook nutritious meals.
But the perception that healthy eating is more expensive is a bit of a myth, as this Dundee University lecturer points out.
This is something that Andrea agrees with, and she has some tips to making the weekly shop less of a daunting prospect.
“If you’re a bit like a yellow-sticker hunter like me, that’s a great way to save money.
“If you shop later at night, some things are doubled yellow-stickered, meaning you can pick things up for really cheap.
“Chuck them in your freezer and you’ll be fine.”
Another handy food tip is to cook in bigger batches, freeze the leftovers and then reheat that in the microwave when needed at a later date.
Where can I turn to for help?
If you want more advice on how to tackle the cost of living crisis while going green, there are places you can go to for support.
Greener Kirkcaldy offer advice and tools to help Fifers drive down energy bills in the home. They will send out an engineer to asses your home and advice where savings can be made.
Elsewhere across Tayside and Fife, support is available from the Dundee Energy Efficiency Advice Project, charity Scarf and Home Energy Scotland.
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