More green savings

Refilling printer cartridges. I can walk to Cartridge World, and get my Epson printer cartridges refilled for GBP6.50. Saving GBP4.50 over the Epson website price.
In the manner of buses, I had three cartridges go in short order - so that's another green saving of GBP13.50.

Save carbon, water and money at the same time

This week I finally got the paperwork through confirming that the water meter I asked for has been installed. What made the most interesting reading is that I was going to have to pay GBP424 of water rates. The estimate from Thames Water is that I will have to pay GBP228 now that it is metered. There was no charge for the water meter itself, nor for it's installation; so if I use water as they predict, I'm GBP196 better off every year, which more than covers the extra cost of the green electricity.
Those of us who are environmentally conscious are sometimes labelled unrealistic, and sometimes labelled smug. This step proves that it is realistic to save water, carbon and money at the same time. As to smug - well, maybe a bit. But don't I have a right?

Chimney balloons

Wow - where did February go?
The latest item to assist with energy efficiency is a chimney balloon. I got mine from http://www.chimney-balloon.co.uk. The chimney balloon looks like the inside of a winebox, with the nozzle in the centre. You put it up the chimney and then inflate it. It blocks the chimney, and stops the warm air you've paid for - well, going up the chimney.
If you aren't sure you need one, try putting your hand near the chimney and feel the air moving.
The cost is between £20 and £25. I strongly recommend buying the hose (another £2.50) which attaches to the nozzle and stops you having to put your head up the chimney.
It was easy to install (less than a minute), and takes about the same to remove if you want a real fire. It also comes with a warning label, which is red and says 'Remember to remove the chimney balloon'. the only thing I'd ask the makers to add is a string which allows you to attach this small label to the balloon itself; if you leave it on the mantelpiece, you might forget.

Saving £4 and landfill

At the start of the year I worked out that I'd have to spend roughly an extra £100 to have green electricity - and I still maintain that it's a price worth paying. But I think it would be more convincing if I could determine other ways of saving money while being ecofriendly as well. And this morning, I found one. Rather than bin the printer cartridge and buy a new one (from Epson at a cost of £10), I took it along to my local Cartridge World (only a few minutes walk away) and, after a couple of minutes wait and friendly service, I had a refilled cartridge and had only paid £6. That's four pounds towards my target!
The Headington Cartridge World can be contact on 01865-764454, and their homepage (http://www.cartridgeworld.co.uk) has a store locator, so anyone can find their local branch.

Keeping warm - Window Seal

If you're in the UK right now, you've probably noticed the weather. One of the difficulties with reducing our energy use is that when it gets cold, we want heat - lots of it. I live in a late 1920s semi-detached house; a previous owner put in double-glazing in some windows, but not all of them. And it makes a difference, but it is expensive.

Fortunately, there's a much cheaper way. I bought 'Window seal', which is a thin plastic film a bit like cling-film. You cut a sheet to size, stick double-sided sticky tape around the window, and then put the film over it. All you have to do then is take a hair-dryer to the film - this makes it shrink, so that any wrinkles in it can't be seen.

The cost - £14.00 for 12 square metres; and it comes with double-sided sticky tape. I bought mine from Headington Homeware; Window Seal itself is marketed by OracStar (the box has their postcode - NN4 7HS - but no website.

The key point about this stuff is that it cuts down on draughts, as well as trapping a layer of insulating air between the two surfaces.

Oh, it's really snowing now.