How to Reduce your Carbon Footprint in your Home Office

Listing ways to save 'at-home' workers money now, and in years to come, may inspire some to take immediate action: the Trust offers a Home Energy Check, which probes to see how much energy, and therefore money, could be saved in your home, whether you have a job working from home, run a home based business or work at home some of the time.

Home workers can reduce their carbon footprint and save costs. Here's a list of ideas on how to reduce your energy output in your home office:

1: Insulate loft and walls – 50% of heat is lost this way in the average home.
2: The amount of heat loss through windows can be cut by half by installing double glazing – an investment that may take longer to return, but boasts the priceless perk of quieter home working.
3: Treat your hot water tank to a three-inch thick jacket, costing only a few pounds, to save around £20 a year, the EST advised.
4: A further 33% will instantly come off your heating bill by opting for a high-efficiency condensing boiler, with super-efficient versions promising even more savings, instantly and long-term.
5: Don't - open fridge or freezer longer than needed and don't put hot food into the fridge. Defrost it only annually or don't ignore the state of the door seals.
6: Replace ordinary light bulbs for energy saving ones. The Trust estimates that if every home used just one eco-friendly bulb, the UK would save £66million every 12 months.
7: When shopping for electric appliances, prudent home-based workers should keep an eye out for the 'energy saving recommended' logo, that is, if they want to replace an old freezer to make a saving of £45 a year.
8: Pull curtains at dusk, and fit draft excluders – a move that can save up to £20 annually.
9: Don't run a 4 x 4 down to your local supermarket or Post Office.
10: Don't boil half a kettle of water for a single cup of tea.

And according to the Home Business Alliance, a half-hearted approach to reducing harmful emissions is not going to save the environment, nor will it generate significant, long-term savings.

Asked about how home-based workers can cut their costs by 'going green,' Mr Tondel said, "Unless someone is conscious literally all of the time about saving pennies here and there, it simply won't stick."

You can sign up for an HEC by filling in details at www.energysavingtrust.org.uk or obtain a paper form by calling your local Energy Efficiency Advice Centre on  0800 512 012 .