Green Team TOP TIPS

In our recent Green Team meetings we have been discussing the environmental and economical impact of the current energy crisis. We thought it would be a good idea to give you some helpful tips on how to be as comfortable as possible in the cold months. Helping to halt climate change, at the same time as saving money can only be a good thing! January is now over but it has been known to be extremely cold in February as well.

There are so many benefits to using an air fryer:
Cooking food in a healthy way (Air fryer chips are delicious, using much less fat.)
Fast, safe and very easy to use (no flames, and automatic switch-off)
Quick (a jacket potato only takes half an hour!)
Easy to clean (Excellent!)
Most importantly, an air fryer takes so much less time to heat up than a conventional oven, therefore saving you money in a more environmentally friendly way.
You will still need your cooker on occasions but this is a good alternative.

There are many websites with great air fryer recipes. BBC good food, delish, Good Housekeeping, to name but a few.

Try this:

Toss  new potatoes in a little olive oil and place in the fryer. After twenty minutes place a wrapped fillet of salmon, flavoured with lemon, herbs, seasoning (unwrapped if you like the outside crispy,) and your choice of vegetable and cook for a further ten minutes. Delicious!

If you wear layers of clothing on a cold day, you are warmer because the air trapped between the layers of clothing acts as insulation. The more layers of clothing you have, the more air is trapped, and the warmer you will be.

Q: Should you keep your curtains or closed in the daytime during winter?

A: It depends.
In the winter, if you have south-facing windows, let the light shine in. The sun will help heat your home naturally, which takes some pressure off your furnace. For other windows, keep blinds and curtains close during the winter to keep heat inside your home.  Curtains act as insulation: the thicker the
curtain, the better.

Candles make our homes look and feel warm and cosy. However, it takes 120 candles to make the same light a s a small lamp. Many candles are made with paraffin, which is very cheap but not at all green! Beeswax candles are much more sustainable and even healthier. We also recommend soy or coconut candles.

Rather than heating a room when all you need are cosy hands and feet, try using a hot water bottle or hand warmer. These make you feel very snug.

This is a good idea, depending on the size of your house. If you live in mansion or palace it is best to just heat the area in which you spend most of your time. If you have a small flat, heat all rooms to the same temperature. 20 degrees centigrade is ideal.

There are some people that have no lovely homes to heat or warm clothes to wear. Shelter, St Mungo’s and other charities will be grateful for any support you can give. Thank you.

Green Team hope you have enjoyed reading our tips. If you have any for us we would love you to post them here. Thank you for reading. Keep warm!