Buy forest friendly products
Buy timber products which have the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) stamp on them.
FSC goods are widely available to buy from mainstream retailers.
The FSC certification gives you peace of mind that the timber has come from well managed forests.
Choose energy saving light bulbs
Using your TV, video, DVD, stereo, or set top box efficiently can save money and electricity. Most appliances should be switched off completely when they’re not in use.
However some, like the Sky set-top box, are slightly different - it needs to be on or in active standby to ensure customers get the most out of their Sky subscription. If our boxes are switched off completely at night for example it would mean customers who have Sky+ and/or Sky+HD would not receive the updated selection of Sky Anytime programmes we download every night to boxes that can be watched at a time that suits them. Keeping the box in standby also means you can use all the recording capabilities that come with Sky+ including the Remote Record service that means you can set your Sky+ box to record while you are out and about. However, switching your set top box to active standby can save 30-50% of the energy used, as well as extending the life of the box.
We’re working to increase the overall energy efficiency of our new set top boxes, and have set ourselves a target of cutting the total energy consumption of newly installed Sky+HD boxes by 30% by 2012.
Find out more about what Sky is doing to improve the health of our environment.
Switch off vs. standby
Using your TV, video, DVD, stereo, or set top box efficiently can save money and electricity. Most appliances should be switched off completely when they’re not in use.
However some, like the Sky set-top box, are slightly different - it needs to be on or in active standby to ensure customers get the most out of their Sky subscription. If our boxes are switched off completely at night for example it would mean customers who have Sky+ and/or Sky+HD would not receive the updated selection of Sky Anytime programmes we download every night to boxes that can be watched at a time that suits them. Keeping the box in standby also means you can use all the recording capabilities that come with Sky+ including the Remote Record service that means you can set your Sky+ box to record while you are out and about. However, switching your set top box to active standby can save 30-50% of the energy used, as well as extending the life of the box.
We’re working to increase the overall energy efficiency of our new set top boxes, and have set ourselves a target of cutting the total energy consumption of newly installed Sky+HD boxes by 30% by 2012.
Find out more about what Sky is doing to improve the health of our environment.
Get recycling
Recycling conserves resources and reduces the amount of greenhouse gas produced by landfills. And did you know, the energy saved by recycling two glass bottles saves enough energy to boil water for five cups of tea*?
In the UK we recycle about 31% of our household waste** - that leaves a lot of room for improvement.
Apart from paper, cans and plastics, recycling also works for larger items. Recycling includes donating unwanted items to charity shops or jumble sales.
Recycling not only cuts down the greenhouse gases generated by landfill, but it takes less energy to create a recycled product than a brand new one. For example, making steel from recycled cans takes 75% less energy than making steel from raw materials.
Sky recycles a variety of products including CDs and DVDs, paper and cardboard and props from the studios.
Click here for more information on recycling Sky products.
- If your household recycled more, you could further reduce your waste going to landfill by up to 176kgs per year and around 0.09kg of CO2 per year.
- If all Sky customers did this, they could further reduce their waste going to landfill by up to 1.6 billion kg per year and around 796,000kg or about 796 tonnes of CO2 per year.
* Source: Waste Watch
**Source: Defra
Get out of the car
There are plenty of alternatives to driving - you could walk or ride a bike, for example.
Journeys under two miles are when the fuel consumption of the car is at its highest, so avoid driving short distances.
Stay fuel efficient by having your car serviced regularly and check your tyre pressure. Driving with under-inflated tyres is dangerous, reduces the life of your tyres and decreases fuel efficiency. In fact, driving for 65 miles with your tyres at the correct pressure could save 1kg of CO2*.
- If your household implemented greener driving practices, you could save up to £220 per year and around 282kg of CO2 (petrol) per year or 292kg of CO2 (diesel) per year.
- If 8.98 million car owners implemented these recommendations (the same number as Sky customers) then up to £2 billion per year would be saved and around 2.5 million tonnes of CO2 from petrol per year would be saved or around 2.6 million tonnes of CO2 from diesel would be saved per year.
*Source: The CarbonNeutral Company
More information on how we calculated these savings can be found on our Savings Calculations Assumptions page.