Each person has a carbon footprint resulting from their daily activities, such as running a refrigerator, heating or cooling a home, driving to work, using electrical appliances or using a computer etc. Every time we do something that requires energy or electricity, harmful CO2 (carbon dioxide) gas is released into the air. Too much carbon dioxide is causing global warming and harming our planet.
What can we do to help the environment? Here are a few simple steps that we can take to reduce our carbon footprint:
- Minimize purchases of new products, especially resource-intensive and heavily packaged goods.
- Opt for the most energy-efficient appliances.
- Buy locally produced foods.
- Reuse and recycle as much as you can.
- Switch to LED lights, unplug electronics to minimize standby power usage.
- If possible use renewable energy, such as solar energy.
- Place insulation into the roof to reduce heat escaping.
- Reduce energy usage (heating and cooling) by installing energy efficient windows and doors in your home and office
Our living and working spaces need a lot of heating and cooling as our buildings are not insulated and prone to temperature loss. Installing insulating materials, such as uPVC windows and doors, will result in more comfortable living spaces.
REHAU’s uPVC windows save on energy costs, lowering the amount spent on heating or cooling your home. REHAU windows, fitted with either single or double glazing, keep your home cosy all year round. Should you still wish to use an air conditioner or heater during extreme weather conditions, your energy expenses will be less, as temperature transfer through REHAU’s uPVC windows and doors are limited.
Architects and specifiers are increasingly specifying REHAU’s uPVC windows and doors for domestic and commercial installations, so that the energy saving targets required in SANS 204 can be met. When using double glazing, very low ‘U’ values can be achieved, fulfilling the conditions stipulated by South Africa’s building regulations.
Find all the technical information here or follow REHAU on Twitter @REHAUwindowsSA and Facebook.
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