Year-round greener living off-grid

The snow, the rain, the dark, dark nights - winter was a slog. But now that spring has finally shown up, it's all forgotten. We've forgiven winter for its relentless chills, for making us scrape our car windows every frosty morning, and for giving us nothing better to do than stay inside, wrapped up warm with a glass of red wine - ok, so it hasn't been all bad. But, spring!

Today, I tackled the garden's unruly grape vines - that definitely should have seen the sharp edge of a pair of secateurs months ago - in the delightfully warm sunshine: birds tweeting, buds budding, even bees, bees taking their first flights out.

Yet despite the gently rising temperatures and sunnier days, the evenings and nights are still the wrong side of cool, which means, heating and most evenings still spent indoors. If you live in a rural area that doesn't have access to mains gas, heating your home has a few more considerations that on-grid living doesn't. I'm connected to mains gas now but having lived in two properties that aren't, I know only too well the extra thought that goes into any discussion about energy.

Reducing our carbon footprint, reducing waste and recycling more aren't just soundbites - we're starting to see the real consequences of living for the moment with little thought of the future, which means we all have a duty to seek and and put into practice greener, more sustainable living. And the home seems as good a place as any to start.

In a UK first, Calor is now offering BioLPG - a fuel made from materials from renewable and sustainable sources. And the added bonus of BioLPG is that aside from being kinder to the environment, its composition is identical to standard LPG fuel so there's no need to make changes in the home or switching any of your appliances.

This is a sponsored post for which I received a fee from Calor. All words and opinions are my own.