House prices are falling, salaries are stalling, food costs are soaring, gas and electricity bills are increasing faster than global warming and petrol costs are getting higher than an MP's expense sheet.

All in all you can safely say the economy is in transition, and one that looks to be going from bad to worse.

So there's never been a better time to think about doing your bit for the environment. By taking simple steps to reduce your carbon footprint, you could also save a sizeable chunk off all your household bills.

In fact, with these Top 20 Big Green Switch cash-saving tips, making a few changes could help you save up to a whooping £2000 a year!.

	1. Wash your laundry at 30 degrees. Your clothes still come out crispy white, but by reducing your washing temperature you cut the energy usage by a third. Read more >> Saving £11
	2. Switch off lights when they're not in use. Having a 100 watt light bulb switched on for an hour costs around £1 a quarter. Read more >> Yearly saving £27
	3. Switch to low energy light bulbs. A low energy bulb will save you around £9 a year. Multiply that by 10 light bulbs and you're quids in. Read more >> Yearly saving £90
	4. Foil-back your radiators to reflect heat back into a room. Read more >> Saving of £14
	5. Turn down your heating thermostat and put on a jumper or cardigan instead. A typical household can shave 10 per cent off their gas bill by turning down your thermostat by one degree. Read more >> Yearly saving £45
	6. Dry your clothes in the natural way rather than in a tumble dryer. Read more >> Saving over £30
	7. Fully switch off gadgets like TVs, set top boxes, computers, stereos and other gizmos overnight and other times when not in use. Read more >> Average saving of up to £37 a year
	8. Stick to the speed limit. Driving at 70mph rather than 80mph will save you 25p every 10 miles according to the AA. Read more >> Total saving around £250
	9. Close car windows when driving to reduce drag and fuel consumption. Read more >> Saving annually in the region of £40
	10. Drink tap water rather than bottled water to reduce waste and save money. Read more >> Annual saving of £275
	11. A properly insulated loft can knock off £110 a year off the average heating bill and nearly one tonne of CO2 per year. Read more >> Annual saving £110
	12. Around 33 per cent of the heat is lost through the walls of a badly insulated house so install cavity wall insulation for big savings. Read more >> Saving £90
	13. Don't stop on walls and roofs; insulate your hot water tank with a snug jacket and you could save around £20 a year. Read more >> Saving £20
	14. Lag your visible hot water pipes, It costs only about £10 for the insulation, and doing so will save you the same amount each year. Read more >> Saving about £10
	15. Don't pay for parking. Park up a little further away and walk in to town or work or, better still, walk the full journey if it's only a mile or two. Read more >> Savings of £80
	16. Seal the cold out with proper draught proofing on your doors, windows and letterbox. Read more >> Saving of £20
	17. Switch to natural cleaning products such as lemon juice, white vinegar and baking soda. They give a brilliant clean at a fraction of the price of chemical products. Read more >> Annual saving of up to £120
	18. When you switch on your dishwasher make sure it's full. Over the weeks you'll be using less water and electricity. Read more >> Yearly saving of £13
	19. Don't be an old boiler. By fitting a new high efficiency condensing boiler with heating controls you will significantly cut your homes C02 emissions and fuel consumption. Read more >> Save around £200 a year
	20. Use your local market for your weekly shop. Buying from your local market helps reduce your waste packaging and could save around £10 a week on your fruit and veg too. Read more >> Annual saving of around £520

TOTAL SAVINGS IN A YEAR: £2000

For more information on all of these tips plus hundreds more ideas for how to reduce your spending and green up your lifestyle, go to www.biggreenswitch.co.uk