THERE cannot be many families who rarely need to buy food at the supermarket and had an electricity bill last year of just £40.

However, the Lucas family can boast that they are largely self-sufficient after transforming their home and garden into a green haven.

Yvonne and Steven Lucas shared some of their tips with The Gazette for our Green Watch campaign in the hope that their way of life will inspire others to make changes to their lifestyles to reduce their carbon footprint.

Most of the electricity they use in their home, in Roman Road, Basingstoke, is provided by solar panels in the garden, with further panels heating water for washing.

Mr Lucas, 47, a senior electrical engineer, has been installing the panels himself since they bought their first ones in 1992 - and they have been a sound investment.

He said: "The hot water ones do pay for themselves very quickly, and - with the way the price of electricity has gone up - probably by the time we retire, those electricity panels will be paying for themselves."

The couple, who have two children, aged 13 and 17, also have chickens, a bee hive and a wide range of fruit growing in their garden - and they grow vegetables on their allotments.

The family have installed a water system to recycle their grey water - water that has been used for washing - to water their garden, and they compost everything they can.

This winter, they hope to be completely carbon neutral after buying their very own piece of woodland in Surrey, where they can collect timber to use as fuel.

After 15 years of work, the Lucas family are virtually self-sufficient - but they say that not everyone has to go to the same extent they have in order to be more green.

"Everybody can do their bit just by recycling more," said 43-year-old Mrs Lucas. "We have got the bins for recycling and making sure that everything possible does get recycled is not hard. Even making sure you compost green waste helps."

She added: "We have got a lovely world. Why ruin it?"

The Lucas family's top tips
  • Investigate the possibility of installing solar panels to provide electricity and hot water
  • Grow your own fruit, vegetables and herbs. Even if you do not have a garden or an allotment, many herbs and plants can be grown in pots
  • Waste less water through simple changes, such as turning off the taps when cleaning your teeth
  • Use grey water to water the garden. Most detergents will not harm plants and washing up liquid can help keep aphids at bay instead of using pesticides
  • Invest in a composting bin for green waste such as grass cuttings and dead leaves
  • Buy your own piece of woodland. Visit www.woodlands.co.uk for more information
  • Switch to environmentally-friendly cleaning products
  • Learn how to make your own bread, preserves and wine
  • Keep chickens in your garden to provide eggs. You can even sell the surplus to friends and family