How to Make Your Home Sustainable and Eco-Friendly
Whether you want to contribute to environmental preservation or just reduce your expenses, going green is the perfect solution. By making your home sustainable and eco-friendly, not only will you decrease your household’s ecological footprint, but you’ll also lower your energy and water bills, increase your savings and create a healthy environment for you and your family.
Switch to energy-saving lighting
While regular, incandescent lights are both inefficient and detrimental to your health, their eco-friendly alternatives, such as LEDs or compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), are the perfect solution for sustainable homes. Although the installation of LEDs and CFLs might be more expensive, it’s actually a long-term investment because these lights use 25-80% less energy than incandescent lights. In addition, they last longer and don’t emit carbon dioxide, unlike incandescent lights.
Insulate your home
Home insulation is among most profitable home improvements because it can reduce your energy consumption significantly. By insulating your walls, floors and attic, you will keep your home cool during summer and warm during winter, thus reducing the need for the use of your cooling and heating systems. It’s important that you insulate your house properly and repair all the air leaks that might cause energy loss.
Install eco-friendly flooring
As one of the most stylish aspects of home décor, hardwood floors seem to have never gone out of style. If you’re planning to install wooden floors, you should consider going for eco-friendly and sustainable materials, including reclaimed hardwood, bamboo and cork. However, if you want to keep your options open, there are other green flooring solutions, such as linoleum, concrete and recycled rubber.
Use green cleaning products
Cleaning products contain high levels of toxic chemicals that cause air pollution, endangering both your health and the environment. Luckily, there are plenty of green alternatives that are equally effective but healthier. You can buy natural and organic cleaning products – just make sure to read the label before buying them. Another possible option is making your own cleaning solutions using the products you already have, like white vinegar or baking soda.
Adopt sustainable habits
One of the best things about eco-friendliness is the fact that it’s a lifestyle involving a range of green habits that don’t cost a penny. For example, you can save around 10% of energy by simply opening your blinds and letting the sunlight inside. You can also reduce your energy consumption by line-drying your laundry, unplugging your electronic devices and putting on some additional pieces of clothing instead of turning your thermostat up. In your bathroom, turn off the tap while brushing your teeth and take a shower rather than a bath.
Reduce your water consumption
Another important step in creating a sustainable home is reducing your water consumption. First and foremost, you should repair all the leaks in your home because you can lose around 182 litres of water per week. Other water-saving solutions include installing a low-flow toilet, possibly with a dual flush option. Considering the fact that flushing your toilet accounts for 30% of your total water consumption, you can only imagine how much water you can save. In addition, you can install low-flow shower heads that will reduce your energy and water consumption by regulating both the pressure and the amount of water used.
Go solar
Solar panels have gained worldwide popularity, with more and more households embracing them as their main energy source. By using electricity generated by the sun, you’ll cut your electricity bill and increase your savings. Although the initial investment might be sizeable, with an installation as big as a 5kW solar system designed for homes with a medium to large energy demand, you’ll produce more energy than you need. And if you install a battery storage system to store the excess energy, you’ll completely stop drawing energy from the grid and reduce your electricity bill down to zero.
With these eco-friendly measures, you’ll create a healthy and sustainable home. Not only will you reduce your bills, but you’ll also protect the environment.
Derek Lotts writes about décor, gardening, recycling, ecology and everything related to home improvement.He thinks all these fall under self-improvement. He believes in the power of sharing ideas and communicating via the internet to achieve betterment.
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