Five ways to make your home more eco-friendly
Converting your home to one with a smaller carbon footprint doesn’t have to involve huge, time-consuming renovations that would cost you an arm and a leg. In many cases, a few small, but well-thought-out repairs/updates can be quite enough to make a real difference in your home’s energy efficiency.
It’s these simple, yet effective home upgrades that we’ll be focusing on in this article.
Replacing your interior doors
First things first, replacing your interior doors is a great way to improve the energy efficiency of your home. As doors age, they can warp or sag, which can leave a gap between the door and the frame. These gaps would in turn allow heat to escape the room. In simpler terms, that can mean your heating bill skyrocket to compensate for the heat loss. It’s recommended to keep your doors closed, but drafts can have a big impact on how energy-efficient your home is.
Repairing or replacing your interior doors will mean no drafts in your home. This will help maintain constant warmth and comfort in the different rooms in your home. In addition, replacing old internal doors with new ones will refresh the interior, improving its aesthetics. Therefore, if the time has come for you to replace the interior doors in your home, trust SBS Design with the job.
Switch to LED lights
Replacing standard incandescent bulbs with LED lighting is a quick, easy and budget-friendly eco-update for your home. LED lights use at least 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs. In addition, they last up to 25 times longer – a huge boost. They also operate at a much lower temperature, which also carries less risk for you.
But what does all that mean for you. Well, it has been estimated that taking into account the upfront costs of purchasing LED bulbs for your home, you could save on electricity bills, getting a return on your initial investment in about three months. As we’ve already mentioned, LED bulbs have a long lifespan – an estimated at about 10 years – so the lifetime savings of this type of lighting are significant.
Choose energy-efficient appliances
When the time comes for you to replace your appliances, look at high energy efficiency options. Keep in mind, however, that replacing the appliances that still work well with a more sustainable alternative won’t be eco-friendly. The best time to replace an appliance with a more environmentally friendly option would be when it breaks down and is beyond repair.
All appliances now have a sticker that indicates their energy rating on a scale from A to G. As you might have already guessed, the Aa are the most efficient ones. Some older appliances may use a scale that starts at A+++, so bear that in mind. When shopping for new appliances, check the energy rating for each one and aim to buy the ones with the highest rating that also fit your budget and needs!
Typically, the energy rating will be related to the size of the appliance, so a larger freezer will have a lower rating than a smaller one. You should always aim to buy the size of the appliance you need to reduce the energy loss during operation. This will have a positive impact on your energy bills as well as the environment.
Choose sustainable furniture
When decorating your home, look for furniture and décor made of sustainable materials. This can include recycled wood, recycled glass or bamboo, as well as other natural materials. Furniture made from recycled and/or repurposed materials is particularly eco-friendly, as firstly, it does not require large amount of raw materials with a huge carbon footprint to manufacture and transport. Secondly, recycled furniture does not pollute, as it does not end up in a landfill.
A good option, especially when decorating your home, is to shop locally. That is, from stores and merchants who produce their goods near you. Along these lines, shopping for home décor from thrift stores also reduces your home’s carbon footprint. Not only does shopping secondhand reduce waste, it also puts less demand on the supply chain. This can contribute to lower production overall. Since manufacturing new furniture typically involves energy-intensive processes, this can lead to a more positive impact on the environment.
Shopping locally can help reduce your carbon footprint by significantly reducing the amount of carbon used to transport your item to you. In addition, it will also help support your local economy, bringing more benefits to your community.
Install a rainwater tank in your garden
Last but not least, installing a rainwater tank in your garden is a great upgrade for your yard. The collected rainwater can be used to water your garden plants. This will reduce the amount of treated water you use, lessening your household’s carbon footprint. Not to mention the monthly water bill!
Using rainwater instead of tap water can also be a better option for the plants you grow. Tap water often contains chemicals like chlorine, while rainwater will naturally be better for plants and can promote healthy growth.