Tips to Make Your Home More Environmentally Friendly

What do you think when you hear “sustainability?” Many may think that it relates to consumption of energy. However, if you want to be eco-friendly, take a more holistic approach to making changes. One of the first things is consider your water usage.

The best way to do this is by taking things a step at a time. Step one would be to fix any leaks. Even if there aren’t any leaks in your home, there are some lifestyle changes you can make to reduce water consumption in your home. For example, you can turn the water off when shaving or brushing your teeth.

Solar panels are considered to be an essential feature for any eco-friendly home. These will provide you with clean electricity and, sometimes, they may produce enough energy to let you sell back some of the power to the grid.

While solar panels are considered long-term investment, most experts have suggested that it will take you up to two decades for you to “break-even,” but it depends on where you live. Remember, this isn’t just a monetary investment – it is your opportunity to make an eco-friendly investment in your home and your future.

Your home heating is one of the main ways that you are using energy in your home. It’s extremely easy – particularly during the colder months of the year – to leave the heating on much longer than it is really needed. This often leads to you wasting energy and wasting your own, hard-earned money.

One of the best ways you can combat this is if you install or have a smart meter installed. You can program a smart meter, so they only come on at specific times during the day. For example, you could have the meter come on an hour or so before you are going to get home for the day and then have it shut off about an hour before you plan to leave for the day.

With a smart meter, you can significantly reduce your energy use and your carbon footprint. What’s even better is that you can reduce your energy costs.

If you are ready to create an eco-friendly home, you need to invest in right type of lightbulbs. The more efficient CFLs are a better alternative to older and widely used incandescent bulbs. While energy-efficient bulbs have been around for a while, it has taken some time for many people to get used to the idea.

However, it is one that makes a lot of sense for most homeowners Not only will these energy-efficient bulbs use much less electricity, they will also last much longer. This means you don’t have to spend your money to keep replacing them as they blow out.

As you can see, there are several steps you can take to create an eco-friendlier home. Be sure you get your family on board with this project, as it will pay off by helping you save money and reducing your environmental impact.

If you need more help or want to take the eco-friendliness of your space a step further, considering hiring a sustainability expert to evaluate your home and help you find other areas where you can make changes and save even more energy.