Thanks to the growing public awareness of environmental problems, such as climate change, pollution, and deforestation, more and more people are adjusting their lifestyle and daily habits in an attempt to save the environment. In addition, the pandemic also taught us to minimize waste and expenses by switching completely to an eco friendly lifestyle during the lockdowns. Making an effort to be more environmentally-conscious allows us to utilize the valuable resources Mother Nature has bestowed upon us without destroying our one and only home — Earth. It also ensures a better and safer future for the coming generations.
Not only does going green benefit the planet, but it also proves to be the most cost-effective option in the long run. There are a lot of changes that you can make to your living space to reduce waste, minimize air and water pollution, and conserve natural resources. On that note, here are some of the most effective tips on how to make your home eco-friendly.
Properly Insulate Your Home
The best way to make your home eco-friendly is to try your best to use as little energy as possible. That’s why insulating your living space is a great way to do that. Proper insulation helps hold in the warmth during the colder months, so you won’t have to turn up the heat at full blast to stay warm indoors. Not only does this help conserve energy, but it will also reduce your utility bills significantly. For optimal energy efficiency, insulate the walls, windows, floors, and roof. It would be wise to double-glaze your windows and cover exposed hardwood floors with rugs to prevent cold air from slipping in through the cracks.
Upgrade Your Window Treatments
Window treatments are not just for keeping the light and your neighbors’ prying eyes away; they also keep the cold air inside and prevent hot air from seeping through during the warmer months — and vice versa during the colder months. When it is hot outside, cranking up the AC will cool down your rooms effectively. However, it is not a sustainable solution, and neither is setting the thermostat as high as it will go during the winter. Replacing your curtains and blinds is a more energy-efficient way to maintain the temperature inside your home at a comfortable level no matter the season.
Install a Solar PV System
Solar power is the future of sustainable energy production. By harnessing energy from the sun and converting it into usable electricity, a solar PV system can provide your home with clean energy all year round. Thanks to the recent advancements in solar energy storage, you can now store the solar power generated on sunny days and use it to run your devices and appliances any time you want, even on the cloudiest of days and the darkest of nights! If you are worried about the high upfront cost, the solar installation experts at Shoalhaven Solar suggest that you look at the bigger picture. While switching to solar power can, indeed, be a hefty investment, it is a long-term one that will increase your home’s value and eliminate your household’s energy waste, all without using fossil fuels or harming the environment.
Replace Your Regular Light Bulbs with Energy-Efficient Bulbs
Energy-efficient light bulbs have been around for quite some time, yet many people are still using traditional incandescent bulbs to this day. Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), Light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and halogen incandescents use approximately 25%-80% less energy than regular bulbs. Not only do they save energy (and, by extension, money), but they can also last 3-25 times longer. So, if you are still using regular light bulbs around the house, it is high time you swap them out for any of these energy-efficient alternatives.
Install A Smart Thermostat
Most of us tend to leave the heating on during the winter for longer than necessary, and the same goes for the AC during the summer. Aside from wasting a lot of energy, or potentially damaging your heat pump, this also wastes a lot of money that could be better spent elsewhere. A smart thermostat can put an end to this by allowing you to monitor and control your cooling and heating systems effectively. It can be programmed to turn on or off automatically at certain times of the day to optimize energy consumption and reduce your carbon footprint.
Most of these tips are quite easy to implement and won’t cost you more than a few dollars. So, to avoid overwhelming yourself, start with simple changes, like swapping out your regular light bulbs with LED bulbs, then move on to the bigger upgrading, like using a solar PV system to power your home. Even the smallest of changes will go a long way in reducing your carbon footprint and protecting the environment. If you have children, it would be a good idea to get them involved in the process and teach them to make better choices early on. When children grow up with a strong sense of responsibility towards Mother Nature, eco-consciousness will be second nature to them as adults.
