There is a major misconception when it comes to making homes more eco-friendly and that is the perception of it being unrealistic, which is nonsense. With the Kyoto Protocol pushing for the world to be a more environmentally conscious – to be better – it is more important than ever that we all do our bit, and that is more than attainable. That is right. Not just new builds with hi-tech features and modern installations can be kinder to our planet.
The problem is people will not change their habits just to save the environment. It is sad but it is true. What people need as motivation are real life benefits that affect them immediately, and there is no better way to do that than to show that saving energy means saving costs. It is all about efficiency these days, trust us. It is about living more sustainable lives without exchanging our quality of life, or our luxuries for that matter. That is just part of the society we live in.
The question is what can you do to make your home more eco- and wallet-friendly easily?
Heat from the Ground Up
There are so many benefits to installing underfloor heating that range from style to space to savings and, no, it is not something that has to be reserved for new-build houses that are currently under construction. This is something that is relatively easy to install, especially if you concentrate your efforts to a single space. Okay, it may not be that simple if you have a tiled kitchen, but if you have a bathroom with wood floors then why would not you. Not only is it better for the world, it is better for your comfort and your bank account. What’s more, you will be able to get rid of your radiators, which, let us be honest, are not the pinnacle of interior design. It is a win-win on all fronts.
Straight Over Your Head
Heat rises. That is not a myth, that is a fact, which is why it is so important to make sure that your roof is not leaking money. If you want, you can head to WildWoodRoof.com for more information, but what we’re talking about is tiling that’s built to survive all kinds of weather fronts and insulation that will keep you more than snug. Every time we flinch at a heating bill, it is because our loft is letting us down, and letting us down in a huge way too. So, if you’re wondering how you can pinch some cents, then spend the few hundred bucks it will costs to insulate your loft and see than money get recouped in no more than two to three years. Trust us. Governments are going to start cracking down on this area if we are to meet the carbon emissions agreement we have agreed to.
Relax On Recycled Furniture
The use of recycled goods is becoming more and more popular because it is becoming more and more necessary. In fact, some architects have gone as far as building houses out of recycled plastic, and we mean 100% recycled plastic. What does this mean? It means you can definitely find furniture of the same ilk. The market is becoming more and more saturated on this front, so it is not as if you will be sacrificing style or comfort. It could be a desk, chairs, your bed or anything, but by embracing eco-friendly lifestyle changes, you are going to be doing so much more to be sustainable, and it will not affect your quality of life at all.
Be Better With Your Builders
If we want to take sustainability seriously then we need to think of it holistically and that means everything we do should be geared toward going green including our builders. In the grocery world, there is a food delivery company called FarmDrop.com, which sources all your food from within 150 miles of you. You see, you may be a vegan that loves harking on about how great you are for the environment, but your fruit and veg are being flown from all over the world and that is many air miles. The next big thing is locally produced everything, so why not adopt the same attitude with your builder. Why not go with the person one street over instead of the person who lives 30 miles away. Not only that, but why not insist they recycle their waste instead of sending it to a landfill. Of these things add up and that is what the key to a sustainable house is all about.
Add a Bit of Green to Your Life
New builds now have to have some means of harnessing natural energy, so why not adopt this same thought process. There are plenty of suppliers out there and, with the costs constantly dropping, it is cheaper than ever to get something like solar panels installed at your home. It could be that you do go down this route and make your roof a sun harvester, or you could put in a wind turbine at the end of your garden, or even have a house where every flushing toilet creates storable energy. The choice is yours, but it is worth doing. Not only will you reduce your overheads but also you could sell it back to the grid and make some extra cash.
Look At Your Interior
There are so many little tweaks we can make that can add up to a huge difference made. Things like swapping out our old filament light bulbs for energy-saving ones, getting thicker curtains, replacing single glazing with double and painting our walls with water-based paints that use natural pigments. You could even go as far as filling your cavity walls with insulation given these are as much a culprit of high heating bills as your poorly insulated attic. Other little things that can make a big difference are things like eco-awesome kettles and showerheads, and turning your thermostat down one or two degrees. It all adds up. That is the holistic argument we are trying to put across.
Making your home more environmentally beautiful is something everyone can do, not just contractors in the process of building new homes. It is just going ahead and doing yourself a favor as well as the planet we live in.