7 Straight-Forward Ways to Make Your Home More Eco-Friendly
Every day, the world warms a little more. The increase in warmth affects animal and plant life in a way that is almost becoming irreversible. It is everyone’s responsibility to make the world less hot by adopting eco-friendly practices. Instead of thinking about changing the world, think of simple tips to transform your home, and everything else will fall into place.
- Buy Local Eco-Friendly Furniture
Instead of the mass-produced tables and windows you find online, you can locally-made eco-friendly furniture for home use. Ensure that the materials are sourced, and the technician does not use chemicals.
Eco-friendly furniture uses sustainable material such as eco-wool, organic cotton, reclaimed wood, recycled fabric, and 100 percent natural latex. Once in your home, the furniture helps maintain fresh air as it has less chemical finishes. By buying local, you limit the use of fuel to ship goods to you.
- Adjust Your Windows
The window is always the weak link in your home’s heating and cooling. If the window is poorly insulated, you use so much energy warming your home in winter. In summer, awnings and related structures should protect your home from overheating. However, you need to hire the right California residential windows company to strategically install your windows in relation to the sun and the wind.
By adjusting your windows, you reduce heat loss in winter by up to 50 percent and heat gain during summer by 85 percent.
- Find a Way to Use Less Energy at Home
You need to look for ways to use less power at home. Whether you are using electricity, solar, or generator, every watt you save goes a long way towards saving the world.
Another great way to save energy is to use Energy-Star certified appliances and lights at home. Most of these appliances do not release heat energy and therefore use less energy. You can also ensure that any appliance not in use is switched off.
- Install Solar or Wind Power
These two sources of power will not only save you from high electricity bills but will also save the world because they are clean sources of energy. Solar panels have zero emissions which mean their impact on their environment is almost zero. Modern solar panels are strong enough to fire whole-home systems without complementing with electricity. These solar systems are also cheaper thanks to government initiatives around the world to promote clean energy. The only challenge with solar is that you need to live in an area that receives enough sunlight.
Wind turbines are great, but these are for people living in the countryside. In most towns and major cities, the laws may not allow you to install wind turbines.
- Avoid Single-Use Plastics
Single-use plastics only end up in landfills. Avoid single-use water bottles, zip-top bags, straws, and plastic cutlery, among others. Instead, shop for reusable items that will last for many years. Start by buying enough high-quality cutlery and crockery, buy a good water bottle that will last through the years, metal straws, pack your food in glass Tupperware, and other quality products.
You can also choose cloth napkins instead of paper napkins. Wet wipes and paper towels are single-use making them less eco-friendly.
- Heat and Cool Your Home the Smart Way
A smart thermostat allows you to save so much energy. Besides using windows to reduce the energy you use every day. Today, smart thermostats have motion sensors to heat or cool your room only when you are at home. You can track the usage of power through an app to see how much energy you save. Through the tracking app, you will know how to lower your energy.
By using a smart thermostat, you lower energy use by up to 15 percent which means the thermostat pays for itself in less than two years.
- Reduce Your Use of Chemicals
There are so many chemicals for homeowners from floor sealers, paint, cleaning products, air fresheners, and so many more. You can reduce the chemicals you use by choosing products with organic ingredients.
Almost every product contains chemicals but some options are organic or natural. Start with eco-friendly furniture, home cleaning products, food products, and so many others.
Conclusion
Other ways to make your home eco-friendly is to plant indoor plants, upgrade energy-intensive appliances, consider composting your kitchen refuse, find ways to conserve water and use non-toxic paints and pigments and home.