Make Your Home More Sustainable

published May 23, 2019
2 min read

Sustainable House

With each passing day, the green movement is gaining more and more momentum. Therefore, it’s no wonder that more and more people are looking for ways they can incorporate some of the eco-friendly and sustainable solutions into their living environments.

If you look at all the perks that sustainable living brings along, it comes as no surprise that it became so popular.

That being said, let’s see what are some of the ways you can make your home more sustainable and create a healthier and eco-friendlier living environment while, at the same time, reducing your carbon footprint.

Make Use of the Latest Technology

Since we are already living in the age of technology, there really is no reason you shouldn’t include every single gadget that can help you on your road to sustainability in your home. So, first, consider installing light dimmers to all of your lighting sources, so that you can control the amount of illumination you have in your home at any given moment. Furthermore, you can also install a smart meter.

This little gadget allows you to monitor the amount of heat you have in your home, because more often than not, during the colder months we tend to leave our heaters on longer than necessary. And since our water and home heating systems are probably the biggest energy wasters in our households, this is definitely something you should look into.

Invest in Energy Efficiency

Your next step should be investing in energy-efficient solutions that will further reduce the amount of energy your household uses on a daily basis. Here, you should first consider installing a solar panel system that will allow you to “get off the grid” and use solely renewable solar energy.

Additionally, you should replace all of your doors and windows with double glazed alternatives to prevent the conditioned indoor air from escaping. Furthermore, replace all of your incandescent light bulbs with energy-efficient LED ones. LED light bulbs use far less energy than the incandescent ones, they last much longer and they are excellent at mimicking natural light, which is perfect for any indoor setting.

Finally, depending on your budget, you should replace all of your appliances with Energy Star-rated energy-efficient ones that not only perform better but save energy as well.

Insulate Your Home

Next, you should also make sure that your home is well insulated. The fact of the matter is that replacing the in-wall insulation is not only complicated and time-consuming, but it will also cost a lot of money. That is why you should inspect your current insulation and if you determine that it needs some improvement, insulate the walls from the outside

. This way, you will get the same results – your home will retain the conditioned indoor air better, but you won’t spend tons of money in the process. Furthermore, make sure all of your floors are covered with some type of flooring – woollen rugs are probably the best choice, to make them warmer and more comfortable in general.

Green House

Green up the Space

Moreover, while there certainly are different devices designed to purify the indoor air, and they are great – don’t get us wrong, the best way to approach this matter is to green up your home – literally.

Therefore, you should get various plants for your indoors, depending on the amount of light you have in your home. Plants such as Zamia, fiddle-leaf fig tree, spider plant, and various succulents are super-easy to maintain and are excellent at purifying the indoor air.

Furthermore, you can even green up the exterior of your home by creating a beautiful vertical garden that can also double as additional insulation. Aside from that, fill your yard with different plants native to the area where you live not only to make your yard more beautiful but also to provide various insects and small creatures with a nice natural shelter.

Create a Rainwater Collecting System

Finally, you should create a water collecting system and use it to water your plants – both the indoor and the outdoor ones. The fact of the matter is that rainwater contains a lot of particles that are quite favourable to plants – more favourable than tap water for sure, so this is a great way not only to save tap water but to reuse the rainwater as well.

Therefore, if you are looking for different ways you can make your home more sustainable and reduce its carbon footprint, consider trying out some – or all – of these ideas. And while it is undoubtedly true that some of these upgrades will require you to set aside a considerable budget, all of them will certainly pay off in the long run. If you don’t truly believe that, just calculate how much money you can potentially save by reducing your utility bill for as low as 10%.