If you are thinking about the planet then you may be wondering how you can make your home more eco-friendly. There are a lot of stories in the media about how you can be more conscious of the planet and the environment. However, these can often be misleading and you may never know which ones to believe. Making small changes now will make a world of difference to not only your home but the planet as well. You don’t have to spend a fortune making changes to your home and lifestyle. Take a look below for some inspiration on making your home more eco-friendly.
Lighting
When it comes to being eco-friendly, you may need to grow accustomed to turning the lights off. When you leave lights on around your home, the energy that is let off works its way into the atmosphere. If you are worried about your energy bills going through the roof then you may want to think about changing your old-fashioned lights to LEDs. LEDs let off less energy into the atmosphere, therefore making them not only more energy efficient but better for the environment too.
Eco-Friendly Products
There is nothing worse than using a plastic bottle and throwing it away to end up in the sea or rotting away in a landfill. Nowadays, you can reuse these plastic bottles as a lot of brands and supermarkets are offering refillable products. A great example of this could be washing up liquid, hand soap, and washing detergent. All you need to do is take your empty bottle or container along and fill it at the designated place. Alternatively, you can buy specific eco-friendly products that don’t contain any harsh chemicals that will endanger your health or the health of the planet.
Recycle
This one may seem obvious but there are still people out there who have no interest in recycling. Recycling takes the items you can use again and keeps them away from landfill sites. It can be confusing knowing which items can and can’t be recycled. This is why packaging will now tell you if it can be recycled. If it can’t then it may state to take it elsewhere to recycle it rather than throwing it in your general waste bin. A lot of homes come complete with a recycling bin that you can fill each week.
Solar Panels
One of the things we have on the list is on the pricier side. However, what if we told you that this slightly more expensive thing could save you more than half of your energy bill? Solar panels have been around for years, however, a lot more people are signing up for them now since the energy price hike. You may be wondering how much do solar panels cost?. Solar panels can vary in price depending on how many you are having installed. A good range to keep in your head would be around $10,000 to $26,000.
Fix That Leaky Tap
If you have noticed a leaky, dripping tap lately then you need to tighten that faucet. A drippy faucet can end up wasting a whole load of water that isn’t necessary. There is no need to call a plumber as you can do this simple job yourself. If you are unsure of how to do it then take a look at online videos. If you want to know the stats of how much water a leaky faucet will waste then here it is. That leaking faucet will end up wasting five gallons of water a day for every second and every drip.
Reduce Baths, Shorten Showers
If you are a person that prefers baths over showers then we have bad news. The average bath will waste around 50 gallons of water. When you compare this to a shower that will only use around 25 gallons then this is the more environmentally friendly option. It can be so tempting to run a long, hot bath when you get in from work. Think of the time and water you will save if you simply jump in the shower instead.
Get Rid Of The Dryer
You may be among the 80% of homes that own a tumble dryer. This is a huge amount of heat that is entering the atmosphere when they are being used. Tumble dryers are also not too kind to your energy bills and you can see the numbers spinning if you use them with a smart meter. Getting rid of your tumble dryer might seem drastic but your wallet will thank you for it in the long run. You can dry your clothes outside on a line or over the radiators in your home. Be aware of condensation and dampness when you dry clothes indoors.
Grow Your Own
Another thing you can do to create an eco-friendly home is to grow your fruit and vegetables. Growing your own in the comfort of your own home and garden means you are cutting down on the carbon footprints from supermarkets and transport companies. The food you have grown yourself also won’t contain any nasty chemicals that farmers put on their crops.
Insulate Your Home
Finally, if you have a home that is on the older side then you might find that it doesn’t retain heat very well. If this is the case then it may be worthwhile looking into insulating your home. The majority of heat is lost through the roof, windows, and doors. Insulation can be installed on the roof and in the walls to help keep the heat in for a little bit longer. You might think that this will cost you a small fortune but it is relatively cheap, you can even do it yourself if you have the right skills. On average, it will cost you around $3000 to $7000 to insulate your home. However, this will help you to save on your energy and heating bills so it is all worth it.
We hope you found this article helpful and that it gave you plenty of inspiration on how you can make eco-friendly changes to your home and lifestyle.
