Eco-Friendly Household: Transforming Your Home
It can be hard to think about making some eco-friendly adjustments because there are so many different ways to describe anything as “eco-friendly”: green, sustainable, energy-efficient, etc.
With only a few simple steps, you can start building an eco-friendly home. You can make significant improvements when you start to save more money. You might be shocked to learn that protecting the environment might also help you save money!
Energy efficient windows for eco-friendly home
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Your windows usually let air seep in if your home is older. Modern double-paned windows insulate better than single-paned ones. Replace obsolete single-pane windows with energy-efficient ones to save up to $465 annually.
For replacing outdated windows with energy-efficient ones, there are a number of tax benefits offered in the US. For a complete list of these credits, visit the US Department of Energy’s website.
Skylight in your eco-friendly home
When installed properly, a skylight can reduce your energy usage while illuminating your home with lovely natural light. In order to get the most out of your skylight, it’s crucial to take location into account. Consult an architect or designer.
An eco-friendly skylight is more than just a glass-filled opening in the roof. There are many energy-efficient skylights available on the market, but to ensure their efficiency and safety, they should always be professionally installed.
Sustainable flooring
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A home’s value and aesthetic appeal are increased by hardwood floors, but many of the trees used to make them take several years to mature. If you need to replace the flooring in your home, think about selecting sustainable materials like bamboo. Bamboo is still beautiful and strong while growing swiftly and requiring less land.
Another alternative for sustainable wood flooring is cork. Since cork is softer than bamboo, it muffles noise and provides a plush underfoot feel. It can occasionally be less resilient than bamboo.
Planting trees in a eco-friendly home
Having shade trees around your home throughout the summer may help you use less energy to cool it. If your site doesn’t already have any shade trees, it will be a while before you start to benefit fully from this phase.
In addition to providing shade, trees also release oxygen and significantly absorb carbon dioxide. One tree has the capacity to produce four people’s worth of oxygen in a single day.
Try to work around existing trees when building a new house. Even your home’s architecture might embrace them, such as by adding a terrace beneath a huge oak tree with plenty of shade.
Near the south and west sides of your home, plant deciduous trees (trees that lose their leaves every year). By doing so, they can protect your home from the summer’s intense afternoon sun while allowing sunshine to enter during the winter.
Applying cooling roofs
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Cool roofs don’t absorb sunlight; they reflect it. This lowers the energy use in your house. Additionally, it might make your roof last longer. People who live in hot regions benefit most from these roofs since they lessen the need for air conditioning.
There are numerous warehouses and home improvement businesses that sell cool roof coatings. These coatings may be applied pretty quickly and are similar to incredibly thick paint. They typically have pigments that reflect light, rather than absorbing it, and are white or very pale in color. Applying cool roof coatings to shingle roofs is not advised.
If your roof slopes steeply, you might want to think about switching to cool asphalt shingles. These tiles include grains that have been deliberately created to reflect sunlight.
A metal roof already reflects a great deal of sunlight. However, because of how much heat these roofs absorb, you may need more electricity during the summer. It is possible to improve the energy efficiency of your metal roof by painting it a light color or using a cool roof coating.
Composite toilet: eco-friendly home
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Unlike conventional toilets, composting toilets often don’t “flush” with water. They can also turn a variety of human wastes into fertilizer for use in farming. Although they initially cost more to install than standard toilets, they are much more environmentally friendly and will ultimately pay for themselves.
In a rural or suburban location, composting toilets are typically the simplest to construct and maintain. Installing and maintaining a composting toilet could be more challenging if you live in an apartment or urban high-rise.
Durable sliding
Water and pests are naturally repelled by materials like cedar. They are also robust and require little upkeep. Use more environmentally friendly siding in place of old aluminum siding.
Other environmentally friendly siding possibilities include particle board and fiber cement board. These are strong and long-lasting. Search for products that weren’t produced with formaldehyde.
Talking with a designing team
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Consider discussing a “whole-house systems approach” with a design team if you are building a new home or performing substantial modifications on an older one. This thorough approach takes into account a variety of aspects of your home, such as the local temperature, the unique features of your site, your appliance requirements, etc. A whole-house systems approach can significantly lower your energy use because it takes all these aspects into consideration.
A programable thermostat
When you’re not home, a programmed thermostat can keep your home at the desired temperature. A programmable thermostat, for instance, can maintain the inside temperature higher than you typically would while you are out at work and only turn on the air conditioning when you return home. One correctly used can result in annual savings of up to $180.
Before purchasing a programmable thermostat, do some research. Yours could not wind up saving you money or energy if it is difficult to use.
Replacing old appliances
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Older appliances like water heaters, fridges, and stoves may be wasting a lot of electricity. Your home will consume less energy if you swap out such items for ones that have earned the Energy Star certification. For changing out outdated, inefficient items with new eco-friendly ones, tax rebates are frequently available. For a complete list of these credits, visit the US Department of Energy’s website.
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