Greenifying your home requires you to find ways to make your space eco-friendly, energy-efficient, and sustainable. A green home has energy-saving features that help lower your heating and cooling consumption, including higher insulation levels, daylighting, high-performance windows, passive solar, and more. This reduces greenhouse gas emissions to help rebuild the ozone layer while protecting the environment.
Green homes have excellent indoor air quality because the materials used generate little to no volatile organic compounds. They also use less water and have a higher resale value than similar conventional properties. Greenifying your property might sound complicated or costly, but it isn’t. Here are seven ways to greenify your home.
1. Install solar panels
Solar panels are an excellent option for green home improvement projects. While they might seem like a prohibitive install due to the high initial investment, they can be cost-effective in the long run, especially if you plan on living in your home for a long time. Since governments are beginning to discover the benefits of solar energy, you can leverage the available rebates, tax credits, and refunds to help lessen the cost of solar panels.
With solar power, you no longer have to worry about high energy bills for many years. Solar panel installation isn’t a project you can DIY. It requires experienced and skilled professionals such as solar installers Brisbane to avoid roof damages and ensure the panels are correctly installed for optimal function and longevity.
2. Address household leaks
Leaky pipes, shower heads, toilets, and faucets waste a lot of water. EPA says that 10% of homes have leaks that result in 90 gallons of wastage or more daily, with the average household leaks accounting for over 10,000 gallons of waste wasted each year, which translates to the amount of water required to clean 270 loads of laundry. Inspect your home to identify leaky pipes and get them fixed immediately.
You should also look at the water pressure because it can destroy faucets, water connections, and the water heater if it’s too high. Leaky air ducts result in your HVAC system working harder to maintain your desired temperature. Check your air ducts to ensure they don’t have leaks and are functional.
3. Install energy-efficient lighting
Incandescent bulbs consume a lot of energy and don’t last long, requiring frequent replacement. Consider shifting to eco-friendly lighting, including LEDs, dimmable lights, and smart bulbs. They’re long-lasting and don’t have to be replaced as often as their conventional counterparts. You can save more energy by turning off lights when leaving a room and trying to let in more natural light during the day instead of using artificial lighting.
4. Consider energy star appliances
Energy Star is a symbol found on certified energy-efficient appliances. Old and inefficient appliances consume a lot of energy, increasing your utility bills. Replacing them with Energy Star Certified appliances, including dishwashers, microwaves, fridges, laundry machines, and laptops, can help you conserve energy and reduce the associated costs.
5. Plant more trees
HVAC systems consume a lot of energy to cool your space. Planting trees strategically around your backyard can provide sufficient shade while cooling down your home. You can sit under the shade on hot days to reduce your cooling needs.
6. Adopt green cleaning products
Harsh cleaning products contain chemicals and aren’t good for the environment. Green cleaning products don’t have hazardous chemicals, so they’re likely to pose lesser health risks. Since they contain harsh chemicals that can significantly pollute water or the air, they’re safer for the environment. When shopping for green products, consider whether they’re biodegradable or not. The safest green cleaning products are non-toxic, they come in bulk and recyclable packaging, are phosphate-free, have natural fragrances, and their labels contain full disclosure of inactive and active ingredients.
They’re also free of hypochlorite, chlorine, and dyes. Alternatively, you can consider the natural cleaning products made at home using baking soda, vinegar, castile soap, and tea tree oil. Using these items, you can make disinfectants, all-purpose cleaners, glass and drain cleaners, multipurpose scrubs, laundry detergents, and air fresheners.
7. Consider a native lawn
A generic glass lawn can be costly regarding the fertilizers, chemicals, and water required to care for it. Most homeowners want to plant grass lawns where they can’t survive. This causes them to use a lot of water and fertilizers to keep the grass going. Before adding grass to your yard, consider checking the local nursery for native plants that can survive in your region’s climate. The professionals there can advise you on removing your existing grass lawn to replace it with a more natural one.
Endnote
Greenifying your home can help you conserve energy, water, and money while protecting the environment by reducing your carbon footprint. Consider using these tips to greenify your home.
