72% of consumers have admitted that they have begun purchasing more eco-friendly products. This isn’t just in terms of the products that they’re using for everyday needs. It’s also in terms of the way that they are running their homes.
More people are looking to create eco-friendly homes and live in a way that is much more sustainable for themselves and the environment. If you’re someone that’s looking to create an environmentally friendly home, you’ve come to the right place.
Below you’re going to find some useful tips that will help you start green living today.
1. Use of Solar Energy
When you use solar power, it reduces the amount of oil and gas that you need to produce electricity in and around your home. Solar energy is 100% renewable energy and helps your home become green in several ways.
Not only does it protect the environment, but in the long run, it’ll save you loads of money as far as your electric bill is concerned. If you’re searching for solar providers near me, you don’t have to look too far.
Once you’re aware of the benefits of solar panels, you’ll be wondering why you didn’t think about having them installed years ago.
2. Switch Your Lightbulbs
Instead of using regular lightbulbs, we recommend that you switch to using LED lightbulbs. LED bulbs use less energy, and there aren’t any harmful chemicals used during the LED bulb’s manufacturing process.
Most of the energy that your lightbulbs consume is wasted. This is primarily because of heat loss, but you don’t have to worry about that happening with LED bulbs.
LED bulbs don’t contain a filament, which means the bulbs stay much cooler than others. Not to mention when you’re done using the LED bulb, you can recycle them instead of throwing them away.
3. Programmable Thermostats
Programmable thermostats are becoming a staple in homes where sustainability is at the forefront of the homeowner’s mind. You might not realize that a large part of your electric bill is due to your thermostat’s constant running.
With a programmable thermostat, you’re able to keep your home at a constant temperature and save money at the same time. With these thermostats, you can program it based on your family’s schedule.
This means that when you’re not home, the thermostat isn’t running. It also increases the overall efficiency of your home.
4. Think Compost
If you’re truly thinking about sustainability and ways to achieve this, we’re sure you’ve thought of starting a garden. There’s nothing better than planting seeds and watching the fruits of your labor grow into foods that you and your family can enjoy year-round.
Instead of purchasing fertilizer from the store, which has various chemicals and pollutants in it, you should think about creating your own compost bin. When you have your own compost, you can use it to enrich the soil that your plants are growing in, and it also helps the growth of good bacteria.
5. Reusable Bags Are In
In 2018 alone, the landfill has 27 million tons of plastic sitting in it. Much of this plastic is due to the bags that we bring home from the grocery store or the plastic that comes with other goods consumers have purchased.
Instead of using plastic bags when you go to the grocery store, do your best to bring reusable ones. Not only will you get multiple uses out of these bags, but you’ll also reduce your footprint when it comes to the amount of plastic that winds up in the garbage.
6. Use Cold Water for Laundry
You might be wondering what the water temperature you use for laundry has to do with sustainability. Most of the energy that’s used when washing clothes comes from the machine heating your water.
When you use cold water, you cut down on the amount of energy it takes to wash clothes dramatically. When you use cold water instead of hot water, it reduces the overall amount of carbon dioxide emissions that your home contributes to the environment.
7. Pay Bills Online
While most companies are switching to online bill payment, some people and companies are sticking to the old-fashioned way of doing things. When you opt for paperless billing, not only does it reduce the amount of paper that’s being mailed and used each billing cycle, but it also gives you more time to pay your bills.
Paperless billing is also a way of protecting your personal information from scammers. Instead of sending all your information to your mailbox, you can simply log in online and pay your bill there.
Depending on the utility companies that you’re using, you might even be given a discount on your bill for choosing to go the paperless route.
8. Conduct Energy Audits
If you’re already in the process of choosing ways to make your home more sustainable, another way to do this is to have regular energy audits performed. An energy audit will give you a report of how the energy in your home is being used.
Once you receive this report, you can review it and find ways to cut down on energy usage where necessary. The audit will also show you if your home has issues such as leaks or problems with proper ventilation.
How to Create an Eco-Friendly Home
There are tons of ways to create an eco-friendly home, and we’ve shared some of our top ideas with you. It’s a good idea to create your own compost, especially if you’re thinking about starting a garden.
And when it comes to finding new energy sources for your family to use, solar energy is the way to go because it’s a renewable source. After hearing how you can go green, we know that you’re excited to start making the necessary changes.
We’ve got tons of other articles that will prove useful to you as you get things going. Don’t hesitate to scroll through this section in search of other useful ideas and information.
