10 Ways to Make Your Home More Sustainable

There are so many ways through which you can make your apartment green. Some of these ideas will require significant cash input, while others will only require a lifestyle change. This is water collected from sinks, tubs, showers and washing machines as long as there’s no fecal contamination. The same is true for non-standard toilet cisterns and shower heads. You can shore up efficiency in your home by making small changes to manage water usage. Including herbs in your apartment gives you double benefits. The herb acts as an air filter while others can also be consumed.

Radiator valves are pretty inexpensive and are easy to install. While making your home more eco-friendly may seem daunting, it doesn’t have to be. Start by making one change at a time; before you know it, you will have created a more sustainable lifestyle for yourself and your family. Older showerheads release approximately five gallons of water a minute, which adds up quickly, especially if you have multiple people showering in the house.

Sustainable Products and Services

Gaps in wooden floorboards can make your home cold and uncomfy and wastes a ton of energy. You can try non-toxic sealants, underlay, or hardboard, which will save you money and energy. Natural insulation materials include hemp, cellulose, wood fiber, and grass. Many of them are biodegradable and safe to handle unlike traditional insulation made from fiberglass. Many of the natural ones listed here also help to control humidity in the home by absorbing moisture when it’s humid and releasing it when the air is dryer.

• Compared to traditional energy, solar is the cleaner and a more sustainable alternative power source.
• Despite keeping your windows closed, heat and cold air can still creep in.
• The rugs made from 100% cotton monks cloth are a great sustainable alternative to nylon backed rugs.
• Reclaimed wood can be used in the construction, flooring, or even for decorative exposed beams to give your home a cabin feel.

Well, according to a study from McMaster University, the data centers that drive our electronics consume quite a bit of energy, and a majority of them are powered by fossil fuels. “For every text message, for every phone call, every video you upload or download, there’s a data center making this happen… consume a lot of energy to serve you,” said study authorLotfi Belkhir. Instead of wasting energy on electronics, try entertaining yourself with these20 Genius Ways to Kill Time without a Smartphone. In perhaps the greatest news of all time, energy-saving experts are advisingnotto pre-wash your dishes before throwing them in the dishwasher. Instead, ditch the double wash and scrape any leftover food into the compost, then pop your dishes straight into the machine. The slow, excruciating drip of a leaky faucet is enough to drive anyone insane.

Install Artificial Grass

Instead of changing all the lights in your home all at once, that’s way too expensive, switch to more energy-efficient ones as they burn out. If you notice your energy costs are on the high side you can switch out the bulbs to more efficient ones in the rooms you use the most, like the kitchen, living room, and tv room. These are the rooms where the lights stay on longer than in other areas, so you want to make sure you’re not wasting your money. If you have a dining room for example that you only for special occasions, worry about that room last. Whether you opt for paper or plastic is irrelevant, so long as you reuse the bags you get from the grocery store. An extensive report from the Environment Agency determined that paper bags must be reused at least thrice to compensate for their environmental effects compared to those of plastic bags. And reusable cotton bags have to be reused at least 131 times to break even with a plastic bag due to the environmental impact of their production.

Energy-wise it’s still better than using the hot water one, but also more efficient for cleaning than the cold water setting. Double-pane windows help keep cold air out in the winter and heat from the sun out in the summer. The high-performing windows can reduce the amount of heat escaping by up to 50%. For an extra environmentally-friendly touch, add sustainable blinds made from hemp or bamboo, or cotton curtains for a cozy and quiet bedroom. Making the switch to eco-friendly cleaning products helps reduce harmful chemicals that are being released into the environment, creates better air quality, and creates a safer home. Ditching the toxic, hazardous chemicals found in conventional cleaning products will help improve earth’s eco-systems. Eco-conscious homeowners will want to pay attention to the materials used for insulations as well.

Buy Pre-Loved Products

Washing your laundry in hot water uses a lot more energy than you think, and it’s not always necessary to get your clothes clean. Something as simple as recycling and repurposing old goods can have a major impact on our environment. Instead of adding more material to landfills, try finding a new use for old furniture and décor. Many times, just simply refinishing an old piece of furniture like an armoire or dresser can give it a whole new look, and the piece can be reused in another area of your home. If reusing certain items is not possible in your home, consider donating the items instead. Not only will this help keep down our overflowing landfills, but it will also help out your neighbors who might be have the perfect purpose for the items you no longer use. Insulation can be blown directly into your attic, making it an easy-yet-green addition to an existing house.

When deciding any aspect of the design of your new home, do a quick search to see if there are greener alternatives or repurposed products to those you find in the mainstream market. The experts agree, bamboo is one of the best materials How to make your home more environmentally friendly to use in an eco-friendly home. LoadUp professionally disposes of your old items in the most eco-friendly way possible. Kristina Zagame is a journalist and content writer with expertise in solar and other energy-related topics.

Ways to Make Your Home More Eco-Friendly

Energy-saving light bulbs also known as compact fluorescent light bulbs use about 5 times less energy than their incandescent counterpart. They also tend to last way longer which ends up saving you more money in the long run. Installing a programmable thermostat to effectively monitor your heating and cooling systems can slash your heating bill by up to 15 percent a year. Check out these20 Healthy Living Rules You Should Live By. As much as 30 percent of the air moving through your duct system is lost to leaks.

• Investing in good window shades is also a sustainable choice, helping to keep temperatures cooler in the summer without having to crank the AC.
• Typical household paint can contain up to 10,000 chemicals, many of which could be harmful.
• Instead of halogen spotlights try LEDs (light-emitting diodes).
• Good insulation helps hold in the heat, meaning you don’t need to burn energy reheating the home all of the time.
• Just think about all the natural resources you’re saving by using recycled steel versus having to harvest all the materials to create the steel for your home.
• In the end, you will save time, money and energy that would be required to produce a similar and newer product.

If your windows are more than 10 years old, replacing them may put an end to your skyrocketing heating and cooling bills. If you have single-glazed windows or poorly insulated window frames you might want to consider an upgrade. You can actually do this on your own, it’s cheap and super effective. Heating is responsible for more than 75% of the energy consumption of the average Canadian household and around half of that heat loss is happening because the attic is poorly insulated. A well-insulated attic will save you about a third of your heating costs.

Up to 90% of the energy used by a washing machine goes toward heating water, according to Energy Star. So skip the heating and just use your washing machine on the cold water setting. This way, you reduce carbon dioxide emission but you also keep your clothes in top condition for longer, as hot water can deteriorate the fabric and make your colorful clothes less vibrant. Opting for cold water when washing your clothing can reduce your energy consumption and financial expenses. Hot water heating accounts for about 90 percent of the energy that washing machines use. Turning down your hater water heater by 10 degrees can save 3 to 5 percent on energy costs. Dropping your water heater from 140 degrees to 120 degrees comes at no cost to you while saving you roughly $40 – $60 a year.