5 Eco-Friendly Ideas for the Home

5 ECO-FRIENDLY IDEAS FOR THE HOME

As the importance of sustainability and other environmental issues becomes more apparent, home and business owners are looking for eco-friendly options. They want to reduce their carbon footprint, avoid adding to landfills, reuse materials when possible, minimize the consumption of valuable resources, and find ways to make a more positive impact. Fortunately, there are more eco-friendly products and solutions than ever that help to make this possible. Here are just a few ideas you may be able to incorporate into your home.

Make the Switch to Energy Efficient Light Bulbs

One way to be more eco-friendly is to simply develop better habits. Be sure to turn the lights off when you aren’t in the room and unplug sockets when they aren’t in use. You can take this up to the next level by making the switch to energy-efficient bulls. While you will pay more upfront to purchase them, they will reduce carbon emissions and last much longer.

Install a Smart Thermostat

Install a Smart Thermostat

These products are relatively affordable and will allow you to program temperature preferences and control the thermostat from your phone. For example, you can automatically drop the indoor temperature while you are work and have the furnace kick on 30 minutes before you arrive home. Not only is conserving energy better for the environment, it will also help to reduce monthly energy bills.

Add Insulation

If you aren’t ready to invest in something like solar panels, adding high-quality insulation is a simple and inexpensive way to use less energy by making sure that hot and cold air doesn’t escape. Pay special attention to insulating around the roof. Even putting down more area rugs on wood floors can make a home more eco-friendly and energy-efficient.

Reuse Construction Materials

Over the life of your home, you will need to replace certain items. Unfortunately, bathtubs, water heaters, sinks, and other essentials don’t last forever, but you may be surprised to learn just how many of these things can be reused rather than replaced. Tiles, sinks, countertops, and bathtubs throughout the bathroom and kitchen can be resurfaced. This process restores these items, adds years of life and you can even change the color and texture. Resurfacing costs a fraction of replacement and significantly reduces waste.

Use an Eco-Friendly Low-Flow Showerhead

Water is a precious resource and one that is all too easy to waste. From dishwashers, showers, sinks, outdoor faucets, and washing machines, there are a lot of opportunities to overuse water. Be sure to avoid letter water run when you brush your teeth or handwash dishes and install a low-flow showerhead. The right showerhead can save 160,000 liters of water per family.

If you want to create a more eco-friendly household, there are plenty of small changes you can make. You might even be surprised to see that these changes both make your home more comfortable and save you money both in the short and long term. For more ideas and to schedule your kitchen or bathroom resurfacing consultation, contact Affordable Refinishing today.