Easy Ways to Make Your Home Eco-Friendly and Sustainable

Going environmentally friendly is the new thing around the block, and we’re in full support of it. From making greener choices to limiting one’s single-use items, sustainable is definitely the new sexy. Green homes are definitely not something you should ignore, too! Opting for more eco-friendly fixtures and materials makes for an Ideal house.

Did you know that constructing a new house produces up to 80 tonnes of CO² emissions, which has the same amount as greenhouse gas emissions of 17 cars in just a single year? If these numbers aren’t enough to make you conscious of just how much impact we have on the environment, it’s been found that buildings made up 32% of all energy use in 2010, contributing 19% to global greenhouse gas emissions.

This is when sustainable homes take the limelight as the best options for both its inhabitants, and the environment, A sustainable house is one of the solutions that can contribute to helping the earth heal.

Apart from being eco-friendly, it’s good for your health and budget, too! With more and more millennials as part of the housing market, ‘wellness-minded’ structures and homes are gaining popularity. These homes are built to be as self-sufficient as possible, while having low-impact compared to traditional building methods and materials.

Sustainable homes have definitely lived up to the hype, but if you’re wondering if it’s the right choice for you or your family, we’re here to help you out.

Why should you switch to a green home?

In a nutshell, a sustainable or green home is healthier, more durable, and more cost-effective. It causes a butterfly effect of good impact on you, your family, your community, and the earth you inhabit. A green home is able to consume less natural resources, energy, and water. It even produces less waste and consumes fewer chemicals to build and maintain.

This is just a brief overview of just how good a green home can be for you. We can’t say enough positive things about making the eco-friendly switch, which is why we’ve made a list of just why this is the right choice for you.

1. Reduced Environmental Impact

At the heart of a sustainable home is the desire to reduce one’s negative environmental impact. If you build a home that is made to last, it noticeably lessens your environmental footprint.

Just think about how many times you have to replace mundane things like carpets, or decking every year or so. You will have to throw out the old and purchase new fixtures, and factor in the construction costs and effects. These are small changes in your home that can cause a ripple of effect. The disposed material has to be thrown out to eventually end up in landfill. On the other hand, the replacement must be sourced, produced, delivered, and installed.

These are things in your home that you don’t think much about when it comes to its effects but, trust us: it may very well be the feather that tips the scale.

On the flip side, green homes can be your contribution to helping make the world a better place.

Sustainable homes give sensible alternatives from the root. It involves choosing the most environmentally-conscious materials and installation. Every facet of a green home is built with the goal of lessening energy consumption. Thus, these green homes can effectively reduce emissions that add to climate change.

To add to all of this, you’ll also be a positive influence to everyone around you just by focusing on your own house. If more and more people can take small steps for sustainable living, you’ll be able to spread a cultural value that will greatly impact the environment.

The next time you invite someone over to your home, your eco-friendly alternatives are a great conversation starter! Talk about how much it has greatly improved your quality of life, and you’ll be doing the whole world a favour.

2. Cost Efficient

It goes without saying that using second-hand or recycled materials and fixtures can do wonders for your budget. It’s a tangible saving that you’ll be able to immediately feel from the start! However, this isn’t the only way a sustainable home is cost-efficient.

Green alternatives to traditional appliances are available as well. Everyone’s well versed with and familiar with solar panels, but innovation has come a long way. There are more ways than one now to the conventional counterparts that we’re used to. Those are proven to be very harmful to the environment and its maintenance costs may be considerably denting your household funds.

For sustainable options, it may seem like a huge investment but a quick calculation will show you that you’ll definitely reap the benefits later on. The savings will come later on, and you’ll be making full use of a durable and eco-friendly alternative.

Energy-efficient options like these are also able to keep your utility bills smaller. These environmentally friendly alternatives are helping you save some money and dedicate them for your own pleasure or any other needs that you may have.

Since green homes are built with durable and long-lasting products, you’ll rarely find yourself needing replacements or repairs. For all intents and purposes, your initial investment is something that you’ll be reaping the benefits of for years to come.

3. Healthier Environment for You and Your Family

Here’s the fact construction companies tend to keep from you: traditional building materials aren’t good for the health of a home’s inhabitants. VOCs or volatile organic compounds are discovered to be toxicants, carcinogens, or irritants that can be spotted in materials, paints, products, plastics, and others.

These dangerous chemicals don’t suddenly go dormant a few weeks after the home has been built. Harmful chemicals linger, and can cause an adverse effect on your health overtime. Other building materials are even found to foster moisture build up hat leads to mildew problems or toxic mould.

If that’s not scary enough, moulds and VOCs are known to cause air pollution problems. The silver lining here is healthy, eco-friendly materials that will protect you and your loved ones’ health as well as the environment’s.

Now that we’ve listed down the top 3 reasons why you should make the switch to a green home, you may be brimming with questions. How exactly does one start? Don’t fret, because we’re here to help you out.

Ways That You Can Incorporate Renewable Energy Sources into Your Home

• Air Source Heat Pumps

Air Source Heat Pumps can but your heating costs by half compared to direct electricity. It makes use of outdoor air and can fully function even if the external temperature drops to minus 20°C!

This is a great option to keep your family warm during the colder months for less of the cost that you normally have. Most households see a spike in their power bill during the winter because they need heating but, with Air Source Heat Pumps, you’ll be cutting your costs by around half of its usual!

• Wind Turbines

Now, wind turbines are commonly found in large plots of land with houses that are spaced well in between. This is because the larger kinds of wind turbines may be causing noise disturbance to your neighbours. However, if you’re situated somewhere in which there’s a considerable amount of space, then wind turbines are a great option for you to harness energy.

Wind turbines don’t cause pollution and are renewable. Just a single one can be enough to supply energy for an entire household!

• Solar Water Heating

Everybody likes taking hot showers, but what if there was a way to help the earth while unwinding?

Solar Water Heating is a cost-effective way to supply hot water throughout your home. They can be utilised through any climate, and is powered by a free resource: sunshine!

A small change such as switching out your traditional water heater to solar water heating will be doing wonders for your wallet.

• Solar Power/Photovoltaic

Solar Power is pretty much a blanket resource or every type of appliance in your home. We previously mentioned utilising sunshine for specific purposes, but Solar Photovoltaic can power just about anything.

Basically, it converts light energy into usable electricity for your home. It’s tough and strong enough to supply power to your whole home, which can save you utility costs!

• Hydropower

For those of you that have houses or rest homes that are situated near running water, you should definitely think about harnessing the water cycle’s kinetic energy to provide electricity. It requires no fuels to be burnt, and you won’t be putting out direct emissions in the atmosphere. Due to this, hydropower is considered one of the cleanest ways to generate electricity.

Eco-friendly homes are definitely getting hype and attention, but it lives up to its fame. Green homes can reduce your environmental footprint, save you money, and provide a healthier environment for you and your loved ones. You don’t need to make a complete change overnight, but consider our suggestions above to take small steps to a greener future!

Want to help the earth while keeping your family safe? Renewable Specialist is a multi-award winning family business established in 2015. If you’ve been looking for renewable energy alternatives, drop by our site!