If you are keen to give your home a bit of an eco friendly overhaul, the chances are that you care about the environment and the aims of people like Greta Thunberg resonate with you. While you do take an annual long haul flight to get away from it all for your summer vacations, and you don’t yet have a hybrid car, you can still do your bit to help the environment. You need to consider how much you have to spend on your energy efficient renovations. While many of the latest sustainable initiatives cost money to set up, they will save you cash in the long run as well as benefiting the environment. Read on to discover how you can make your home energy efficient.
Heating
Your heating bill probably costs you a small fortune each year, so it would be wise to speculate to accumulate with this utility bill. Consider installing a smart thermostat that you can control from any wireless enabled device. If you are at work and you notice that the weather is bitterly cold, you can set your heating to switch on thirty minutes before you arrive home. This means your home is toasty warm and you won’t have to wait for it to heat up. At the same time, if you are on holiday for a week and the weather is unseasonably warm, you can turn your heating off altogether saving you money and making your home energy efficient.
You also need to focus on the integrity of your home. Look up and check your roof. Hot air rises, and you need good insulation to ensure that the heat you generate remains within your four walls. Any holes in your tiles or cracks need to be sealed or your slate replaced. The same goes for your windows. Your glazing needs to be top notch. Any dodgy seals can lead to heat escaping and droughts entering your home. This can be a disaster when trying to control the temperature of your interior. You could also try an energy efficient type of drapery. Many people ask, do thermal curtains really work? and when fitted correctly, close to the frame, they can make your home retain more heat. This can save you money on your heating bill.
Solar Power
Utilizing the power of the sun can be worthwhile, especially if you live in an area that is blessed with many hours of sunlight all year around. Installing solar panels on your roof or in your back garden is a costly exercise. However, the amount of energy that you generate can be phenomenal. This means that you can heat your water, heat your home and power your boiler without the need for any third party companies. You might even have excess amounts of energy that you can sell back to the utility company.
Being self sufficient and generating your own power doesn’t have to be solely done via solar panels. You might also want to explore the option of mini wind turbines that you can install on your roof or in your rear yard.
Food
Food miles have exploded in recent years as more and more people are keen to experiment with exotic flavors. That means we can get food all year round and we no longer have to rely on seasonality. With more food miles comes a greater carbon footprint. To reduce this, you can grow your own vegetables. While you might not be able to go fully self sufficient, you could have a go at sowing some potatoes, carrots and peas. You might even fancy a greenhouse to help grow salad like rocket, cucumber and tomatoes. This can be an excellent way of getting your offspring more engaged with being outside rather than hooked up to a laptop all day every day.
You could also explore the world of veganism. While you still love your meat, you can be veggie for a couple of days each week. This can have a positive impact on your health and could see you shifting a few pounds. It will also help you hone your cooking skills and be a bit more imaginative with vegetables. Meat production uses lots of energy and has a large carbon footprint, so cutting down on meat in your diet can help the environment.
Set a great example to your little darlings and try to have a more sustainable home. While being energy efficient isn’t easy, you can have a positive impact on the planet by following this guide.
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