25 Ways To Make Your Home Sustainable

Natural insulation materials include hemp, cellulose, wood fiber and grass. Many of them are biodegradable and safe to handle unlike traditional insulation made from fibreglass. 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. When it comes to large projects like insulation it’s best to talk to an expert. If your house still has old drafty units that are more than 15 years old, it is time to consider a window replacement project to improve the thermal performance of your home.

Mesh bags will make life easier for you at the checkout because the cashier can see through the bag easily. For items like leafy green and mushroom, I use my muslin bags. You can find these second-hand or on trade App’s like @bunz_official or in the Brand Directory. That means keeping reusable shopping bags and mesh bags on hand all the time. Reusable shopping and produce bags are essential when you are trying to reduce waste at home. Plastic bags are literally choking the planet, globally we consume nearly 1 trillion of them a year.

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Leaking toilets and faucets may not seem like a big deal, but they can waste a lot of water. Overall, choosing artificial grass can keep the look and feel of a well-maintained, lush lawn without the added time and expense of a natural lawn. Shortening your shower by a minute or two can save up to 150 gallons of water per month. One caveat with organic cleaning products is that they’re often more expensive.

If you are retrofitting your home, implement energy efficiency tips to reduce your environmental impact. As an additional benefit, you’ll save on your electric bill. Now that you’ve read these sustainable house ideas, it’s time to put them into action so you can make your home more eco-friendly.

Not only is your electricity bill probably one of your highest, but it’s also the easiest to manage. As one of the first utilities that was revamped for newer and more sustainable options, there are plenty of eco friendly electricity options for any home. You can start conserving energy with something as simple as changing your lightbulbs. Consider replacing your regular lightbulbs with compact fluorescent lightbulbs. CFLs give off the same amount of light as your standard lightbulb, but only use between 20-30% of the energy that a standard lightbulb uses. They’ve been proven to last up to nine years while being used about 3 hours a day. Solar panels have been increasingly popular in residential home design recently.

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The bristles are made from sustainably farmed coconut husk’s which is the outside of dried coconuts. You can also try to look for brushes where the handle is made from wood instead of plastic. Putting together a plastic-free cleaning kit is easier than ever. Studies have shown that anti-bacterial products can make humans resistant to antibiotics and create superbugs. You do not need to clean your home with these types of products, regular eco soap will do the job just fine.

• You can also filter your tap water coming into your home to keep microplastics out of your drinking water.
• You can get a high-quality electric water heater for as little as $500.
• Using environmentally friendly materials doesn’t mean that you have to walk on dirt floors for the rest of your life.
• 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.
• One of the easiest things you can do is learn about recycling in your area.

When it comes to sustainable house design, the first thing you’ll need to do is choose the right location. Read on for 16 sustainable house design tips to make your home as eco-friendly as possible. Energy-efficient insulation and windowsBlown-in cellulose insulation, which is wood- or paper-based, is a common eco-friendly choice. Dual-pane windows feature two layers of glass that provide https://ecosoberhouse.com/ more protection between your home and the outside elements. Low-emittance windows are coated in a material that reduces the amount of energy lost through the glass. When you’re building an eco-friendly home, you can make the project as simple or advanced as you choose. ​​Whatever level of commitment you choose, the team at Chinburg will build your new green home to ENERGY STAR® standards.

Install Sustainable Flooring

These are continually being improved, so look online for products with good reviews. There are a few cosmetic brands that are conscious about going green.

Planting trees at the south and west of your house can keep your abode a lot cooler than you think. It will help block the sunlight from falling directly on the windows, or on the walls of your house.

These products have the Energy Star logo right on them and will give you all the information you need. Many of these large appliances, especially the upscale refrigerators, generate a lot of electricity. For many people these high-end appliances are not only cost prohibitive initially, but they will end up costing a great deal more to run as well.

You may choose a sustainable tiny home or prefab house, but there are plenty of other ways to make your house more environmentally friendly. One of the most popular ways to power your home with renewable energy is using solar panels. It is relatively easy to install a solar system in your home to give you free, eco-friendly energy, while adding value to your home. Along with low energy consumption appliances, using smart home technology can also help to make your home more eco-friendly.

Even if the oven is only open for a short time it will then need to use a significant amount of energy heating back up. They could be contributing to a global environmental disaster, with billions of the sleek aluminum and plastic capsules ending up in landfill in America each year. Drink your coffee from a conventional drip coffee maker. So you really don’t want that dining room chandelier in any other room.

Sustainable House Ideas: Ready To Make Your Home More Eco

You can buy a variety of solar-powered outdoor lights, from high-powered driveway floodlights to small walkway lamps. If you live in an area that gets a lot of sun during the day, these are a great way to cut your energy consumption and still have the lights on. Because it takes all these factors into account, a whole-house systems approach can drastically reduce your energy consumption. Hardwood floors add value and beauty to a home, but many of the trees used in hardwood flooring take years to grow. If your house is up for a new floor, consider using sustainable materials such as bamboo instead. Bamboo grows very quickly and takes less land to produce, but it’s still attractive and durable.Cork is another sustainable wood flooring option.

One way to reduce your water consumption is to install low-flow shower-heads and faucet aerators in your home. Some cities also offer rebates for installing more efficient appliances like washing machines and toilets. This means you could potentially get all of your power from solar panels and significantly reduce your negative impact on the environment. Organic cleaning products use environmentally-friendly ingredients that reduce toxicity. Turning off halogen lights when not in use can also help reduce energy bill since they use the same technology as incandescent light bulbs.

Heating And Cooling

Nothing is better than using the abundant, natural sunlight to light bulbs and power fans in your house. Apart from the initial capital investment needed to install a solar-powered system, there are no additional costs to using the solar-powered energy in your home.

• These homes are usually constructed room by room, once finished, they’re transported to their permanent locations where a builder assembles the rooms to make a home.
• However, don’t worry about your roof obstructing precious winter sunlight!
• It protects the walls from any excess moisture that may compromise the structural integrity of your home.
• In this article, we break down the basics, plus give tips on how to make your home more environmentally friendly.
• By keeping your home underground, you are conserving energy and taking advantage of the Earth’s natural thermal efficiency.
• Place deciduous trees near the south and west sides of your home.

The most important decision when it comes to installing insulation is finding a qualified insulation specialist to do the job right. Look How to make your home more environmentally friendly for contractors who take the time to detect any possible deficiencies in your insulation, so you’re sure all the gaps are covered.

By using ceiling fans to circulate the air, your HVAC system won’t need to work as hard in the summer or winter months to regulate your air temperature. You can also update existing parts of your home for a fresh look without creating waste by reusing materials you already have. Instead of replacing your cabinets altogether, try giving them a fresh coat of paint.

In the case of eggs, yes, shop for cardboard, it can be recycled and even composted. Speaking of compost, what types of garbage bags are you using? But I find when you write it all out and can see it clearly on a piece of paper it makes you more aware of the waste you create and that is where the power in this exercise lies. Block soap will cost you more but lasts close to 6 months, so the savings are pretty obvious. I used to live in an apartment and used to dry some of my clothes on the radiator, turns out this is not such a great idea. When you cover a radiator it prevents the heat from circulating around the room the way it’s intended to.

Even if there are no leaks there are plenty of lifestyle changes you can make to save water. For example, you should ensure that you don’t run the tap when you brush your teeth or shave. It’s also a good idea to install a low-flow shower-head – these have been shown to save up to 160,000 liters of water for a family of four. With many panels, surplus energy can be transferred to a battery and stored for later use. Installing solar panels can reduce your home’s carbon footprint, on average, by 35,180 pounds.

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That serious stench is volatile organic compounds that vaporize into the air and can cause long-term adverse health effects. Purchasing produce that’s in season and locally sourced helps curb emissions by shortening the distance food has to travel. Choose fruits and veggies with minimal packaging, and bring your own reusable mesh bags when grocery shopping. And be sure to recycle your old mattress so it doesn’t end up in a landfill.

In other words, because of that one problematic thing you tried to recycle, tons of properly recycled items get landfilled. I think you’ll agree that this is a tragedy, and it runs completely counter to what recycling is all about. You think in the back of your head that someone at the other end knows you’ve made a mistake and will fix it! Simply wishing an item is going to be recycled does not make it so! This habit is doing more harm than good by creating more waste than recycling facilities can handle.

Ways To Make Your Home More Sustainable

Shade trees can reduce the amount of energy you spend to cool your house on hot summer days. If your property doesn’t already have shade trees, this is a step that will take some time before you see the full benefit.

A Classic Steel Spiral Stair is a loft stair option that will last as long as your home. If you want a traditional look, you can add solid wood treads and handrail. This somewhat unconventional material is becoming more popular in environmentally friendly homes. Cork flooring is extremely durable which makes it great for family room and living rooms where you will see the most amount of traffic. Not only is it rot resistant, but it’s also a natural insulator. This keeps the need for a heating and cooling system to a minimum. If you can cut down the need for extra utilities by using the right materials in the home structure itself, you are one step closer to creating a completely eco friendly home design.