If you are keen to ensure you are doing your part for the planet, the best place to begin is at home. Chances are, your home is not quite as eco-friendly as it could be, and this is something that you might not even be aware of if you have not put much thought or effort into it. Even if you have, it might be that your home is lagging behind in some way or another without you really knowing why. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons your home might not be as eco-friendly as you would ideally want it to be.
The Windows
First of all, one of the main places you should look is at the windows, as there is always a good chance that they are letting out more heat than you would ideally like, and this is something that you need to look into. For instance, their frames could be not quite fitting right, or they might not be low-transfer and sustainable. You need to fix up these issues if you care about making your home as eco-friendly as it can be. It’s amazing what a difference it can make to the overall home.
The Energy Supply
How is your energy supplied to your home? If you are not sure, or you know which provider but not what kind of energy they use, then you need to look into this as soon as possible. There is no doubt that some kinds of energy supply are just much more efficient and environmentally sound than others. This is the main reason that people choose to go off-grid. If you can power your home entirely with solar and wind, you can never have to worry again about how much energy you are using. This is a powerful thing to do.
The Insulation
A home that is not insulated at all is going to be much less efficient and a lot less eco-friendly than one which is insulated, to whatever degree. There are various kinds of insulation that you can choose from if you are looking to get some installed in your home. Generally, you are going to be compromising price versus eco-friendliness, but a good all-around option is something like spray foam insulation, which is cost-effective and eco-friendly as well. With good insulation, your home is much more efficient and energy-aware.
The Lighting
Even if you have arranged for solar energy, you can still use less energy by making sure you are using the right kind of lighting. What this means for most households is turning towards a more efficient form of lighting such as LEDs. If you are lighting your home with LEDs, you will find that they last a lot longer and are much cheaper to run, while also taking up much less energy on the whole. It’s really amazing what you can do with LEDs, so this is a consideration that you might want to bear in mind in your own home.
