While every homeowner desires an eco-friendly home where energy costs are low, air quality is good, and water wastage is minimized, many don’t understand how to achieve these goals. And even those who already pursue greener, eco-friendly home environments think the best path is to undertake major home renovations. Creating an eco-friendly home doesn’t always require significant investments in major renovations, and homeowners can achieve their desired goals with just a few minor adjustments.
Whether you’re building a new home from scratch or improving an existing one, creating an eco-friendly space is crucial for your home’s and financial well-being. Below, we’ll explore some of the practical tips you can implement to achieve an eco-friendly home environment without worrying about major renovations.
Invest in Energy-Efficient Appliances
Creating an eco-friendly home begins with choosing and investing in energy-efficient home appliances. Many homes waste energy through outdated and inefficient appliances, inadequate lighting, and poor insulation, which result in higher electricity bills and increased carbon footprint. Fortunately, you can cut energy costs, reduce your carbon footprint, and improve your home’s comfort through simple upgrades, without worrying about major renovations.
For instance, you can invest in Energy Star-rated refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, and washing machines to significantly cut the amount of energy consumed annually in your home. Insist on LED lighting solutions when installing your lighting to ensure your home is both well-lit and consumes the least amount of energy.
Additionally, you should invest in proper insulation to keep your home’s heat inside during cold seasons and prevent outside heat from entering your home in hot seasons. This is crucial in ensuring your heating and cooling systems work effectively in all seasons to give you the perfect temperature for your home’s ultimate comfort.
As your HVAC system keeps your home comfortable, you should also invest in its well-being by scheduling regular expert inspections. You can use the expertise of local professionals, such as a trusted HVAC company New Berlin WI, if you reside in the area. HVAC and appliance care will ensure your energy-efficiency efforts bear the maximum outcome for your home.
Use Low or No-VOC Paints
Occasionally, you’ll need to paint your walls to give your home a fresh new look that aligns with your evolving design tastes. When it’s time to choose the right paint for your walls, opt for low- or no-VOC paints to keep your family safe from short- and long-term health issues. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as Benzene, can be found in some household paints and are known to cause mild and serious health issues in the body.
They can be responsible for short-term health issues, such as headaches, dizziness, and irritation of the eyes and nose. In the long term, these compounds can lead to serious health complications like problems with the nervous system and organ damage. VOC paints are actually dangerous because the compounds aren’t just released when the paint is being applied, but continue to be released years after it was applied.
Switching to low-VOC or VOC-free paints significantly reduces the risk of exposure to the volatile organic compounds, keeping everyone safe at home. You can easily tell if a paint is low-VOC or VOC-free by reading the label for the VOC content in grams per liter (g/L). If someone else is doing the painting, ensure you confirm the VOC content before the paint is applied.
Update Your Home Windows
Updating windows can still fall under minor renovations you can do to improve your home’s energy efficiency, especially if the update is all about upgrading to double-glazing windows. When you replace single-glazed windows with double-glazed windows, you’re helping to significantly improve the energy efficiency of your home.
With double-glazed windows, you can efficiently enjoy the heat generated by your home, as these windows prevent heat loss through the window frames and the accumulation of draughts. When updating windows, you can choose glass shades that allow for optimal light penetration into your space. These transparent windows can also be effective in kitchen and bedroom windows, providing enhanced views and a connection to nature right from your rooms, especially behind your backyard gardens.
Consider Renewable Energy Solutions
While incorporating renewable energy solutions into your home’s energy system requires significant financial investments, it’s a path worth considering for long-term energy cost reductions. Renewable energy is generated from natural resources, such as the sun, wind, and water, making it a much cheaper and cleaner energy source than energy generated from fossil fuels. For your home use, you can consider a few systems that use renewable energy, such as:
- Solar panels
- Ground source heat pumps
- Biomass boilers
- Air source heat pumps
Since initial installations for these projects tend to be more expensive, you may check with your government to see if any incentives or payments are available for specific renewable energy installations. This can help you offset the huge initial investments and pay later at your convenience, depending on the terms. You may also accumulate funds over a specified period and opt for a renewable energy option of your choice once you have sufficient funds.
Invest in Water-Saving Solutions
If your home was built decades ago, you likely use traditional water fixtures that consume far more water than necessary. This can lead to higher utility bills and environmental waste, especially in larger families, where everyone uses water at their discretion. By installing water-saving fixtures, you can save significant costs on high water bills and save the environment from water damage.
The first step to optimizing your home’s water fixtures is knowing how to choose the right ones. Your new water fixtures should majorly help you reduce your water bill, while also looking more appealing than the old ones you’re replacing. For instance, you should go for low showerheads, dual-flush toilets, and faucet aerators to cut your water usage significantly while still being presentable for your modern home.
Look for fixtures with an EPA WaterSense label to be sure you’re choosing the right option for maximum efficiency. Be sure to have them installed by an experienced technician to ensure they’re perfectly fitted for optimal performance.
Upgrade to Smart Home Technology
Even if you have energy-efficient heating/cooling systems, appliances, or lighting systems in your home, they can still waste energy if they’re not configured to run only when needed. Smart home technology helps you manage usage, eliminate waste, and cut unnecessary costs. Some of the most crucial smart home devices you can choose for your home include:
- Smart light bulbs and sensors: These will help you automatically adjust the brightness and turn off lights when specific rooms are unoccupied, minimizing electricity usage.
- Smart thermostats: They are crucial for controlling temperature usage patterns in your home, whether you’re present or not. You can set preferred temperatures for specific rooms, whether occupied or unoccupied, to ensure that only the desired temperatures are attained at any point in time.
- Smart faucets: Where possible, install smart faucets to control water flow, allowing only the necessary water to flow out at a given time.
The right smart home technology can enhance efficiency, reduce energy waste, and create a more sustainable living space.
Creating an eco-friendly home without undertaking major renovations doesn’t have to be a daunting task. With a few intentional changes of your choice, you can reduce waste, lower your energy bill, improve air quality, and promote a healthier environment in and outside your home. You can achieve all these while maintaining a stylish and comfortable living standard that incorporates the best and modern appliances, systems, and decor elements.
