Not so long ago, being eco-friendly simply meant recycling your cereal boxes and milk bottles each week, but with global warming, high energy prices, and any number of environmental issues, these days, we have to do a lot more. Luckily, there are lots of ways you can protect the planet and save yourself some money, many of which you can be done from the comfort of your own home. If you want to take care of the planet and your bank balance, here are thirteen ways you can make your home a more green and eco-friendly place.
- Keep Your Thermostat Set Low
We may be in the middle of an unusually hot summer, but there are still a few cold nights and days popping up every so often. When the weather gets a little more chilly than you’re used to, it can be tempting to turn your thermostat up and sit close to the radiator. Unfortunately, this is far from eco-friendly. Instead, you should keep your thermostat on a lower setting and grab a jumper when you’re cold. This will cut down your energy usage, saving the planet and your cash.
- Cut Down Your Heat Loss
That being said, there’s only so much cold that you can take, which is going to complicate matters if heat is escaping from your home. To prevent this, you need to make sure that your property is properly insulated. You can invest in loft insulation, buy shutters from a site like https://www.s-craft.co.uk, install double glazing, and put down draught excluders. There are a number of places heat can escape, so look around your home and block as many as you can.
- Wash Clothes The Right Way
Washing your laundry is something that you can’t avoid, regardless of how much you hate the chore. However, when it comes to cleaning your clothes, it’s crucial that you do it in the most energy-efficient way possible. This means always washing a full load, using cooler water, and air drying on a line instead of using a tumble dryer. This will save you money on your energy bills, but is also less damaging to your clothes, so you don’t have to replace them as often.
- Make The Most Of Cooking
When most people go and cook themselves dinner, they’ll cook the meal for that night in particular, and that is all. Of course, this is the regular way to do things, but it isn’t necessarily the most eco-friendly. Instead of cooking one meal each time, try making a few different ones, and then freeze the spares the later on. Then, when you want something to eat, you can microwave one of those meals. This uses less energy than heating your entire oven every time you cook.
- Take Care Of Your Appliances
Whether we’re talking about your oven, washing machine, boiler, or something else, it’s crucial that all of your appliances are in tip-top condition. The reason for this is that devices that aren’t working the way they should tend to use much more energy than normal, harming you and the planet. If you’re worried that your oven or boiler is on it’s way out, then you should get it looked at by a professional. They’ll either fix it for you or suggest that you get a new one.
- Snuff Out Your Phantom Power
Phantom or vampire power is the electricity you use without actually using it. This includes lights that are left on for no reason, televisions that remain on standby, and phone chargers you have plugged in all day. The easiest way you can snuff out your phantom power usage is by simply turning off and unplugging all electronic equipment when you’re not using it. This isn’t possible for all appliances, but it is for most. Be sure to visit https://www.energy.gov for more tips and advice.
- Be Smart With Your Lighting
Unless you like bumping into and not being able to find things, you’re going to need to use energy lighting your home each day. That being said, it isn’t necessary that you use quite so much. To keep your electricity usage low, you should make sure that you have your curtains open throughout the day, instead of turning your lights on. You can also make sure that you turn lights off when you leave a room and swap your regular bulbs for the energy efficient kind.
- Shop At Second-Hand Stores
My kitchen curtains. Classic 1960’s flower power. £3.50 charity shop. I have a blue table cloth to match.
Whether you’re looking for clothes, furniture, books, DVDs, or something else, you should consider buying second-hand options, instead of getting these things brand new. By doing this, fewer materials are used up, and less stuff goes to landfills, which helps to contribute to a much more sustainable planet. You can save a fair amount of cash by shopping second-hand, and, if you tend to visit charity stores, you also help out a worthy cause, so there’s no reason not to.
- Look Out For Recycled Products
Of course, when it comes to shopping, there are a lot of things that you can’t buy at a car boot sale or charity shop. Household products like toilet roll, paper, soap, and food all need to be purchased new at a supermarket or grocery store. That being said, there are recycled options for a number of products, like toilet roll, so you should make sure you look out for these items. You can also buy things with recycled and recyclable packing, or, better yet, no packaging at all.
- Stock Up On Tote Bags
Take your own bags to the shops and only buy what you need.
Before you head out on your next shopping trip, make sure that you remember to pick up your tote bags. These days, most stores charge you for the one-use, plastic carrier bags, so it makes much more sense to bring along the totes you already own. This means you protect the planet, as you’re wasting less plastic, you protect your bank balance, as you don’t have to spend money on bags, and you protect your groceries, as totes are much less likely to break.
- Opt For Natural Cleaning Products
The harmful chemicals that most cleaning products contain have a huge impact on the environment, causing a lot of damage. They also make it more difficult to clean the water supply, which means it takes much longer to make the water safe to drink again. However, what many people don’t realise is that these chemicals aren’t necessary for normal household cleaning tasks. In fact, more often than not, products like vinegar and lemon juice work just as well.
- Consider Investing In Solar Panels
Solar panels aren’t the cheapest things to install, but, if you stick with them, you can make large long-term savings. This is because they allow you to use energy harnessed from the sun, rather than paying an energy company to provide you with your electricity. If there’s any energy left over that you don’t need to use, you can also make money from this investment, as you’re able to sell the unwanted electricity to the Nation Grid.
- Talk To A Sustainability Consultant
There are an unimaginable number of ways to turn your home into a more eco-friendly and green space. That being said, every home and family is different, so while many of these methods will work for you, there will also be lots that don’t. To make your life easier, you should seek advice from a sustainability consultant. They will come and take a look at your home, and from this, should be able to suggest a whole list of things you can do to be a little greener.
With the way the world is going, having an eco-friendly home is becoming more and more vital. Because of this, you should make sure that you consider the advice above and do what you can to make your home a more sustainable place to live.
