What to Consider About Making Your Home Eco-Friendly

Sustainable is a buzzword these days. Everyone is talking about going green, but is it the right choice for you to make your home eco-friendly? There are a few things to consider when you’re making this decision.

Scale

One thing to keep in mind is that you don’t need to go all-in on installing solar panels or making other big changes from the outset. You can identify keys to living a healthy lifestyle that relate to eco-friendly practices and begin on a small scale, composting fruit and vegetable waste, or installing a low-flow faucet in your kitchen. These are good ways to begin if you aren’t yet sure how much you want to commit to this project or if the budget isn’t there yet for big changes.

Costs

Budget, of course, is always something you’ll need to keep in mind, but there are a few related things to consider. One is that for many green modifications, you’ll get a return on your investment eventually. You can find out how many years it will take for something like solar panels to pay off to decide if it’s the right move for you. There may also be tax incentives for solar and, depending on where you live, for other modifications. Finally, if you are interested in doing some larger-scale work and you don’t have the money for it, this might be a good time to look into a personal loan. You can check online if you are eligible and what your options would be for interest rates and repayment.

Good for the Environment

If you’re trying to think of reasons to remodel your home to make it greener, or you’re considering adding a renewable energy system into your home, one of the best reasons is that it shrinks your environmental footprint. In a small way, you can do your part to waste less, avoid using toxic building materials and avoid making other choices that harm the planet. For you, this may be a step toward deliberately living in a way that is more consistent with your values.

Tech Toys

Some people may think of going green as scaling down and living a life that is more off-the-grid and away from technology, but there are plenty of high-tech sustainable innovations. So, if tech is your thing, you’re definitely not disqualified from going more eco-friendly. Smart home climate control can keep only certain areas of the home warm or cool to avoid wasting energy. These can work in tandem with smart blinds. Smart sprinkler systems can assess how much water your lawn needs and provide only that amount.

Other Steps

There are many other steps you can take depending on your living situation. Instead of a lawn, you could consider native landscaping that uses less water. If you are building your home instead of purchasing an existing one, you might want to think about less square footage rather than more. For building or renovation, you could make sure that you use eco-friendly material such as reclaimed wood or steel, bamboo, or stone. Some are even opting for what are often called tiny homes, extremely small but self-contained houses, generally under 600 square feet, that use very little energy. Another more radical option is cob houses or earth ships. The former is built from straw, clay and sand and the latter integrate recycled material, such as tires, into their design.

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P.S.  Don’t forget to see what you can do to help slow climate change – click here (it’s free)