HOW TO BE MORE ECO-FRIENDLY AND SUSTAINABLE WHEN RENOVATING YOUR HOME
Renovating your home can be an exciting and fulfilling experience, but it's also important to consider the impact that the process can have on the environment. From the materials used to the energy consumed during construction, home renovations can have a significant impact on the planet. But with a few simple changes and conscious choices, you can make your home renovation project both beautiful and sustainable. Choosing eco-friendly materials, energy-efficient appliances and LED lighting can reduce your energy consumption and lower your utility bills. In addition, incorporating sustainable practices such as water conservation, waste reduction, and reducing your carbon footprint can help you create a more environmentally friendly home. By making a few eco-conscious decisions during your home renovation, you can create a beautiful and sustainable living space that not only benefits you and your family, but also the environment, below are our recommendations.
Bamboo Family
1. Use Eco-Friendly Building Materials: Materials such as bamboo flooring, reclaimed wood, and low-VOC paints. These materials not only have a lower impact on the environment but also add an organic and natural touch to your home.
Forbes Home
2. Insulation: By properly insulating, you can save on energy costs and reduce your carbon footprint! Try using insulation made from cellulose or fiberglass, which are made from recycled newspapers and glass bottles.
Little Lovelies
3. Energy-Efficient Appliances: It's important to consider the appliances you use. Energy-efficient appliances, such as Energy Star certified appliances, use less energy and help to reduce your carbon footprint.
Forest Homestores
4. Lighting: Using LED light bulbs uses less energy and lasts longer than traditional incandescent bulbs but you can’t beat natural lighting so install skylights or larger windows where possible to bring in more natural light.
5. Water Conservation: Low-flow showerheads and toilets use less water. If you want to go the extra mile, install a rainwater harvesting system, which can be used to water your plants or even as a source of greywater for non-potable uses like flushing the toilet.
6. Recycling and composting: We all do this in our homes at the moment anyway so make sure to be doing it during the renovation too, only throw things in the skip that can not be recycled in any other way.
Melanie Lissack Interiors
7. Repurposing furniture: Never send any furniture to landfill, there are so many ways you can dispose of your unwanted pieces from donating to the Red Cross, to selling on ebay or even leaving on your drive with a “take me” sign. Broken furniture can even be sent to upcycling shops such as The Upcycle Company.
Living Roofs
8. Green Roofs and Gardens: These aren’t only aesthetically pleasing but also absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen which then helps to offset your carbon footprint, try to leave as much as greenery as possible while still creating the garden you envisioned.
9. Energy monitoring: We’ve all heard of smart homes so smart energy monitoring systems can help you understand where energy is being consumed in your home and make adjustments accordingly.
By keeping these key elements in mind, you can create a beautiful and sustainable home that is both environmentally friendly and cost-effective. Remember, small changes can make a big difference, and every little bit helps to reduce our carbon footprint and protect the planet for future generations.