While many people are now aware of the importance of reducing the world’s carbon footprint, there are still a lot of people, both corporate and individually, who are not taking the necessary steps to cut their own personal impact on the environment. This is often because it can seem too difficult, or sometimes it is because people simply do not know how to “greenify” their homes. However, when people take the small amount of time and effort required to make a home eco-friendly, they will soon find that not only are they saving the environment, but they are saving money and improving their home in the process. So to help you out, here are some easy steps to making your home greener.
Insulation
Starting with the basics, the first thing that you should do is check your home’s insulation. A poorly insulated house will not only waste energy, but it will cost you money that you will not know that you could be saving. Check for any poorly insulated areas of your attic, as one weak area can undo all of the hard work that the rest of the insulation is doing. Furthermore, check around your house for any air leaks, and plug them with weatherstripping and caulk. There are a lot of advancements in eco-friendly building materials, including insulation that by using them can have a big impact on your carbon footprint.
Smart Thermostats
You can save an incredible amount of energy by getting a programmable thermostat that will adjust the heating and cooling when you are out of the house or asleep. The most basic programmable thermostats will allow you to program a couple of times, and will more than do the trick. However, if you want something more advanced, there are now thermostats that will adjust automatically, or allow override with a smartphone.
Lighting Control
While your current light bulbs might not be the most energy efficient, the prospect of replacing every light in your house with an energy efficient one probably does not appeal to you. Instead, slowly phase out your old light bulbs, replacing each one with an energy efficient alternative. You can also prevent lights from being left on for hours by installing motion sensors.
Home Automation
To take your home’s energy efficiency one step further, consider automating your home. Some of the previous steps will get you halfway there, but if you want to truly save as much energy as possible, total home automation is the only way. This will allow you to monitor your home’s efficiency and control it with your smartphone.
Solar Panels
One of the biggest steps towards energy efficiency is generating your own renewable energy at home. The easiest way to do this is through installing solar panels. This was once an expensive and difficult task. Now however, solar energy companies are making it easier than ever. They will install the panels for you, and allow you to purchase the energy at a lower rate than that which you are paying currently. By simply searching Reviews by Vivint you can find solar panel options that
Save Water
Start taking notice of how much water you use in the shower each morning. To cut it down, install a low-flow showerhead and faucet aerators, which will allow you to save water, while still providing good water pressure. Smart home tech is becoming the answer to solving many of our environmental problems, but is there an unseen price to that? That seems to be the million dollar question. Only time will tell.