The average home is incredibly energy inefficient. Despite many energy-saving and sustainability initiatives, many homeowners are still running older appliances that use a lot of energy. They are also failing to upgrade their homes to make them more sustainable.
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It is easier than you may think to make sensible and low-cost sustainability upgrades to your home that will cut your carbon footprint and put money in your pocket. Here are five of the best sustainable upgrades that you can make to your home.
Go greener in the garden
Gardens are a blessing. Having a garden to enjoy is an incredible privilege, and gardens are one of the key ‘must-have’ features that home buyers look for. A home doesn’t really feel like a home without a garden to enjoy. They are also an opportunity to add value and functionality to your property. If you are considering making some garden upgrades, make sure they are sustainable and eco-friendly.
Large-scale garden improvements require extra planning and some more in-depth checks to ensure sustainability and that the changes you are making are sympathetic to your local environment. If you are considering adding a structure to your garden, you may need planning permission to conduct ecology and tree surveys to help protect your local area. Arbtech has decades of experience in these types of surveying and can get you your results quickly, helping to speed up the planning process.
Home sustainability: Energy saving appliances
Throughout your home, you will have many electrical appliances which all contribute to your carbon footprint. Many of these appliances will run all day, such as your fridge and freezer or a TV in the living room that sits in standby mode. You are paying money every month to run these appliances, as well as emitting carbon into the atmosphere to keep them running.
Though switching out your older electrical appliances for modern, energy-saving ones may seem like an expensive investment they will pay for themselves over time. This is a great solution for appliances that run continuously or high-energy devices like washing machines or tumble dryers. Modern versions of these appliances use considerably less energy, putting money in your pocket every month. Change the way you use your appliances too. Stop using standby and turn your appliances off completely when they are not being used.
Photo by Jason Briscoe on Unsplash
Switch up your home heating
One of the least sustainable systems in any home is the heating system. For the majority of UK homes, the heating system relies on burning gas to heat water that is then pumped through pipes to radiators in every room. This can be great for warming up your living spaces, but they massively contribute to the carbon footprint of your home and can be incredibly expensive to run as gas prices continue to rise.
Ground source heat pumps can solve both of these problems. Though they do require a larger financial investment, the money that they save on your heating bill can help offset the cost. These use geothermal heat to warm your living spaces and are powered by electricity. If paired with solar panels and a home battery, heating your home in the evenings can be incredibly energy and financially efficient. Consider making the switch to a more sustainable source of home heating to have a positive effect on the environment and on your bank balance.
Organized charging stations
One worth considering addition to your home’s sustainable upgrades is incorporating organized charging stations for drawers. This move not only groups all device charging in one place but when teamed up with your solar panels, it significantly reduces your carbon footprint. Plus, it’s a neat way to keep your tech-powered home clutter-free.
In addition to powering your handheld devices, these organized charging stations are ideal for electric vehicles. Imagine juicing up your car at home using solar energy–a truly green and efficient lifestyle! Incorporating an organized charging solution into your home makes for not just an environment-friendly choice, but also ensures convenience and efficiency.
Home sustainability: Insulate when you renovate
For further savings on the cost of home heating, you should make sure that your house has modern insulation in the walls and the loft. Poorly installed insulation, or older insulation, could be costing you money in your energy bills and contributing massively to your carbon footprint. One of the most sustainable upgrades you can make to your home is adding modern insulation. The more heat your home holds, the less money you will spend running your heating system to maintain an adequate temperature.
The loft or roof space is the primary candidate for insulation, but you can also insulate the cavities in your walls and underneath your floors. This helps keep your home toasty warm, and you will use considerably less energy to heat it and maintain its heat. Underfloor insulation is perfect for bedrooms. It helps the downstairs rooms maintain their heat for longer, reducing your energy use and saving you money. There are many government grants available that can help finance insulating your home, and some of them will even allow you to replace your existing insulation for free.
Power to the people
The homes of the future will not rely so heavily on electricity from the national grid. One of the most common features in new build homes is some form of on-site domestic power generation, such as solar panels. When paired with a home battery system, they can provide power day and night, greatly reducing your carbon footprint and energy bill. You do not have to move to a new home to get them on your roof, you can have them installed on your existing home to begin reaping the benefits of home solar.
No matter where you live in the country, you can benefit from home solar power. Even on a cloudy day, the sun can still generate a lot of power. With a home battery, this power can be stored until you need it. You can be at work all day and your solar panels are working hard too, generating electricity to power your lights, television, and even your home heating if you use a heat pump. If you are looking for a sustainable home improvement to invest in, look no further than home solar power generation.
Any one of these sustainable upgrades can reduce your carbon footprint and put more money in your pocket every month by saving energy. Not only are these upgrades better for the environment, but they are also better for your budget. Put a couple of these upgrades together and you may find a lot of extra money in your current account while you look forward to a sustainable future.
Top image by Kindel Media/Pexels
I am a 50-something Torontonian who loves everything about my city. It’s been my home, my playground, for my entire life. I went to school here. I met my wife here. I own real estate here. I love writing about the transformation of my city on the world stage, which hasn’t been anything short of dramatic. That continues on, as I write this. I write on the real estate scene. I write on travel and fashion. I like following the world of luxury watches.
But I love writing about cars – check that, luxury cars, a level of superior, engineering sophistication, high performance and style, that transports you not just from one destination to another but also out of whatever you are going through on a particular day, whatever mood you are in, all to another head space. It’s complete and total exhilaration, head to toe.
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