Each year, we learn more about how our lifestyles impact the world around us. Becoming more conscious of our carbon footprint is an effective way to institute changes on a larger scale.
As more people adopt greener lifestyles, the small changes can add up to a more significant impact. Recycling your plastics and buying eco-friendly products are just part of the effort. To make the greatest impact, you need to start big. Your home contributes to a large amount of your overall footprint. Building a home that incorporates eco-friendly features can help reduce your use of fossil fuels and reduce your effect on the environment.
Green homes are becoming more popular from Greenwich to Geelong, and you can look for mortgage broker Geelong offers to make your eco-home a possibility. Let’s take a look at a few of the must-have eco-home features for 2021.
Energy Star Appliances
Much of the energy consumption in your home is caused by your appliances. Older stoves, refrigerators, and washing machines use a lot of power which can increase your footprint. Energy Star Appliances use innovative designs to reduce the amount of water and power needed to operate efficiently. Adding eco-friendly appliances to your home can help reduce the strain on the environment and save you money on your energy bills.
Solar Power
Grid-powered homes contribute to the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change and damage to the environment. Switching from fossil fuels over to the endless clean energy of the sun can dramatically reduce your impact on the environment. Solar-powered homes are quickly becoming the norm in house construction. Solar panel systems have come a long way in the past decade, becoming more compact and affordable for residents. Homeowners can save up to 40% of their total energy costs and sell their surplus of collected power back to the grid for a profit.
Smart Devices
Embracing internet-connected devices can help you run your home more efficiently with undeniable convenience. Smart thermostats can learn your heating and cooling routine and adapt to your needs saving you a bundle of wasted energy. Smart home features can also control your lights so that you never have to worry about lamps being left on when they are not needed. Other smart home features, like having control over your home security, or blinds and drapes that respond to environmental factors, can help you become more environmentally friendly.
Sustainable Materials
Using locally sourced and recycled building materials to build your home can move you closer to your goals of creating a sustainable dwelling. Materials purchased locally don’t need to be transported by fossil fuel-consuming vehicles reducing their impact on the environment. Recycled materials like lumber, steel, and brick can be useful and maintain your low-impact style.
We all need to do our part to keep our environment healthy enough for the next generations to enjoy. Proactive choices like building your home using sustainable materials, controlling your energy usage through smart home devices, adding solar power, and installing Energy Star appliances can convert to a green lifestyle that is gentle on the environment.
