Green homes are not only trendy and in style, but they help keep Mother Earth feeling good. When it comes to being a green global citizen, there are always things you can do to improve your home and the environment, so here are a few things to get you and your house to be a little greener.
1. Maximize Your Insulation
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Up to 40 percent of the energy consumed in an average house comes from heating and cooling the spaces. By adding extra insulation, you increase your energy efficiency and lower your heating and cooling bill. Who doesn’t love to save money? Insulation is graded on its ability to resist the flow of heat, this is known as the R-value. When shopping for better insulation, look for brands with a higher R-value. The better the insulation, the better your home will conserve energy and increase your temperature comfort. It will also improve your indoor air quality by covering holes and gaps that let in dust and dirt from the outside.
2. Add Quality to your Water
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By using water softener alternatives, you’ll have cleaner, better tasting water. A single long-lasting maintenance free system will reduce the problems caused by hard water, without using harmful salts and dangerous chemicals. A water softener simply swaps hard minerals with sodium, but you can find systems that don’t use salt called water softener alternatives. Ordinary water softeners don’t reduce hard scale buildup and they are not environmentally friendly, but by switching to a softener alternative, you reap all the benefits of water softeners without any of the harmful effects that go along with them.
3. Green Up your Appliances
When you use an appliance specifically designed to save energy, you’ll notice a big difference in your energy bill. By replacing an old refrigerator, you can save up to $150 a year. If your appliances are more than 10 years old, the EPA suggests purchasing updated replacements, because believe it or not, appliances make up 18 percent of your home’s energy bill. Look for the Energy-Star logo when you shop and you’ll know the appliance is green. These replacements use 10 to 50 percent less energy than their older counterparts.
4. Clean the Green Way
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Instead of purchasing cleaners filled with toxins and harmful chemicals, look for all natural cleaners. Shop for ingredients and labels that specifically say environmentally friendly. An example would be finding a carpet cleaner or window cleaner that contained grain alcohol as opposed to the toxic butyl cellosolve. You should also look for natural detergents that use plant bases like coconut. Plant disinfectants are also available and use eucalyptus, rosemary, and sage rather than triclosan.
5. Update Your Windows
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The ordinary windows that come in most homes transmit UV heat rays that come via the sun. This means that not only are you not protected from the sun’s harmful rays, your house is no match to battle the heat that comes with it. By installing high-efficiency windows in your house, you’ll see a dramatic difference in your next air conditioning bill. Energy-star windows feature two or more panes that filter and block the light and heat coming into your home.
6. Put a Little Green in Your Garden
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Planting a garden is a great way to go green. The plants clean the air naturally, and you can add some spectacular curb appeal to your home. As you get started on planting your garden, or while you upkeep your existing flower beds, use compost instead of synthetic fertilizer. Compost provides your plants with all the natural ingredients they need to grow and thrive without poisoning the Earth. Healthy soil will also help eliminate nasty weeds, which in turn can reduce the occurrence of bothersome pests.
Now that you know of some ways to green up your home, you can rest assured that you are no longer hurting our planet, but helping it to become better everyday.
Hailey is a recent graduate with a degree in Journalism. Now that she isn’t face first in books she is trying to travel as much as she can. She writes in her free time between fixing up her new house and teaching people how to live a longer, healthier life.
