Are you looking to make your home more eco-friendly after a hot summer and going into the colder season? Some changes are easier to make than you think and don’t cost much money either!
Whether you rent or own your home, here are some quick and easy changes you can do with a spare weekend.
Switch to LED light bulbs
If you are just wanting to dip your toes into sustainable home improvement, switching your light bulbs to LED ones is a simple and inexpensive way to get started. Next time you see a light bulb out in your home, replace it with an LED bulb. While these are a little more expensive, they pay themselves off by lasting longer and saving you some money in energy costs.
Eco-cleaning products
This is another easy and inexpensive swap to make in your home. A lot of cleaning products contain toxic chemicals that can end up in our rivers, but switching to sustainable ingredients reduces that risk.
You can make your own cleaners by mixing vinegar and baking soda, but brands like Simple Green and Mrs. Meyers make eco-friendly cleaners easily found in stores.
Smart thermostats
We’re getting into changes that take a bit more effort now. Installing a smart or programmable thermostat that automatically regulates temperature settings in your home can pay off in the long run by saving you money and energy.
For example, you can set the thermostat to stay off (if you don’t have pets) while you’re at work or out for the day, and then turn it on before you get home so you have a comfortable temperature. If this seems like too much of a stretch for you right away, consider insulating your windows and doors, which will also help with regulating the temperature inside your home.
Window treatments
This is another very easy way to keep the temperature inside your home regulated. Your home can lose around 30% of its heat through bare windows in the winter, forcing you to crank the heat up. In warm weather, around 76% of sunlight that falls on standard glass becomes heat, which makes your home far too warm to be comfortable.
By hanging curtains or other window treatments, you can conserve energy by locking the sun in summer and trapping internally generated heat in the winter. Your home will also look great!
Create green space indoors
Green space inside your home no longer has to be limited to flat surfaces like window sills or tables. Many plants can grow indoors with little to no sunlight, and if you make a “living wall” inside your home, you can have more natural insulation, fresher air and humidity control. So if you have a green thumb, this may be the perfect choice for you.
If you want to work on making your outdoor space greener too, find local and climate appropriate plants, flowers and trees. Xeriscaping reduces your water consumption because what you decide to plant will be designed to thrive in our climate and won’t require large amounts of water to survive.
If you ever have any questions about the ever-changing marketplace or know someone looking to buy or sell, please do not hesitate to reach out!
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