10 Tips to Making Your Home More Eco-Friendly

Did you know it’s possible to cut down your energy bill and reduce your carbon footprint without drastically changing your lifestyle at home? The following are several quick and easy ways to make your home more eco-friendly while keeping your home stylish and comfortable.

1. Swap those old bulbs

It’s possible to save more than 66% energy just by tossing out all your incandescent light bulbs and switching them with Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs. The difference is enough that you’ll save 400 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions for every incandescent light bulb you replace.

2. Use more extension leads

Sometimes, you’re using energy without even realizing it. By hooking up more appliances and electronics to the same multi socket extension leads, you can consume up to 15% less energy by turning the the extension leads off at night, when nothing is in use, or when you’re on vacation.

3. Look for the Energy Star seal

If an appliance is Energy Star Qualified it means that it is designed to consume much less energy than other models. Depending on the device, some can use anywhere from 10% less energy to even 50% less.

4. Use vinegar, the natural cleaner

Instead of buying chemical-heavy products, you can often just use vinegar as a green, natural multipurpose cleaner. Keep in mind that vinegar shouldn’t be used for everything, such as stone tile floors or hardwood floors.

5. Cook more efficiently

Although not every dish comes out as good, using a microwave can reduce energy consumption by up to 50% when compared to a conventional oven. It’s also wise to use certain cookware that don’t require as high a temperature, mainly: silicone, glass, and ceramic dishes. It’s also wise to only open a heated oven when you absolutely need to since opening the door for only 30 seconds can decrease the temperature by more than 100 degrees.

6. Use eco-friendly scents and paints

We all love using fragrances, especially in the bedroom. But those made of synthetic and chemical materials are not helping our planet. Instead, go for scents that are non-aerosol and made entirely of essential oils. Eco-paints also do their part by containing much less volatile organic compounds when compared to regular paints.

7. Watch for wasted water

You’d be surprised by how much water some people waste. For example, keeping the water running while the toothbrush is scrubbing away in your mouth is a big no-no. Leaving a leaky tap on the to-do list all year can also cost you nearly 200 liters of water per week.

8. Go for low-flow

Nothing uses more water in your home than the toilet. Although it’ll cost you some cash at first, replacing your old porcelain thrones with low-flow ones can drastically reduce water use and save you money in the long run. While you’re at it, you can also opt for low-flow showerheads to save thousands of liters of water a year, especially if you have a big family.

9. Hang dry once in awhile

Dryers require producing a lot of energy to heat up and dry your clothes in the time that they do. Give them a break occasionally by hang drying your clothes instead. And when you wash, try using cold water more often since doing so can save a whopping 85-90% of your energy when compared to using hot water.

10. Garden lover? Use water butts.

A water butt is a container designed to collect and store rainwater, normally for garden use. Putting one or more of these outside during the rainy season can reduce your water consumption by a lot once the hotter months arrive and you want to keep your precious plants alive. While we’re talking about gardens, it’s also very eco-friendly to compost your organic waste instead of buying fertilizers, pesticides, etc.

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