“Green” building has become not just a trend in recent years, but a legal requirement in some countries. In the US and UK LEED is the standard. In the Middle East there is Estidama and the Pearl system. Of course, large building firms have budgets to cope with such changes in the law, but you can change your home to a greener, more eco friendly house cheaply enough.
Here are five cheap and easy ways to green your home all by yourself:
1. Invest in good insulation
You can begin this in small ways, by adding draught excluders on doors (which can easily be homemade), placing heat reflective aluminium foil behind radiators, and making sure loft or roof insulation is intact. In addition to this, insulating your hot water tank is a wise move to save money and prevent energy loss. If you live in the Middle East, paint the top of your roof white, versus the tarry black to heat deflect heat in the summer. If you need financing for renovations visit Miami title loans.
2. Choose energy efficient equipment
Smart light bulbs are a good example, which can be controlled by an app on your mobile phone or tablet are an excellent way to save money on electricity and give yourself added functionality, such as dimming, colour changes and scheduling the time on/off.
3. Keeping blinds or curtains drawn in colder and very hot weather
In cold weather this can help insulate the window from draughts and cold air on the pane. In hotter weather it can reduce the amount of sunlight striking the interior, reducing the need for air conditioning. Web Blinds have a number of options on their website and they are giving away some excellent coupons and promo codes for their products.
4. Recycling
This can be made a whole lot easier by having different bins for different recycling categories and labelling them so that nobody is in any doubt. Having a bin specifically for empty cartons of milk, water bottles and juice containers will simplify the process for all the family. Recycling garden waste with composting allows you to get rid of waste without burning and give you some fertilizer at the end of the process. If you don’t have options for recycling near you then approach your city or town council.
5. Get a barrel to collect rainwater
The water supply is sometimes taken for granted. Collecting rainwater will give you a source of water to use for tasks that don’t require tap standard water, such as washing a car or bike or watering plants in a garden. In addition, this could be seen as a backup supply if the water supply via the mains is cut off for whatever reason.
There are a myriad of other things you could do to make energy consumption more efficient and lessen the impact on the environment but the most important thing for the individual and family is to develop healthy building renovation routines that support an eco friendly house.
