3 Home Improvements to Make Your Home More Eco-Friendly
While US environmental policy remains under close scrutiny, an eco-friendly approach to everyday life is becoming increasingly popular with Americans. More than 56% of US consumers state that they are willing to pay more for eco-friendly products while making the necessary lifestyle changes to reducing energy usage. On average, an American household spends approximately $1,300 on energy consumption each year, an amount that can be reduced substantially by making certain upgrades to your home and changes to your lifestyle such as replacing your current windows and roofing and turning your ordinary home into a smart home.
Turn your house into a smart home
Smart homes are definitely the way of the future, allowing for the seamless integration of eco-friendly practices into the home. There are countless smart-solutions you can make use of to improve your sustainability rating as well as save on your utility bill. By connecting a smart thermostat to your home automation system you can reduce your annual energy costs by as much as 30%.
A smart thermostat will allow you to program your thermostat according to your daily routine, enabling you to save a significant amount of energy when you are not home. We are all prone to leaving lights on when we exit a room, often being blissfully unaware of how much energy is being wasted. Similarly, you can also be wasting an incredible amount of energy by making use of more brightness than what is actually required. If you install a smart dimmer you can easily adjust your lights based on your personal needs. Chances are you won’t even notice a visual difference when you set your lights to 80% brightness – your energy bill will most definitely reflect it though.
Opt for energy-saving windows
Windows have far greater purpose than merely allowing us to look outside from time to time. Windows supply our homes with light, ventilation and warmth or coldness, depending on the season. Doing a thorough inspection of your current windows and replacing all those with cracks and frame damage can also significantly help to reduce your cooling/heating costs.
When a window doesn’t seal properly, it allows air to leak in and out, necessitating your heating and cooling systems to work much harder with an increased amount of energy going to waste. It is estimated that as much as 40% of a home’s heat can escape through poorly-insulated windows. A properly sealed window paired with an eco-friendly heating or cooling device can end up saving you a lot of money. Data from a recent Remodeling Impact Report indicates that replacing your current windows with energy-efficient windows can save you between 7 and 15% on your energy bill. By opting for a good-quality, energy efficient windows you can not only cut costs but do your bit towards protecting the environment as well.
Upgrade your roofing
Did you know that a roof upgrade can contribute more to your home than just a visual improvement? Energy-efficient roofing is taking the world by storm and for good reason. Have you noticed that most roofs in the US are dark in color? These dark surfaces can increase the temperature by more than 100°F which can send heat things up tremendously inside your home, increasing energy consumption via cooling systems.
Cool roofing is designed to diminish these effects by reflecting the sun’s rays away from the surface. These smart roofing solutions can also help reduce localized air temperatures in areas that are experiencing severe heat. Another eco-friendly home innovation currently trending are the super-sleek solar panels from Tesla. The Tesla roof tiles that are manufactured from a special louvered glass are available in 4 styles that closely resemble conventional shingles. They are able to collect as much as 98% of the solar energy that traditional solar panels do while looking completely opaque from street-level.
It is important to remember that you don’t need to transform your entire home into an eco-friendly entity all in one go. By making a list of all the changes you want to make and ticking them off one by one as you get around to doing them, you will soon find yourself living a happy and sustainable life in a beautiful, eco-friendly home.
