How to Create an Environmentally Friendly Home

If you are looking for ways to improve the value and quality of your home, consider making improvements that are good for the environment. Reducing the amount of energy your home uses not only helps the world around you, it saves you money. You can also make changes that cut down on waste, reduce the amount of water you use, and make your home safer by keeping out things in the exterior environment that are toxic or dangerous. Environmentally friendly changes in your home increase the home’s value and create a more comfortable environment for those living in the house. You can make major changes like installing geothermal systems or you can just do usual maintenance, like securing a furnace tune up. The small changes may not seem like much, but you will soon see significant improvement in the efficiency and comfort of your home.

Insulation makes a big difference in the efficiency of a home. While it may seem like adding insulation to your home does little for protecting the environment, it will actually reduce the amount of energy you use a great deal. The less your home taxes the energy grid, the better it is for the environment. While insulation upgrades are usually not expensive, the payback is big. Even if you make expensive upgrades like new windows, you are still going to see a big return on your investment.

Another way to downgrade the amount of energy your home is using is to utilize natural light. The more windows and skylights you have in your home, the fewer occasions you have to turn on lights. Not only does this cut down on the amount of electricity you are using, it limits the amount of waste you are creating. The more you burn a light bulb, the quicker is wears out. Each old light bulb that is tossed into the garbage lives in a landfill for the rest of its life. Light bulbs typically come in packaging, as well. While many of these materials can be recycled, you are still creating waste. You can reduce this waste by using natural lighting in a home instead of electric lights.

If you are truly committed to helping the environment, you will commit to recycling. Recycling is a simple way to cut down on the waste your home generates. If you use materials that can be reused, or find ways of reusing them yourself, it will save you money and is much easier on the environment. Look for products that are made of recycled materials. This goes for everything from paper napkins to kitchen countertops.

Finally, look for ways to cut down on packaging when purchasing items instead of buying everything from the supermarket in boxes and bags, shop for items in bulk. You can purchase rice, seeds, oatmeal, flour, sugar and more in bulk and store them in glass containers that can be reused. Also consider composting and growing your own foods, both of which will cut down on the waste you generate.

Author Bio: Stewart Wrighter has often called on the expertise of a Dayton Geothermal Systems specialist to fix heating issues in his large office building. He scheduled to have a Dayton furnace tune up before turning on the furnace for the winter months.

Category: Home Management
Keywords: Dayton Geothermal Systems,Dayton Furnace Tune Up

Leave a Reply