How to Make Your Home More Eco-Friendly

Making your home more eco friendly demands on the choices you make. Whether you choose a more energy efficient

Solar panels

Installing solar panels on your roof is a big step towards having a more eco friendly home. Your solar panels will cost you in the beginning in installation fees and the cost of the panels themselves, but in the long run you will save yourself money on electricity bills, and with the increasing cost of electricity this is a step in the right direction.You are also going a long way towards reducing your carbon footprint. Solar power can run your electric appliances, power your lights, heat your hot water and you can even have a solar heated pool.

Energy efficient appliances

If your appliances are getting older then it might be time to replace them with updated energy efficient ones. When you buy new white goods, such as a washing machine, fridge, dishwasher or dryer you will notice that they have an energy rating. This is indicated by a sticker on the machine that will have a number of stars on it. Basically the more stars on the sticker the better the appliance is at saving energy. These appliances will help make your home more eco friendly and cost less to run.

Save water

You can easy save more water around your home to make it more eco friendly. Conserve your bath water and bucket it out onto your garden. When you have a shower put a bucket in the bottom of the shower to catch the run off, then use this to water your lawn. Have the grey water from your washing machine connect to a pipe that takes it outside so you can use it on your garden. Make sure you choose washing detergent that is safe to put outside on the garden. You can buy shower heads that help save water as they reduce the flow, using less water. When you have a shower turn on an egg timer so you don’t take too long. Look at how much water your toilet uses when you flush. Think about replacing your toilet to one that has a half flush and uses less water per flush.

Compost

You can reduce the amount of rubbish that your home produces by sorting out your rubbish from your recycling and also having a compost bin. Your compost can take all your food scraps, except for meat and bones, and you can even put egg shells, paper and garden waste in it too. This will eventually break down and you will have a great natural compost to put on your garden.

Watch your electricity consumption

You can help your home be more eco friendly by simply watching how much electricity you use. Always turn off appliances at the wall when you have finished using them and switch off lights in any rooms you are not using