5 Ways To Make Your Home Environmentally Friendly
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
When it comes to climate change, ignorance is no longer bliss. David Attenborough has made us all a lot more aware of what’s going on with our environment and has warned that if we don't take action now, we will cause "irreversible damage to the natural world". It's not all doom & gloom however, there is still hope if dramatic action is taken.
So if you've found yourself sat on your sofa watching 'Climate Change – The Facts' with a cup of tea, wondering what you can do to save our planet then look no further. We’ve compiled a list of changes that you can make to your home to make it more environmentally friendly; because here at BUILDAS we believe that we can save the world, one project, one household at a time.
Transform Your Garden With Eco-Friendly Decking
Summer is well on its way so there’s a good chance that you might be considering getting your garden barbecue ready.
Have your heard of environmentally friendly decking? This eco-friendly alternative doesn’t rot, warp or splinter, requires very little maintenance and doesn’t involve trees being cut down in order to make the materials.
EnviroBuild is the UK’s leading builders’ merchant for sustainable building materials and provide lasting eco-friendly construction solutions. Opting for their sustainable decking will transform your garden and reassure you that you’re doing your bit for the environment. Their WPC Decking is made from 60% recycled wood and 40% recycled polyethylene. These materials are spared from going into landfill and are recycled into a long life sustainable decking solution.
Find out more about their decking services on their website: envirobuild.com
Invest In Solar Panels
Although at first the thought of getting solar panels installed might make your wallet weep a little, they’re definitely an investment not only for your finances (energy from the sun is free FYI) but for the environment too. If you’re not quite sure how they work, the panels harness energy from the sun and convert it into electricity that you can use in your home. This is much better for the environment as they’ll cut down the amount of fossil fuels used in your home to generate electricity.
If you’re still a little worried about the initial cost, once you’ve had the panels installed, they require very little maintenance. A standard solar power system will last anywhere between 20 and 30 years. All you need is a yearly system check which is very affordable.
Upgrade Your Bulbs
Sometimes it’s the small changes that make a big difference. By simply switching your ordinary light-bulbs to energy efficient bulbs, you’re doing the environment a favour. LED bulbs are actually up to 80% more energy efficient than the florescent and incandescent light-bulbs that are used in most homes.
It doesn't just end at switching bulbs and hoping to save a handful of cash at the end of the year. Be mindful and turn off lights when leaving a room, regardless of how long for. Try to be aware of how many lights you have on and whether they all need to be in use.
Insulate!
If you haven’t yet insulated your walls and roof, then it’s time to get with the programme. Getting good insulation put in wherever you can will help your home hold in heat, meaning you won’t need to have the radiators and heaters on as much. Saving all of this energy is much better for our environment too.
Insulation will drastically reduce the amount of energy needed to run your home, which will in turn reduce your carbon footprint and you save money all at the same time. When it comes to smart changes this one's at the top of our list, because even if you don't give two coconut trees about the environment, we're certain you care about keeping your expenses down.
Contact the BUILDAS team if you’d like to hear more about our insulation and roofing services.
Switch To A Low-Flow Showerhead
If you’re not quite ready to make big changes to your home, why not start with a small change first? Switching your showerhead could be an excellent starting point on your environmentally friendly journey.
Did you know, the average shower lasts for 8 minutes. Although that doesn’t seem like a long time, it’s long enough to use around 60 litres of water! I know what you're thinking. Hold on just a minute, first we were told to stop taking baths and switch to showers because showers are more environmentally friendly so we did just that; we threw our bath salts and rubber ducks away and got used to bathing standing up. Now that's not good enough and you want to limit our showerhead flow too?
Well, perhaps this little nugget of information will help. Even if you don’t use a water meter and so don't pay for the specific amount of water you use, you’ll still save money as you’ll be using less hot water – this will make your heating bill a lot more manageable. Low-flow showerheads restrict the volume of water that they allow to flow through them, meaning that the volume of water you use in the shower could be halved by making this small change.
If you’re not sure where you should purchase a new showerhead, we recommend having a browse through victorianplumbing.co.uk.
