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Living an eco-friendly lifestyle is important to a lot of people and there are so many different ways to do it. But the best place to start is in the home. If your home isn’t very eco-friendly, that usually means that your energy bills are higher than they need to be as well. But if you make your home more eco-friendly, you can kill two birds with one stone and save yourself some money at the same time as reducing your impact on the planet.
This is a particular problem for older properties that aren’t as well built. There are some big changes you can make like adding insulation to the walls but that’s pretty invasive. Before you do anything drastic like that, you should try some of these simple eco-friendly home renovations.
Low Flow Toilets
One thing that people often forget about when they’re trying to live a responsible lifestyle is water usage, but it’s actually a big problem. The amount of water that we use is starting to get out of control and experts warn of shortages in the near future.
People use so much water because it’s not that expensive and they take it for granted but you shouldn’t. Taking shorter showers and being a bit more conscious when you’re doing things like washing up is important, but one simple change can save you a lot of water.
Putting in a modern low flow toilet that uses far less water will make a big difference and it’s a fairly easy change to make.
New Windows
Losing heat through the doors and windows means you’ll waste a lot of energy and pay a lot more every month for heating. If you live in an older house with single glazed windows, you’re wasting a lot of energy, but you can solve that easily if you just swap them out for some modern double glazed ones.
It’s also a good way to keep your house secure because they’re harder to break into than traditional wooden ones. On top of all of that, it’ll add value to your house so it’s a renovation that should be top of your list.
If new windows are out of your budget, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they are, windows are expensive, then how about some thick new curtains? Be sure to get a free sample of fabric first so you can see if it would be thick enough for your needs.
Gas Central Heating
A lot of older houses use an oil heating system rather than gas central heating which is standard in new properties. Unless you live in the middle of nowhere, you should be able to get your house connected to the gas mains.
The oil to gas conversion costs are usually less than people think and you can sometimes get money off with government grants. Gas is still a fossil fuel but it’s the least damaging one and it’ll save you a lot of money as well.
You may be entitled to a new boiler for free, it depends on your circumstances though, you can check that, along find boilers for under £1,000 via boilergrants.org.uk
Replace Appliances
Appliances are a big thing to consider when you’re trying to go green. The amount of electricity that older ones use compared to modern ones is massive. An old refrigerator or washing machine is wasting loads of money and massively increasing your carbon footprint so it’s worth paying the money to change them right away.
Older properties often have a certain charm that new builds don’t have but they’re not very energy efficient. But if you make these changes, you can get the best of both worlds.
