Living a greener lifestyle can save energy, lower your electricity and water bills, and help the environment by making your home eco-friendly.
For example, according to energy star, 75% of the electricity needed to power home appliances is consumed once they’re switched off; simply unplugging your appliances or switching off your power strips will prevent this needless (and expensive) energy loss.
By making other eco-friendly switches and improvements around your home, you can better reap the benefits of sustainable living.
Insulate your home
Properly insulating your home prevents you from wasting energy on hot or cold days, explains AHS.com.
When your home’s well-insulated, you don’t have to run your heating in the winter or air conditioning in the summer more than you need to.
In particular, double-glazed windows offer twice the insulation of a single-glazed window.
They capture and store natural heat to keep your home warm in the winter, says theatlantic.com.
On warm days, double-glazed windows will trap the sun rays coming through, keeping your interiors cooler.
Even simply drawing your curtains during the hottest time of day will block out the sun and effectively cool your home.
Install an electricity meter
With an electricity meter, you can ensure your home’s only heated when needed, therefore saving energy and money.
Electricity meters let you know how much electricity you’re using, suggest ways to use less, and help the electricity company monitor your electricity supply and instantly detect outages.
You can also set your electricity meter to switch the heating on an hour or so before you get home from work, which means you can save energy and money without having to sacrifice comfort.
Be smart about your water usage.
Living an eco-friendly lifestyle involves saving water, which doesn’t require spending any money.
For example, be cautious about water usage in the bathroom: keep showers to under five minutes, stop taking baths, and don’t run the tap while brushing your teeth.
You can also reuse water where possible.
After washing fresh produce, for instance, collect the water used in a jar or pot and then use it to water plants in your garden.
Covering your backyard pool (if you have one) will also prevent evaporation and require less water to refill it.
Living an eco-friendly lifestyle helps both the environment and your wallet.
Insulating your home, installing an electricity meter, and minimizing your water usage can help you save money and put less stress on natural resources.