Long gone are the days that people are looking for homes that look great but are far too big for them and end up just draining money from their pocketbooks. What people look for now are homes that are stunning to the eye, but that also leaves a small footprint on the world. For those of you who already own such homes, here are some sustainable additions you may want to look into.
Sufficient Insulation
If you are noticing drafts in your home, then you are literally letting your hard-earned money blow away. You are also forcing your air conditioner or heater to work harder than it needs to, which is also a strain on the environment, in addition to your wallet. Being that this is the easiest way to increase the eco-friendliness of your home, installing proper insulation is the first thing you could look into doing. To make sure you are getting all of the areas filled that need to be, have a blower test performed. This will show you exactly where the drafts are coming from. Be sure to use insulation made from wool fiber or straw to add that extra level of eco-friendliness.
Home Lifts
If you are a homeowner that has difficulty walking upstairs, you may have considered options on how to deal with this dilemma. Instead of selling the home to move to a one-floor house, consider installing a home lift sustainable addition instead. While they have the undeserved reputation of being expensive to operate, this is simply not the case. In reality, they use about as much electricity as does a typical appliance. Another great thing about home lifts is that they can be fitted into virtually any space in your home.
Smart Lighting Fixtures
One of the biggest wastes of electricity in a home are lights being left on in a room that nobody is in. An easy and efficient solution to this issue is to use smart bulbs. Not only are they affordable to purchase when replacing traditional bulbs, but they are LED-based so the electricity they consume is a much lower amount than with old-fashioned incandescent bulbs. They can be programmed to turn on and off at certain times or simply commanded to turn on when entering a room or off when leaving a room. If you forget to do so, just tell your smart hub to perform the task for you.
Ease Up on The Water
Another heavy expense that drains the natural resources of the planet is too much water usage. Low-flow toilets are a great way to make sure you are not flushing money away each time you go. Installing smart shower heads and water faucets are also a fine modern way to save water. They can be easily adjusted to only release a certain amount of water. In addition to these options, high-efficiency washing machines save a significant amount of water with each load. While these devices and appliances may cost more up front than their traditional counterparts, they make up for it in the long run.