Most homeowners are always looking for ways to make their home more comfortable and more affordable. In many ways, sustainable improvements can take care of both of those elements while also helping you to contribute to a more positive future for the environment. Finding the right sustainable projects for your home and budget can take some time and work, but once you find them, it will help you to make your home a better place for everyone.
The landscaping of your home is one place where you can do a lot of good for sustainability without a lot of additional effort. It’s important to know that while grass is the most common yard covering in the United States, it isn’t necessarily low maintenance or well-suited to the varied climates of the vast country. In fact, in many cases, grass uses far more water than is sustainable and can lead to major problems for various areas. This is especially true during a drought where the water used for keeping grass green could be better used helping grow food and doing other more necessary jobs.
Sustainable landscaping depends on choosing plants that are native to your area or at least those that flourish in similar climates. Some people worry that sustainable landscaping won’t be as pretty as a more traditional yard. However, just because it may lack the perfect edges of a lawn, doesn’t mean your sustainable landscaping can’t be unbelievably gorgeous. There are many kinds of plants you can choose from to create a beautiful space that is better suited to the climate that you live in. Choosing native plants and those that require little to no water can help you to xeriscape your yard in a beautiful and sustainable way.
You can also decrease your negative impact on the environment and become more sustainable by changing out your bathroom fixtures for low-flow options. Many older toilets, sinks, and shower heads tend to waste a large amount of water. But newer low-flow models can provide the same water pressure without requiring as much actual water. This means that you can get new beautiful fixtures for your home that actually will help you to live more sustainably.
This is a great project because you can tackle one fixture at a time or take on the whole house depending on your own schedule and budget. By switching out your fixtures for low-flow options you can slowly make your home more sustainable and take better care of your own water use to reduce waste. Low-flow fixtures can also save you money, which is great for your budget overall.
One of the main things people think of when they consider sustainability is alternative power sources that they can use to generate energy. These alternative sources of power come in a variety of options that can be tailored to fit your needs and your climate. Some people find that solar energy is the best option that they have available, this is especially true in sunny climates. In windy areas, turbines may be a better choice for sustainable energy generation. And for other people, propane tanks can be a way to start living more sustainably. Using a propane tank comes with multiple benefits beyond using sustainable energy.
A lot of sustainability comes from getting more from the systems you already have. And for many people this means increasing the efficiency of their home by improving the insulation they have to keep heat from escaping in the winter or getting into their homes in the summer months. Taking care of insulation can really decrease your energy bills since you won’t be producing as much wasted energy as you currently are. Uninsulated attic spaces tend to give off a lot of excess energy. Another space that tends to need better insulation is around windows and doors. These openings can leave room for heat and cool air to escape if they aren’t properly insulated.
Your HVAC system is another area that can lead to a lot of wasted energy. But by switching to more efficient means of heating and cooling your home you can increase the sustainability and efficiency of your home. If you have an old HVAC system, it may be time to get it replaced with a more efficient model. Not only were older HVAC systems less efficient when they were built, they also tend to become less efficient over time. This means that your heating and cooling is continually getting less efficient as you continue to use it. Generally speaking, you want to make sure to update your HVAC every fifteen years or so, this way you can count on optimal efficiency for your home.
Old windows are a huge problem for sustainability because they simply weren’t designed with as high of a level of efficiency as modern windows. Your windows can be a huge part of your sustainability or they can let a lot of energy simply go to waste. If you live in an older home and you have never changed the windows, you may be surprised at how much that change can do for your sustainability and your energy bill. Getting windows that are at least double paned will help you to keep your energy use sustainable and not let energy go to waste. If you do your research, you can find a variety of windows that will help you to meet the needs of your home while also decreasing the wasted energy you use in your home.
Your home can be a great place for sustainability and savings, if you make it a priority to update it in smart and efficient ways. There are so many options for sustainable home updates that you can choose from, so hopefully this list will get you on the path to more sustainable living. Developing sustainable habits is an important part of being a responsible homeowner in the modern world.
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