Guest Post
Simple actions around your home can make a big difference to your overall impact on the environment. Sometimes, the thought of ‘being green’ sounds difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. Here are a few simple ways you can make your home greener, without too much effort.
Upgrade to LED lights.
LED lights have come down in price over the last decade and are a great way to reduce your home’s energy consumption. By making the switch from incandescent light bulbs to LED light bulbs, you can expect to save up to 80% on your overall lighting energy bill annually. The lower energy consumption will also mean that your household will have a lower impact on carbon emissions from power suppliers that generate their energy by burning fossil fuels.
You can also see if there are any providers or government schemes available to help you get LED lights at a subsidised cost.
Solar power/Renewable energy provider.
Most homes that are connected to the power grid are supplied by an energy provider that generates their power by burning fossil fuels like coal and oil. You can easily make your home more environmentally friendly by switching to an energy provider that generates their power from renewable energy sources such as hydro, wind or solar.
You will need to check in your area to see the availability. Even if it costs a little more than your current energy provider, you will have a greater ‘peace of mind’ knowing that the energy that you are using in your home isn’t having a negative impact on the environment.
Consider non-electrical thermal solutions.
When the temperature gets too hot or too cold, it people are quick to turn on the electric heater or the air conditioner. And even though these devices provide relief, they often do so at the cost of consuming electricity and contributing towards carbon emissions.
Instead, seek non-electrical solutions as your first ‘port of call’.
For example, if the day is hot, open the windows or cool yourself down with an iced beverage. Close the curtains to limit the amount of solar heat that enters the property and insulate your walls and ceiling to prevent the heat coming into your property.
For the cooler periods of the year, try to stay warm with thermal clothing, warm blankets and hot beverages. Seek heat insulation technology such as double-glazed windows or insulation in your walls or ceiling to retain the amount of heat in your property.
Categorise your disposables so that they can be recycled easily.
Make recycling easy by categorising items that can be recycled.
Sort metal, plastic, glass, paper and cardboard objects by allocating containers for each item and then send them to the right recycling distribution channel. In some cases, you might be rewarded financially for recycling those items.
Dispose of e-waste properly.
Disposing of e-waste can be tricky, because most people aren’t properly educated in how to deal with it. It’s important that e-waste gets distributed through the right channels to avoid environmental issues, such as contamination.
Items such as used televisions, computers or ink cartridges cannot be disposed of like other waste due to the chemical components within them. Instead, you need to send them to a designated recycling centre; avoiding the ecological issues that substances like this can cause as landfill.
Buy reusable items
No matter where we go, there are always disposable items on offer.
One of the best things you can do is avoid purchasing any disposable items. Here are a couple things that you can change:
● Replace disposable utensils with reusable metal utensils.
● Replace plastic disposable cups with reusable plastic or glass cups.
● Replace disposable paper plates with reusable glass or china plates.
Now that you have the knowledge to make your home greener, it is time to take action. Take a look around your home to see what you are already doing and see if there’s a way you can improve your home’s ‘green-friendliness’ today!
