When people plan home improvement projects nowadays, they often try to use methods that are green and friendly to the environment. Aside from being gentler on the planet, this way of thinking can also help you reduce your energy bills and make you more inclined to recycle rather than buy everything new. What follows are some practical tips for improving your home in an environmentally responsible manner.
Most of the time people will address their kitchen first when they want to remodel their home. This is also a room that gives you many opportunities to make green choices, from the countertops you use, to your refrigerator and appliances. Making a green choice with worktops is easy because you can get a nice looking kitchen in addition to being environmentally friendly by simply choosing a natural material like stone or clay tiles. Checking whether your kitchen appliances are energy efficient or not is also something that you should do to make sure they’re up to scratch. Look for appliances with an Energy Star logo, which many new ones will have.
How your light up your home also has a lot of say in how your home feels and looks, and it also plays a part in your electricity bills. You should get rid of regular light bulbs and replace them with energy efficient ones as they can last up to 10 times longer, meaning you save money. Don’t just buy a light bulb because it’s more powerful, only get what you need.
If you do have light bulbs that are powerful you can change their brightness with a dimmer so that you can use more light only when you need it. On the subject of lighting, it is also important that you are thoughtful about saving electricity. When there’s nobody in a room simply turn off the lights.
If you live in an area where the summers get hot, you should be aware of low cost ways to keep your house cool. There are a number of alternatives to the commonly used central air conditioning, which is rather expensive and also not very environmentally friendly. One of the best methods of efficiently cooling a room down is by using fans. For more home improvement tips check out replacement windows Raleigh NC.
During the day you can keep heat out by just using your curtains or blinds, which is known as passive cooling. Additionally you can plant some shrubs or trees in strategic locations to bring about even more shade. If you put your mind to it, you can find many lower cost ways to cool your home so that you can save your air conditioner for days when it’s oppressively hot. As you can see in this article, making your home greener isn’t too difficult. Making decisions that are both efficient and green is the mindset you need to be in. You should remodel your home slowly rather than rushing into everything at once.