Eco friendly homes (How to)
As a first time home-owner you made sure that you were built an energy-efficient house. You promised yourself that your new home will be a testament to your efforts to minimize your carbon footprints. After building a green home you consciously see to it that you follow through by making it eco-friendly. Below are some pointers which can help you in maintaining a green home:
*Insulate roof and walls. Most homes lose heat through its walls and roofs. Insulating them would save you money.
*Buy new, energy-efficient light bulbs. Energy-efficient light bulbs are easily available and not overly expensive. They consume five times less the energy being used by older bulbs.
*Unplug the power switch of any electronic appliance that is not being used. It has to be unplugged and not merely switched off. Switching appliances off put them on standby mode were power is still being used.
*Install an energy-efficient heating system. This might mean more money spent, but you get a government rebate for this.
*When doing the laundry, run the washing machine on a full load at low temperature. Also try to hang clothes outdoors to dry to avoid using the tumble drier. Tumble driers consume huge amounts of electricity. Canadian Tire or Home Hardware sells drying racks that could be set up the laundry room during the winter to save on electricity.
*Turn down your thermostat by one degree. It will still keep you warm, and minimize your energy consumption. Just make sure you’re comfortably bundled up.
*Make a habit of turning off the lights in areas that you don’t use.
*When boiling water in a kettle, don’t boil extra water because it is a waste of both time and energy. Instead, just boil the exact amount of water that you need.
*Learn to love vintage. Buy second hand and help reduce resources and energy in making new products. Check out E-bay, Kijiji and Craigslist the next time you need furniture.
*Draught-strip doors and windows to close air gaps. And then see the difference in your heating bills. Not only that, when you seal the house and you keep the heat inside which will be more comfortable.
*Use natural paint and oils to avoid breathing in chemicals. You also prevent toxic waste when you buy these products.
*Buy local produce. The next time you do your grocery shopping be aware of buying products grown in Ontario. You can also try the local farmer’s market. They run all year round in some communities, even during the winter. Do check them out. Local produce do not have to be transported by trucks or planes from across the border/ or from other countries. Both shipment methods use too much fuel.
*Recycle. Recycle plastics, paper, glass and metal. Use a compost bin for your food waste. It will do your garden good.
There are so many ways to make your home eco-friendly. Most of the time, these methods are simple enough even for a child to practice. When you start living an eco-friendly lifestyle you don’t only help the environment by minimizing your carbon footprints, but you also help your finances by saving on energy use.*
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