Creating a More Environmentally Friendly Home

With the growing concern of climate change looming on the horizon, it’s never been more important to be conscious of your carbon footprint. There are a number of ways you can reduce your impact on the environment. For instance, from switching to reusable bags to opting for an electric car.

Perhaps the most positive way you can help the environment, though, is by building or converting your home into an environmentally friendly oasis. 

Read on for our roundup of the top ways to reduce your home’s negative impact on the environment. 

Upgrade Your Light Bulbs

Energy-efficient light bulbs have been around for a long time. So, this is one of the most common eco-friendly house ideas. Replacing your old incandescent bulbs with more efficient LED or CFL light bulbs will use less energy.

An added benefit of switching to these energy savers is that they last much longer. Which means the cost of the upgrade is worth it. 

Reduce Water Consumption

Shortening the length of time we spend in the shower is an easy way to reduce water consumption. In fact, if you keep your showers to five minutes, you’ll save up to 1,000 gallons of water per month. Multiply that by a family of four and, well, you get the idea.

Its great news that energy-saving experts have found that pre-rinsing dishes before loading them into the dishwasher are both a waste of time and water. 

Instead of running water over your dishes simply scrape food scraps into your compost or waste bin to save time and energy. 

Get Energy Star Certified

Energy star certification can turn a friendly home into an eco-friendly home. This rating system ensures that your home appliances are operating within certain energy efficiency limits without any loss in performance.

When building a home, you’ll have full control over the choice of water management systems, heating and cooling systems, thermal enclosure systems, and lighting options. 

When these areas are taken into consideration, Energy Star certified homes are at least 10% more efficient than other homes.

Install Solar Panels

Installing solar panels is certainly one of the most eco-friendly home upgrades available. You’ll no longer rely on power generated from burning coal or oil, cutting back on carbon emissions each year. 

Harvesting the sun’s rays allows you to generate your own power and perhaps even sell some extra energy back to the grid. If you live in a sunny area this might be a good way to cash in on this environmentally friendly investment. 

Environmentally Friendly Changes in the Kitchen

Stop reaching for plastic water bottles. Even though they can be recycled, most end up in landfills and take over thousands of years to degrade. Keeping refillable water bottles around is an eco-friendly house idea many are starting to adopt. 

Another way to reduce energy use in the kitchen is to get a pressure cooker. These babies will cut cooking time by 70%, reducing the amount of energy it will take to cook your favorite meals. 

What Are You Waiting For?

These easy energy-saving tips will help reduce your impact whether building or buying an environmentally friendly home. If you are ready to upgrade your New Legacy Home contact us to get started!